Serpantine belt side-to-side movement causing noise

[CraigAB]

Hi,

I was hoping someone here could help me with this. Originally I had thought that I had a stuffed AC idler pulley. Anyway I replaced it. Same noise.
Then I noticed that the belt going over the tensioner pulley was moving side-to-side. So I sprayed water on the ribbed side of the belt whilst the car is running and the noise goes away.
I replaced the tensioner assembly 2 years ago with the belt.
So how do I fix the side-to-side movement of the belt?
Is it a stuffed belt? Tensioner? (I have replaced the tensioner pulley, no change)
I don't see any other pulleys / AC compressor / Power steering / Alternator moving side-to-side.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[_R_J_K_]

In that video the entire tensioner arm is moving back and forth. I'd probably start by sticking a big screw driver behind it and leveraging it back and forth to see how much play there is (while the car is off obviously).

Would also take the belt off ans see if any of the bearings in the pulleys have gone. Most of the should be able to be turned freely and easily by hand.

 

[Immortality]

That tensioner seems to be moving a bit which seems odd. Is there any build up in the grooved pulleys, also check the PS and harmonic balancer for buildup in the grooves. Use a wire brush to clean up any crap. Also check the belt for damage.

Remove the belt and check all pulleys by hand to see if any have any lateral movement.

 

[CraigAB]

_R_J_K_,

Thanks for the responce. I have already done the pulley swap, and the noise is still there. The tensioner spring is quite strong, and takes a bit of effort to move it so that it releases the tension on the belt. As for the lateral movement of the tensioner, I could get a bit with the screwdriver.

 

[CraigAB]

Immortality,
I checked and cleaned the groves in the Power steering / AC compressor / pulleys, a tiny bit of dirt, didn't make a difference.
The pulleys have been swapped out with new ones, one at a time and it didn't make a difference.

I just don't understand where that lateral movement (Which is causing the noise) on the tensioner is coming from.

Thank you for your responce.

 

[Immortality]

Can you test with a different belt .

 

[greenacc]

Check the harmonic balancer is torqued up properly and all the pulleys are in line.

 

[UTE042_NZ]

Has the vehicle been parked up for any length of time? Especially somewhere where it would go through a cycle of temperature changes? Bit hard to tell from video on phone, but I seem to be hearing a series of clicking type noises that repeat at the same freqency of one full belt revolution. Belt may have a thin spot from sitting for some time on a steel pulley that has got hot then cooled.

 

[CraigAB]

Thanks guys,

I appreciate your help. I will go and get a new belt tomorrow, the one in it is a Dayco, should I look for another brand?

 

[Immortality]

I have Dayco on ours ATM but probably only just over a year old. Before that I've run Gates belts without issue.