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I have a 2004 196 with the 330 Excalibur - The main belt on the engine is squeeky, a few drops of detergent stops it for a day or two. Any ideas for a permanent solution. The tension seems ok and the belt looks in good condition both sides.
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RE: Squeeky belt
I'd double-check the tension. If you are getting any rubber powder from the belt inside the engine compartment that's a sure sign. Even without, a squeaky belt is almost always a tension issue. -
RE: Squeeky belt
Be careful putting detergent on the belts. It is a degreaser and will pull the oil out of the belt and cause premature cracking.If the belt is squeaking at idle it may be time to replace although it is not very old(I don't know the hrs on the engine).I'm assuming it is a serpentine belt with an auto tensioner.It should not be bad but you might check it as well.If all else fails turn up the stereo.Comment
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Squeeky belt revisited
I just developed a squeak in my new-to-me '04 SN 196 PCM 330 . I put about 50 hours on the boat this summer before the squeak started. The noise is only noticed while idling. I have not noticed any serpentine belt breakdown. I tracked down this thread and am wondering if you recall what you did to resolve your squeak issue? replace belt? retension belt? Do impellers squeal as they fail?Comment
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Usually the squealing is from poor tension and once it starts squealing, you should replace the belt because it will have abnormal wear. No amount of tightening the belt will rid of the squealing after the belt is worn.Comment
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Also, for a serpentine belt, check the tension pulley for wear or not enough tension on the belt. The squealing could possibly be due to wobbly pulleys or fluid on the belt as well.Comment
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I had a squeaky belt on my Ford Aerostar. Putting a little bit of waterless hand cleaner on both sides of the belt helped it quiet down for a while, but the squeak would return, after a while.
Last spring, I had to replace the head gaskets in the 4.0 engine in it. While taking many parts off the engine, to get to the head gaskets, I found the idler pulley had a noisy bearing, and the tensioner came off in pieces. Both parts, and the belt were replaced, and now, no more belt squeak.
It could a bad bearing, and not necessarily the belt.
You can take a long screwdriver, put the screw end of the driver, on parts on the front of the engine, close to where the bearing is, for the rotating part, and then put the handle end by your ear, and isolate where the noise is coming from.
You can also do about the same thing with a piece of rubber hose. Be careful of moving parts.Comment
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