Help! Van driving me crazy
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From: Alabama
The good news is that the back side of the fan doesn't "grab" like the front does. I bumped the stethoscope rod against the fan blades a couple times while probing. It'll scare the $h** out of you (especially if the stethoscope is in your ears), but if you're being cautious you should be fine. You are right though, there's some tight spaces between moving parts, so probe carefully.
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From: Alabama
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So i took off the serpentine belt and now i dont hear the squeal. Also tried moving the water pump pulley and the one right below it that turns all the other pulleys. No movement in either one..about to do a load test.
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Joined: Mar 2018
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From: Alabama
I had to look it up for my own edification. I knew the coolant played a significant role on the freezing side, but I didn't realize that it plays such a lesser role in the boiling point (at least for a 50/50 concentration). So, maybe they ran it lean? Who knows?
ExpressvanMan2000, I hope your load test reveals some answers.
Last edited by GatorHawk24; Aug 27, 2019 at 9:53 PM. Reason: typo
Thread Starter
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I had to look it up for my own edification. I knew the coolant played a significant role on the freezing side, but I didn't realize that it plays such a lesser role in the boiling point (at least for a 50/50 concentration). So, maybe they ran it lean? Who knows?
ExpressvanMan2000, I hope your load test reveals some answers.
ExpressvanMan2000, I hope your load test reveals some answers.
Edit:i do hear a slight grinding or tapping noise upon lightly reving the engine and it sounds like its coming from the lpwer front of the engine.
Last edited by ExpressvanMan2000; Aug 27, 2019 at 11:01 PM.
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In any case, belts squeel when they slip. If the belt is new, then one of the pulleys is seizing up, or the grooves are worn out and the belt is slipping through. Or it's misaligned.
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ExpressvanMan2000,
Short story... Check the water pump with an automotive stethoscope and someone in the driver's seat who can responsibly adjust engine RPM at your command.
Long story... I had a similar-ish issue with my 2016. It developed a noise that I knew was belt related, but not the belt itself (it sounded more mechanical, like a bearing). I replaced the serpentine belt, the tensioner, and the idler pulley, since they were relatively inexpensive, I could replace them in my driveway in under an hour, that was the general area the noise seemed to be coming from. That didn't fix the issue. I went to a local Harbor Freight and picked up an automotive stethoscope and started probing around... word of caution, be extremely careful/cautious when probing a running engine, there's a lot of fast moving parts! I thought it might be the alternator, but when my son revved the engine, the pitch changed but not the intensity of the sound. The water pump was the very last thing I checked (of course, right?), and it was the source of my noise. Thankfully, my van was still within its power train warranty, so that was a blessing.
Short story... Check the water pump with an automotive stethoscope and someone in the driver's seat who can responsibly adjust engine RPM at your command.
Long story... I had a similar-ish issue with my 2016. It developed a noise that I knew was belt related, but not the belt itself (it sounded more mechanical, like a bearing). I replaced the serpentine belt, the tensioner, and the idler pulley, since they were relatively inexpensive, I could replace them in my driveway in under an hour, that was the general area the noise seemed to be coming from. That didn't fix the issue. I went to a local Harbor Freight and picked up an automotive stethoscope and started probing around... word of caution, be extremely careful/cautious when probing a running engine, there's a lot of fast moving parts! I thought it might be the alternator, but when my son revved the engine, the pitch changed but not the intensity of the sound. The water pump was the very last thing I checked (of course, right?), and it was the source of my noise. Thankfully, my van was still within its power train warranty, so that was a blessing.
What do i do know. Other then take it top a shop which is my next step if know available help from here arrives..
