1992 Ford Aerostar XLT 3.0 minivan, 185,000 mi. I was getting a squeal or squeak from the front of the engine compartment. A neighbor and I looked at it and my neighbor said it was the bearings in the Idler Pulley after spraying the back of the pulley, and the belt, with WD40. The squeak/squeal went away, but returned after a few seconds. I changed that part, but still get the squeak. When I installed the new Idler Pully, I noticed the squeak got louder the tighter I adjusted it. I had to back off the tension in order to lessen the noise. Now, the problem is I can't determine where the squeak is actually coming from; whether it's the belt itself of a different pulley associated with that belt. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Also, I'd like to find a stethoscope-like listening tool so I can better track down the source.
Aug 9, 2010 at 12:58 PM