Hey guys, just curious about this... my '86, with over 264,000 miles on the original pulleys, has always had a hell of a belt squeal problem in the rain. I'll go over a puddle, and the belts get wet, and of course, they squeal. This happens even when the belts are NEW and TIGHT! In the past few years, this has been happening more and more and more in the rain...

So I was wondering... I'm thinking of changing the belts again; it's been a little over a year since the last ones went on. Should I scuff up the pulley grooves with some 100 grit paper? I'm wondering if, since these pulleys are so high mileage, that they're so polished that they're not gripping the belt well. And maybe the slightest bit of moisture on them is causing them to slip.

And I don't want to tighten the belts any more than I have... I almost think I've got 'em too tight as it is!

Thanks for any/all ideas on this!

 

I had an Olds 98 with around 180000 miles on it. The only way I ever got the alternator belt to stop squealing was to use a file to rough up the pulley. No more problems after that. I half expected short belt life but the small scratches on the pulley didn't seem to hurt the belt.

 

Great, thanks for the info! I'll give it a try, probably this weekend, and let everyone know how it goes!