serpentine belt tensioner

[94carolinaSHO]

Hey all
I have a 94 atx and i have a bit of a chirp/squeal coming from the front of the engine. The noise does not vary a lot with the rpm of the engine. The serpentine belt has been replaced but that didnt solve the problem. So i sprayed belt dressing on it and that made it worse and it did vary with engine rpm. So now i suppose the dressing has worn off and its back to doing its own thing. My question is is this the idler pulley or the tensionser? I have done searches and read the sticky so am i correct in that the tensioner is no longer made or is that the one for the timing belt? Im a bit confused. Which should i replace first? Advance carries the idler pulley but no one seems to have the tensioner. Just looking for an outside look to see what im missing. Thanks a lot.

 

[shonuffmine]

thought my noise was the idler too,it was the alternator on it,s way out! Also I thought ALL idlers were obsolete,I might be incorrect.You need parts just call Kirk at NESHO he has a few million tensioners and idler pulleys laying around.

 

[LOUDSHO92]

We have the idlers here: SHO Source

 

[94carolinaSHO]

I dont think its the alternator as i am on my third one since owning the car ''knock on wood''. The chirp/squeal whatever you call it has always been there but you had to lean into the engine to hear it. It has just gotten to the point to hear it while driving. I think the upper bearing is what may be the culprit but im not really sure other than replacing one and seeing what happens.

 

[AREA 91]

Take the belt off and spin very accessory. If you don't feel or hear anything, start the car up briefly and listen to the timing belt, tensioner, and idler pulley. This will help you narrow down where the noise is coming from.

 

[94carolinaSHO]

Thanks for the tip. I will have to try that out.