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Belts squealing

danielle said:
I've been trying to sort this problem for a while. Belt slip works but is only temporary. My mechanic told me it can't be tensioned as they have automatic tensioning....I'm guessing after reading this post, that information is incorrect??
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He's wrong and shouldn't be allowed to play with spanners.
 
danielle said:
I've been trying to sort this problem for a while. Belt slip works but is only temporary. My mechanic told me it can't be tensioned as they have automatic tensioning....I'm guessing after reading this post, that information is incorrect??
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I’m guessing he is taking about your timing chain , that’s has auto tensioners but fan belts are manual adjustment
 
malcolmyz85 said:
I fitted 2 new belts approx 3 weeks ago , on day one no sequel , but on start up next day they squealed abit , checked belts and still correct tension ,I just left belts , too much tension is just as bad , every time I start motor they squeal bad and takes a few mins of driving before they stop , belts are still correct tension, I’m starting to think it’s just shit belts , only thing I can say about belts is they were bought from a correct supplier and that I have had them about 3 years in back as spares (I normally carry spare belts ) so has anyone else had this problem??? Or maybe should I try and slacken a tiny bit
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Had exactly same problem today fitted new belts Thursday was paranoid that I had over tightened tha alternator belt so slacked of a bit started up today and squeeled Like a pig tightened back up a bit and it’s fine 👍
 
@Daniellle I was told the opposite - that the E51’s don’t have the auto-tensioning so they need to be tightened manually…. Hope that helps? Good luck.
 
I have just been down this rabbit hole, though it looks like i may have over tensioned mine and taken out the Power steering pump shaft seal. Urrrggghh just hoping the oil doesn't take out the alternator. :sob:
 
Dave227 said:
I have just been down this rabbit hole, though it looks like i may have over tensioned mine and taken out the Power steering pump shaft seal. Urrrggghh just hoping the oil doesn't take out the alternator. :sob:
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Oh no...they do have to be super tight so maybe it was on its way out anyway?
 
danielle said:
Oh no...they do have to be super tight so maybe it was on its way out anyway?
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May have been the reason for the squealing originally, no oil visible when i changed the belts and during the several re tensions but it probably wouldn't need much to effect belt grip. Joys of running an older vehicle. Still love it though.:heart_eyes:
 
When I changed mine recently I was concerned about retensioning them correctly without a tension gauge, so I measured the distance as shown below with red arrows and retightened to achieve the same distance in the hope that it would be close enough. Also gave the pulleys a bit of a clean. They have been fine so hopefully it's about right.

snap2.jpg
 
I'm pretty sure that in most cases, where belts squeak initially and then stop, is excessive drag from the Alternator, especially in cold weather, or where the battery is low. If the belt is tight, but not quite tight enough as mentioned by many, you will get this initial squealing as the cold belts try to slip over the alternator pully, which is fighting the rotation due to the electromechanical effects of the high power load generation required. I found this after years of frustrating squealing. I finally ensured I had either Gates or Conti belts, ( I have found Dayco seem very much less flexible, but that's just an opinion) and do them up till they seem tight, then if I get squealing, I tighten them a bit more. I think the alignment of tensioner pulleys to belt path is not optimal by design. My old Merc wraps around 3/4 of the pulleys, and has an auto tensioner, and even after years of doing nothing to it, still doesn't do this. It's an Elgrand thing.....
 
Mine has been squealing again this past week with the cold. Just a little. Soon stops but annoying as hell.
 
My belts squeak for a couple of seconds on a damp morning .. when I had the new belts fitted had to retighten them a few weeks later once they settled n stretched..
 
Had my belts done about 6 weeks ago...started speaking a couple of weeks back.. into garage to get them tightened back up.. just the odd sqeak on start up if it's damp in the morning
 
I think I officially joined the squealing belt crew today. In previous years I may have go the odd chirp on cold/wet morning but it was a full on 60+ second blast today! For those that have changed their belts would I be correct in saying that it's the alternator and air con belts that need doing? Having a look at Brian's website (who I know is not available at the moment), those are the only 2 belts that are listed.
 
gee5pot said:
I think I officially joined the squealing belt crew today. In previous years I may have go the odd chirp on cold/wet morning but it was a full on 60+ second blast today! For those that have changed their belts would I be correct in saying that it's the alternator and air con belts that need doing? Having a look at Brian's website (who I know is not available at the moment), those are the only 2 belts that are listed.
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Yep that's the 2 I had done.. solved the problem.... you've got to go along the lines of they've never been done while in Japan
 
Ive had the same 10 second squeal on start up in winter when cold and wet, then it disappears straightaway. No problem at all during warmth in summer. I dont bother adusting / tightening, but might try anti squeal spray if it gets any worse.
 
Mine always squeals in the cold/damp, sometimes for a minute or so and it is seriously loud. Recently it was stuck at the garage for a week and a half for an MOT as it needed bushes and i couldn't get to them to the garage straight away, because i ordered them but was away from home for a bit before they arrived. I guess because it got moved in an out of the garage multiple times it drained the battery, but since then it hasn't really recovered, keeps going flat when left for a week or two, even though it's done a good long drive since. I'm guessing the alternator isn't at optimum performance if the belts are a bit loose, or maybe the total battery drain has killed an already on the way out battery. Anyway it's going in to have the belts checked and replaced/tightened and the battery checked and fully charged/replaced as needed soon. Won't miss the unbearable squeal if it sorts it out. I've had it for a few years now but ignored it because i used the van so infrequently since lockdown all kicked off and with working from home these days.
 
Mines started today! 😭
I think I'll leave it though and be optimistic that warm weather is coming and it'll stop.
 
Mark76e said:
Mines started today! 😭
I think I'll leave it though and be optimistic that warm weather is coming and it'll stop.
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Mine still does it in the summer but it complements the rattling doors .
 
Jumping on this thread to ask a quick question to the geniuses here!
Just picked up an Elgrand after years of fantasising about it (it’s incredible)!

On start up I’m getting screeching for about 3/4 seconds which I’ve identified to be the belt associated with power steering, just wondering if it’s something I should be concerned about or not as it’s only pretty brief and only happens on start up. E51 3.5 36k miles.

Appreciate anyone’s advice

Ta

Tim
 
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