All The Horrible Things You Should Never Use To Quiet A Noisy Engine Belt

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There's thing rather for illustration being nan smartest 1 successful nan garage. You know, for illustration erstwhile you perceive a squeal nether nan hood and your buddies are jumping instantly to delirium for illustration "recommended attraction intervals" aliases "properly addressing underlying problems." You cognize better, though. Because who cares *why* your loop is screaming for illustration a printer pinch a insubstantial jam, erstwhile there's almost thing easier than reaching for a tin of loop dressing spray aliases — arsenic we learned by digging deeper into car forums than we ever attraction to again — immoderate number of different unusual and inadvisable solutions. Well, it turns retired that loop dressing is simply a batch for illustration crockery dressing: it doesn't beryllium nether nan hood of your car. And nan different off-brand solutions we recovered researching this were much aliases little each downhill from there. So let's locomotion you done immoderate of nan bad automotive instincts erstwhile it comes to shutting up a noisy belt, and past get into what you should do instead.

Why nan Noise Happens (and Why You Should Care)

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To authorities nan obvious, nan sound isn't nan problem. It's a denotation of nan problem. A squealing aliases chirping motor loop often signals misalignment, worn pulleys, a anemic tensioner, aliases immoderate shape of contamination. Masking nan sound, whether it's by grabbing immoderate spray aliases turning nan stereo up, will not only support you from addressing nan underlying issue, but could really make nan problem worse. (To beryllium fair, nan stereo solution does not, successful fact, make thing worse, isolated from possibly nan riding acquisition for passengers, and that's highly limited connected your sensation successful music.) In immoderate case, for illustration utilizing your lipid alteration reminder sticker to screen up that cheque motor light, masking nan problem isn't solving nan problem. Besides, didn't we already effort to pass you astir sounds that could mean your h2o pump is failing? Considering that's 1 of possibly a twelve reasonably apt and perchance catastrophic mechanical scenarios, digging a small deeper is going to beryllium worthy nan effort.

The Old Fix: Just Spray It

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Just to beryllium clear, nan old-school wrench contented of conscionable spraying immoderate loop dressing and moving connected pinch nan time didn't conscionable travel retired of nowhere. So it's pinch each due respect that we concede "just spray it" as, once, a reasonably morganatic solution to a squeak, chirp, aliases squeal nether nan hood. Old V-belts would so conscionable get noisy and annoying sometimes, and giving them a speedy spray really *was* nan correct point to do. So erstwhile a grizzled aged mechanic pinch a bosom of gold (or nan cocky young apprentice pinch a feature afloat of chew) tells you to usage immoderate spray, it's astatine slightest partially because that utilized to beryllium a beautiful coagulated answer. Unfortunately, neither 1 of those guys is going to want to perceive you speech them astir EPDM synthetic rubbers and really they're engineered for barren cognition nether due tension, truthful you mightiness person to conscionable motion attentively and past effort to displacement nan taxable to nan virtues of Sea Foam.

How Modern Belts Are Different

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Okay, conscionable because those aged heads don't want to perceive astir nan EPDM distinction, doesn't mean that you don't. ​​EPDM stands for Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer, which is simply a type of synthetic rubber. Like truthful galore automotive innovations that person made it considerably harder to activity connected your ain vehicle, EPDM belts usage modern materials and engineering to outperform their simpler, little technologically optimized predecessors: nan humble neoprene compound. In speech for being somewhat much of a diva to activity on, an EPDM loop is going to person higher guidance to power and deterioration, starring to a longer work life and much accordant capacity complete time. One insignificant constituent of liking is that they don't thin to ace and snap, but alternatively deterioration down gradually. This gives you a fighting chance astatine noticing immoderate issues earlier you extremity up stranded, provided you return nan clip to inspect them now and then. Anyway, you tin stone these things for 100,000 miles aliases more, particularly if you don't discuss their integrity by doing thing stupid. Oh, and speaking of that...

Weird DIY Fixes (And Why You Shouldn't)

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Less Weird DIY Fixes (And Why You Still Shouldn't)

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Why That Trusty Spray Often Makes Things Worse

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Dressings aliases lubricants tin swell ribs, glaze pulleys, and pull grit, starring to much gaffe and noise. Major parts suppliers explicitly pass against it, and we're beautiful judge that's not conscionable because they've each been compromised by immoderate benignant of acheronian money typical liking group backed by greedy mechanics hellbent connected extracting those sweet, saccharine tensioner accommodation dollars from savvy and imaginative DIYers. So moreover though we pridefulness ourselves connected recognizing and advocating for nan bare minimum of car maintenance, we're going to promote everybody retired location to err connected nan broadside of reliability and thief you not only debar gunking up your works, but besides to nonstop your attraction to nan existent problem that may, arsenic we'll get to successful a second, beryllium nary large woody aft all. Of course, moreover if it *is* a large deal, that makes for much logic to get it addressed, not less.

Diagnosing nan Root Cause

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Here's nan thing. If your belt's making noise, there's an existent logic for it, and nary of those reasons are that you haven't yet recovered nan correct net remedy involving vise-grips aliases adjacent parts transmission fluid and herb paste. Fortunately, a small poking astir mightiness thief you get to nan bottommost of things. Start simple. Pop nan hood and cheque nan belt's condition. You're looking for cracks, shiny glazing, aliases missing ribs, pinch immoderate of nan supra meaning it's clip to activity connected getting a caller 1 successful there. If nan loop seems okay, move your attraction to nan tensioner. Does it wobble, bounce, aliases consciousness weirdly gritty erstwhile you rotation it? You mightiness beryllium onto something. Another imaginable culprit? Pulley alignment. One bent bracket aliases questionable alternator installation pinch a somewhat askew pulley tin yank nan full setup retired of step. You whitethorn person noticed that nary of these scenarios sound for illustration nan benignant of point that tin beryllium addressed pinch imaginative usage of fluids.

When It's Time to Replace aliases Rebuild, Not Mask

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There's a good statement betwixt "just a squeak" and "hey, is that smoke?" — and you usually find it astir 2 days aft deciding to disregard nan problem. If your loop ribs are swollen, your tensioner bearings consciousness gritty, aliases 1 of your pulleys wobbles, that sound that started you down this roadworthy successful nan first spot was trying to show you it's clip for attention. Masking nan sound pinch spray (or thing other on nan spectrum of automotive jankiness elaborate previously) doesn't conscionable debar nan issue, but tin actively accelerate nonaccomplishment by trapping heat, accumulating grit, and weakening nan compound of nan belt. In immoderate case, you whitethorn aliases whitethorn not consciousness comfortable doing nan activity yourself, but there's an fantabulous chance that you'll consciousness for illustration a pro successful moving done nan diagnosis. (This could beryllium for illustration erstwhile you sewage a small cocky aft you learned how to publication nan lipid level connected a dipstick correctly a while back.)

What to Use Instead of nan Spray Can

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Sorry, but much often than not, this rumor isn't going to person a solution from nan parts proviso shop shelf, but possibly from down nan parts proviso shop counter. So adjacent and yet truthful far, you know? But it's apt that nan correct hole is arsenic boring arsenic it is effective: switch what's worn, cleanable what's dirty, and don't improvise. If you get lucky, possibly you don't moreover request to switch nan loop astatine all. But if you do, conscionable beryllium judge to usage an OEM-spec belt, make judge each pulley aboveground is oil-free, and cheque nan tensioner and idler bearings for roughness aliases play. If there's immoderate motion of fluid contamination, hole nan leak earlier nan caller loop goes on—otherwise you're conscionable giving it a caput commencement connected its adjacent complaint. Once you've built immoderate assurance successful uncovering your measurement astir a serpentine belt, you tin spell up and adhd this to nan database of car attraction items you should astir apt cheque on from clip to time. Besides, thing feels rather arsenic smugly satisfying arsenic popping nan hood, seeing everything rotation successful cleanable silence, and knowing you fixed nan existent problem alternatively of creating a caller one.