Squealing like a pig

[ClayGoo]

Something that has been driving me insane for months now is my drive belt screeching. It does it about 75% of the time and it drives me absolutely insane.

I replaced the belt with an OE size, i replaced the tensioner and I am currently running a belt a half or inch and a half shorter and when the car is off I have so much slop. If I put a 32mm wrench on the fan clutch i can just spin the water pump even with the belt on.. I have to be doing something wrong. I have searched here and even looked at the diagrams on RealOEM and have adjusted it how I interpret the diagrams.

Here is a picture of how I have it now. Excuse the greasy mess. I have a nasty PS leak I am going to address this spring.

http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u515/cgoodwin1212/2013-04-24_14-50-33_709_zpse38b1fc0.jpg (http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/cgoodwin1212/media/2013-04-24_14-50-33_709_zpse38b1fc0.jpg.html)

Thanks for the help!!

[mgoods50]

I can see from the top of the belt it is slipping. Either it's routed incorrectly, or the tensioners are not functioning. Can't really be anything else, unless you received the wrong belt. I'd check that first- see if you can still see the numbers, or if you still have the receipt- look there. Could be as simple as the wrong belt.

[K Fox]

You routed it wrong - simple as that. Unless you're missing one of the idler pulleys...but you should notice that. There are 3 idlers on the main belt, one on the AC belt.

Here, I grabbed the best pic I could find of the belt routing for now - so take a look and make sure yours is routed correctly and you have all 3 idlers. http://www.e32-schrauber.de/bmw/daten/motor_m60/M60-018.jpg

Fox

[ClayGoo]

She's routed correctly.. i must have the wrong size belt then..

Im assuming the size on realOEM is in mm making it a 62 inch belt. Ill double check tomorrow and see what I bought.

I work a parts store so I bought what was in their catalog and also tried an inch shorter.

[Bilderback]

Looks as if your belt is riding off the front lip of the pulley in left of pic. Are you sure its seated properly in the grooves of each pulley?
Our car had the same screeching noise which turned out to be an upper idler pulley going bad, causing it to periodically lock up and belt slipping.

[ClayGoo]

This belt is a 6 rib, not a 7 rib. I wanted to see if i could take up some slack with a shorter belt, and we didnt have any the correct length in a 7 rib.

As for the pulley, both the tensioner and that upper idler are new to that car and the sound didn't change or go away. The biggest issue i have is the slack in the belt itself.

[mgoods50]

Did you check the pic fox posted?
It's either:
1) Wrong length belt
2) Not routed correctly
3) Components missing (idler)

It cannot be anything else.

[PorscheH6]

Did you check the pic fox posted?
It's either:
1) Wrong length belt
2) Not routed correctly
3) Components missing (idler)

It cannot be anything else.

.

[ClayGoo]

I have a 62 inch belt on there now, catalog calls for a 62.5 inch so I picked up a 61 inch and am going to see how that goes...

Stand-by

[Shoomakan]

Well, your first problem is that it is a 6 rib belt, not 7.

[marct335i]

The PS leak or a slight coolant leak from hose or tstat could be causing the problem by contaminating the surfaces and causing glazing.

[ross1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gLN3QoN-q8