Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting HELP!! Serpentine belt Chatter/Squeal

Still having a problem with Belt Squeal/Chatter from my 96 Contour with 4 Cylinder. I had the Serpentine belt replaced with no fix, so I asked local Ford garage ($65 hour) to look at all the pulleys..they said nothing wrong with anything, its because I bought a NAPA belt instead of Ford belt :rolleyes: If I spray belt dressing on the belt, it stops for 30 sec or so... Problem is louder with A/C on, then its almost unbearable until you get up to speed, at idle it is LOUD.
Contour has been a great car if I could just get the noise fixed (104,000 miles with no repairs, just maintance items)
Thanks for the help...

Also,
I see many people remove the resonator under the hood...why? and what does that do for you??

just guessing here had similar prob with my yukon- and the belt was a little to large- just started acting up- when it got warmer and i had the ac on more- the prev belt had been on for prob 6months--- had to get a 5mm smaller one- napa has a cross referance book they can find you one- look at the tensioner and see if it appears like you could go smaller- the more tension the better- if there is room get a smaller belt -best of luck

Thanks for the info...I will go to NAPA today and see what they have. ANy idea if the smaller belt will wear the pulleys faster?

If sqealing happens when weather is wet (rainy), could just be something you have to put up with.

Make sure they checked the idler pulley. If the bearings go bad in that sucker it will make it squeal, and it will be noticably louder with A/C or Defrost on. Trust me on this!

Thanks for the help everyone... is the OEM pulley the best bet, or is there an aftermarket pulley avaible?