WD-40 on a squeaky belt??

Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing this is
bad advice for because:

1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up the
symptom

2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum distillates
bad for rubber?

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, Ernie Sty wrote:
[color=blue]
> Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing this is
> bad advice for because:
>
> 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up the
> symptom
>
> 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum distillates
> bad for rubber?[/color]

I would first inspect the belt for sand in the grooves (or to see if the
grooves are there at all!) I would also schlep down to AutoZone, et al and
get some real belt dressing. I don't really like WD-40 for much of
anything. It was originally developed as a spray for nuclear missle and
ICBMs to chase water away, and not as a lubricant. It has been related to
me that WD-40 will actually REMOVE any lubrication.

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, "Ernie Sty"
<fake_email@yahoo.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing this is
>bad advice for because:
>
>1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up the
>symptom[/color]

usually the belt is too loose, but if let go for too long it may
need replacement due to the damage cause by slipping.
[color=blue]
>
>2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum distillates
>bad for rubber?
>[/color]
you're not wanting to lubricate the belt to stop the squeak, i'd
image wd-40 would ruin one in short order between the solvents and
the lubricants. There are "belt dressings" that can add some life to
a worn belt but I'd rather replace it than have it break at a very
bad time.

"Ernie Sty" <fake_email@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:OfednW5i5dOYzSrfRVn-1A@giganews.com...[color=blue]
> Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing this
> is bad advice for because:
>
> 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up the
> symptom
>
> 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum distillates
> bad for rubber?[/color]

Yes and yes.

WD-40 is little more than kerosene. It is OK for cleaning things and not
much else.

It you have a squeaky serpentine belt it is probably for one of four
reasons, 1) bad tensioner (either worn or out of alignment), 2) insufficient
tension (probably because of a bad tensioner), 3) worm pulleys, and 4) worn
/ old / hard belt. If spraying a little water on the back side of the belt
quietens the squeak, then I'd suspect a bad tensioner (use a Windex bottle
filled with water and just spray a small amount of water on the back side of
the belt - not the grooved side).

It is a squeaky Vee belt, you probably should replace the belt and make sure
it is tensioned properly. While the belt is off, inspect all the pulleys. If
one of them is shinny on the bottom, replace it (or them). A vee belt should
never ride at the bottom of the pulley.

Ed

"hachiroku" <hachiroku@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.06.21.00.36.27.66348@Trueno.GTS...[color=blue]
> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, Ernie Sty wrote:
>[color=green]
>> Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing this
>> is
>> bad advice for because:
>>
>> 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up the
>> symptom
>>
>> 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum
>> distillates
>> bad for rubber?[/color]
>
> I would first inspect the belt for sand in the grooves (or to see if the
> grooves are there at all!) I would also schlep down to AutoZone, et al and
> get some real belt dressing. I don't really like WD-40 for much of
> anything. It was originally developed as a spray for nuclear missle and
> ICBMs to chase water away, and not as a lubricant. It has been related to
> me that WD-40 will actually REMOVE any lubrication.[/color]

Better yet, while you are at the parts store, get the correct belt and
replace it.

Belts usually squeal because they're old and glazed, have grit embedded, or
have stretched. In all of those instances, the best remedy is to replace
the belt.

Applying belt dressing, silicone, WD-40, etc. is like taking aspirin for a
sprained ankle - it masks the symptoms but doesn't cure the cause.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, "Ernie Sty" <fake_email@yahoo.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing this is
>bad advice for because:[/color]


Ahahahahah! Someone is pulling your chain (or belt?). Squeaky is
caused by slippage, you want it to slip some more?

Me too was scared away from replacing a simple belt 'cuz I don't trust
myself tension it properly by eyesight alone, but MX wants too much
for a simple item. Finally broke down and bought a tension gauge from
eBay for $35 and now do all my repairs without fear.

hachiroku wrote:[color=blue]
> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, Ernie Sty wrote:
>[color=green]
> > Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing this is
> > bad advice for because:
> >
> > 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up the
> > symptom
> >
> > 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum distillates
> > bad for rubber?[/color]
>
> I would first inspect the belt for sand in the grooves (or to see if the
> grooves are there at all!) I would also schlep down to AutoZone, et al and
> get some real belt dressing. I don't really like WD-40 for much of
> anything. It was originally developed as a spray for nuclear missle and
> ICBMs to chase water away, and not as a lubricant. It has been related to
> me that WD-40 will actually REMOVE any lubrication.
>[/color]

I've found it handy for spot cleaning nuts and bolts, when used with a
shop rag... also works wonders on a squeaky hamster wheel

"C. E. White" <cewhite3@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:2QKte.73409$_o.56930@attbi_s71...[color=blue]
>
> "Ernie Sty" <fake_email@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:OfednW5i5dOYzSrfRVn-1A@giganews.com...[color=green]
>> Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing this
>> is bad advice for because:
>>
>> 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up the
>> symptom
>>
>> 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum
>> distillates bad for rubber?[/color]
>
> Yes and yes.
>
> WD-40 is little more than kerosene. It is OK for cleaning things and not
> much else.
>[/color]

WD-40 does not contain kerosene. You mean it's *like* kerosene, right?

[color=blue]
> It you have a squeaky serpentine belt it is probably for one of four
> reasons, 1) bad tensioner (either worn or out of alignment), 2)
> insufficient tension (probably because of a bad tensioner), 3) worm
> pulleys, and 4) worn / old / hard belt. If spraying a little water on the
> back side of the belt quietens the squeak, then I'd suspect a bad
> tensioner (use a Windex bottle filled with water and just spray a small
> amount of water on the back side of the belt - not the grooved side).[/color]


Thanks for the tips. I will look into replacing the belt. However, the car
(and of course the belt) only has 33,000 miles on it. Someone else
mentioned that the belt might have sand or grit in the grooves.

"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOT.com> wrote in message
news:93ec9$42b78772$180fead6$25621@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
>
> "hachiroku" <hachiroku@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
> news:pan.2005.06.21.00.36.27.66348@Trueno.GTS...[color=green]
>> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, Ernie Sty wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>> Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing
>>> this is
>>> bad advice for because:
>>>
>>> 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up
>>> the
>>> symptom
>>>
>>> 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum
>>> distillates
>>> bad for rubber?[/color]
>>
>> I would first inspect the belt for sand in the grooves (or to see if the
>> grooves are there at all!) I would also schlep down to AutoZone, et al
>> and
>> get some real belt dressing. I don't really like WD-40 for much of
>> anything. It was originally developed as a spray for nuclear missle and
>> ICBMs to chase water away, and not as a lubricant. It has been related to
>> me that WD-40 will actually REMOVE any lubrication.[/color]
>
> Better yet, while you are at the parts store, get the correct belt and
> replace it.
>
> Belts usually squeal because they're old and glazed, have grit embedded,
> or have stretched. In all of those instances, the best remedy is to
> replace the belt.[/color]

I was leaning toward the grit thing, because the car only has 33,000 miles
on it, and when I had a 30,000 inspection done by the dealer, they didn't
mention any wear on the belt. I just called the parts guy at my Toyota
dealer to ask how much belts cost, and he said he has sold a few belt
*tensioners* for these already (this model only came out in 2003!) so I
decided to have the dealer check the tensioner. Plus, I looked in there,
and there is no way I'm going to be able to replace that belt myself.
There's just not enough room for a novice like me to work in without
breaking something, either on the car or on myself. ;-)

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 13:54:43 -0500, "Ernie Sty" <fake_email@yahoo.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOT.com> wrote in message
>news:93ec9$42b78772$180fead6$25621@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=green]
>>
>> "hachiroku" <hachiroku@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
>> news:pan.2005.06.21.00.36.27.66348@Trueno.GTS...[color=darkred]
>>> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, Ernie Sty wrote:
>>>
>>>> Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing
>>>> this is
>>>> bad advice for because:
>>>>
>>>> 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up
>>>> the
>>>> symptom
>>>>
>>>> 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum
>>>> distillates
>>>> bad for rubber?
>>>
>>> I would first inspect the belt for sand in the grooves (or to see if the
>>> grooves are there at all!) I would also schlep down to AutoZone, et al
>>> and
>>> get some real belt dressing. I don't really like WD-40 for much of
>>> anything. It was originally developed as a spray for nuclear missle and
>>> ICBMs to chase water away, and not as a lubricant. It has been related to
>>> me that WD-40 will actually REMOVE any lubrication.[/color]
>>
>> Better yet, while you are at the parts store, get the correct belt and
>> replace it.
>>
>> Belts usually squeal because they're old and glazed, have grit embedded,
>> or have stretched. In all of those instances, the best remedy is to
>> replace the belt.[/color]
>
>I was leaning toward the grit thing, because the car only has 33,000 miles
>on it, and when I had a 30,000 inspection done by the dealer, they didn't
>mention any wear on the belt. I just called the parts guy at my Toyota
>dealer to ask how much belts cost, and he said he has sold a few belt
>*tensioners* for these already (this model only came out in 2003!) so I
>decided to have the dealer check the tensioner. Plus, I looked in there,
>and there is no way I'm going to be able to replace that belt myself.
>There's just not enough room for a novice like me to work in without
>breaking something, either on the car or on myself. ;-)
>[/color]

CHICKEN!!!!!

What's a little blood all over the place.....LOL


--

Scott in Florida

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 02:20:46 GMT, C. E. White <cewhite3@mindspring.com> wrote:[color=blue]
> It is a squeaky Vee belt, you probably should replace the belt and make sure
> it is tensioned properly. While the belt is off, inspect all the pulleys. If
> one of them is shinny on the bottom, replace it (or them). A vee belt should
> never ride at the bottom of the pulley.[/color]

True. However if multiple pulleys are shiney to the bottom, it may be
that the belt is the wrong size (too narrow).

sdb
--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 00:28:07 -0700, Learning Richard wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>
> hachiroku wrote:[color=green]
>> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, Ernie Sty wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>> > Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing this is
>> > bad advice for because:
>> >
>> > 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up the
>> > symptom
>> >
>> > 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum distillates
>> > bad for rubber?[/color]
>>
>> I would first inspect the belt for sand in the grooves (or to see if the
>> grooves are there at all!) I would also schlep down to AutoZone, et al and
>> get some real belt dressing. I don't really like WD-40 for much of
>> anything. It was originally developed as a spray for nuclear missle and
>> ICBMs to chase water away, and not as a lubricant. It has been related to
>> me that WD-40 will actually REMOVE any lubrication.
>>[/color]
>
> I've found it handy for spot cleaning nuts and bolts, when used with a
> shop rag... also works wonders on a squeaky hamster wheel[/color]

I don't know about that Hamster wheel, but I do about removing rust from
nuts and bolts. But I have actually found something better; GM makes a
Penetrating oil that is utterly FANTSTIC! Oh, it's FANTASTIC, too! I was
detailing my Tercel (the '95) and used this on the blots (and the bolts,
too)under the hood; you know all those 10mm bolts that begin rusting a few
days after buying the car? The next day they looked BRAND NEW! Simply
amazing!

"Ernie Sty" <fake_email@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:KNWdnb50lbbu_yXfRVn-1g@giganews.com...[color=blue]
>
> "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOT.com> wrote in message
> news:93ec9$42b78772$180fead6$25621@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=green]
>>
>> "hachiroku" <hachiroku@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
>> news:pan.2005.06.21.00.36.27.66348@Trueno.GTS...[color=darkred]
>>> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, Ernie Sty wrote:
>>>
>>>> Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing
>>>> this is
>>>> bad advice for because:
>>>>
>>>> 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up
>>>> the
>>>> symptom
>>>>
>>>> 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum
>>>> distillates
>>>> bad for rubber?
>>>
>>> I would first inspect the belt for sand in the grooves (or to see if the
>>> grooves are there at all!) I would also schlep down to AutoZone, et al
>>> and
>>> get some real belt dressing. I don't really like WD-40 for much of
>>> anything. It was originally developed as a spray for nuclear missle and
>>> ICBMs to chase water away, and not as a lubricant. It has been related
>>> to
>>> me that WD-40 will actually REMOVE any lubrication.[/color]
>>
>> Better yet, while you are at the parts store, get the correct belt and
>> replace it.
>>
>> Belts usually squeal because they're old and glazed, have grit embedded,
>> or have stretched. In all of those instances, the best remedy is to
>> replace the belt.[/color]
>
> I was leaning toward the grit thing, because the car only has 33,000 miles
> on it, and when I had a 30,000 inspection done by the dealer, they didn't
> mention any wear on the belt. I just called the parts guy at my Toyota
> dealer to ask how much belts cost, and he said he has sold a few belt
> *tensioners* for these already (this model only came out in 2003!) so I
> decided to have the dealer check the tensioner. Plus, I looked in there,
> and there is no way I'm going to be able to replace that belt myself.
> There's just not enough room for a novice like me to work in without
> breaking something, either on the car or on myself. ;-)
>[/color]
The good news is that it should be covered under the 36 month/36,000 mile
warranty!
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

"hachiroku" <hachiroku@Trueno.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2005.06.21.23.12.58.352439@Trueno.GTS...[color=blue]
> On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 00:28:07 -0700, Learning Richard wrote:
>[color=green]
>>
>>
>> hachiroku wrote:[color=darkred]
>>> On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:23:48 -0500, Ernie Sty wrote:
>>>
>>> > Someone mentioned spraying a squeaky belt with WD-40. I am guessing
>>> > this is
>>> > bad advice for because:
>>> >
>>> > 1. Find the cause of the squeak and fix THAT, rather than covering up
>>> > the
>>> > symptom
>>> >
>>> > 2. Aren't belts made partly from rubber? And aren't petroleum
>>> > distillates
>>> > bad for rubber?
>>>
>>> I would first inspect the belt for sand in the grooves (or to see if the
>>> grooves are there at all!) I would also schlep down to AutoZone, et al
>>> and
>>> get some real belt dressing. I don't really like WD-40 for much of
>>> anything. It was originally developed as a spray for nuclear missle and
>>> ICBMs to chase water away, and not as a lubricant. It has been related
>>> to
>>> me that WD-40 will actually REMOVE any lubrication.
>>>[/color]
>>
>> I've found it handy for spot cleaning nuts and bolts, when used with a
>> shop rag... also works wonders on a squeaky hamster wheel[/color]
>
> I don't know about that Hamster wheel, but I do about removing rust from
> nuts and bolts. But I have actually found something better; GM makes a
> Penetrating oil that is utterly FANTSTIC! Oh, it's FANTASTIC, too! I was
> detailing my Tercel (the '95) and used this on the blots (and the bolts,
> too)under the hood; you know all those 10mm bolts that begin rusting a few
> days after buying the car? The next day they looked BRAND NEW! Simply
> amazing!
>[/color]
In my travels to dealers that sold brands other than Toyotas, I found that
the Big 3 domestics had excellent chemicals. I don't know if GM still sells
manifold heat riser lubricant, which has graphite in it, but I used it on
just about everything. Chrysler also sold what seemed to be the same stuff
under their name. Ford's rubber suspension part lubricant came in a tube
like toothpaste and works well on Camry squeaky rear sway bar bushings and
steering stops. Toyota's chemical line is OK but IMO, overpriced.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply

I have a belt squeel on my celica -belt is only 3000 miles old and
squeels like mad. Nothing seems to cure it. Re-tensioned it, used
'dressing', took it off and cleaned all over, bla bla. Goes silent with
first application of dressing then after its been used and then left
parked it comes back worse than ever. Drives me nuts.