Drivebelt wear

[sierraman]

Focus drivebelt is squealing or making a slipping type noise when cold. The belt is the original and is 13 years old with 115k under its belt. Needless to say for sake of £15 I'm going to change this. Do these belts stretch over the course of time to cause the squealing or is it the friction causing the smooth surface to glaze?

[twosmoke300]

Is it a diseasel?

Ford diesels have always had drive belt noise issues but using a gates brand belt is best .

Also check if it has a one way pulley on the alternator . These seize up and don't slip in one direction as they should and this causes mucho squeaking

[Richard]

What is the thinking behind freewheel alternator pulleys?

[castros_bro]

Some modern Foad engines like the Zetec SE, Duratec, Sigma have an "elastic" drive belt so there is not method to mechanically tension them, a special set of bent metal tools are needed to fit the new belt over the groovy pullys in a complete and utter baastard finger tip removal of a shit job. The belts (based on a sample of two) lose their elacticness as they age the same as knicker elastic so they should be changed or your knickers will fall down.

[twosmoke300]

Free wheel pulleys help stop the belt noise on modern diesels . It's caused by the massive crank speed variation at idle ( big bangs compared to a si engine )

[sierraman]

No its the 1.6 Zetec SE engine petrol. Bought a new belt to fit this week. I've changed the idler pulley at the top as this was where the noise was coming from, changed it but no difference made. Pulley was cheap so no loss. Hoping it wasn't the tensioner which hides impossibly down the back of the engine, the 3 bolts to take the unit off look a right swine.

[cros]

Some modern Foad engines like the Zetec SE, Duratec, Sigma have an "elastic" drive belt so there is not method to mechanically tension them, a special set of bent metal tools are needed to fit the new belt over the groovy pullys in a complete and utter baastard finger tip removal of a shit job. The belts (based on a sample of two) lose their elacticness as they age the same as knicker elastic so they should be changed or your knickers will fall down.

You learn something that's absolutely fucking rediculous every day.

[alf892]

Apart from the actual bearing going tensioners can go sticky and then don't keep the belt tight enough hence squeak. Drop the belt off and makes sure it is nice and springy through its range

[RayMK]

Getting 115K out of drive belts is good.  My Volvo 66's used to manage 50K.

[red5]

As noted - get underneath and check tensioner - probably find it's seized/partially seized. And yes, bit of a pig to get to.

[sierraman]

Should unseize with some plusgas?

[sierraman]

Did this job. Sorted problem out, lost skin, about a pint of blood and some fingernail doing this however.

[bigfella2]

What did you do to cure it. Did you change the belt? Every time I have experienced a noisy belt, replacement always cured it. Never changed a pulley yet, but as above 115k is pretty good.

[willswitchengage]

Goodyear markets the 'Gatorback' belt, meant to be quieter for some science reason. Looks different

[sierraman]

Moved the tensioner in and out dozen times or so might have helped. The old belt I took off was fraction longer, maybe half inch or so, I can only presume it stretched over the past 115k or 13 years. Real fucker to get on as per, trick is to put belt on all the pulleys except to water pump, then retract the tensioner, and slide it on. Practically impossible otherwise.

 

Next job is the exhaust flex, comes with the manifold, choice of the full manifold and flex for approx £50-60 or just the flex for £30 whereby you cut the old manifold downpipe and graft the flex on with a shit load of paste and a clamp. Think ill go for the entire manifold then...