Belt squeal! Need expert advice.
#46
Lexus Test Driver
Yes, those can be a biatch and a half to take off. I have had to take those off with a imapact gun before. I am sure they put thread locker of somekind on it ,but maybe you can pull it off with a breaker bar and a cheater poll on it. Man when will you not have a issue with your car? You got a cursed SC or something lol.
#47
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Well all of my problems with my car have been age and mileage related. The guy before me never fixed anything so it all piled up on me Makes it look like my car is falling apart but everything up to this point has been a common problem that has easily been fixed. I hope i can solve this mystery. Its the last on my list!
#48
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"Well all of my problems with my car have been age and mileage related. The guy before me never fixed anything so it all piled up on me Makes it look like my car is falling apart but everything up to this point has been a common problem that has easily been fixed."
Common problem with previous owned Toyota and Honda products. Many of the original owners think that the cars are so good (they are) and that they don't need regular and preventive maintenance (they do!). These cars can take more abuse then many other makes, but left un-checked, will eventually catch up with the current owners. All things considered, they are relatively easy cars to DIY on. A factory repair manual and $500-1000 bucks in garage tools and you can damn near diagnose and repair most any problems.
Common problem with previous owned Toyota and Honda products. Many of the original owners think that the cars are so good (they are) and that they don't need regular and preventive maintenance (they do!). These cars can take more abuse then many other makes, but left un-checked, will eventually catch up with the current owners. All things considered, they are relatively easy cars to DIY on. A factory repair manual and $500-1000 bucks in garage tools and you can damn near diagnose and repair most any problems.
#49
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I have the service manual and a garage full of nice tools and equipment. These cars are solid but i just got unlucky that the previous owner left me with the problems. Oh well, in time everything will be figured out.
#50
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Ok, i drew the paint lines, drove it over the last few weeks, and the line still lines up perfectly.
I am going to try the tensioner next. the car is pulled apart at the moment in the garage and i'll put it back together when i feel motivated Yay 2009!
I am going to try the tensioner next. the car is pulled apart at the moment in the garage and i'll put it back together when i feel motivated Yay 2009!
#53
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Hey i DONT KNOW IFTHIS HELP BUT ON MY PREVIOUS 93 SC300 I HAD THE SAME ISSUE WHILE PULLING OUT OF A LEXUS DEALERSHIP I WAS WET OUTSIDE DAMP AND I HAD THE SQUILING NOISE. I COMPLAINT TO THE TECH SINCE THE BELT WAS MAKING THE NOISE. HE TOOK A SMALL WIRE BRUSH AND CLEANED THE PULLEYS AND THE NOISE WENT AWAY. TRY IT I JUST DID IT A FEW DAYS AGO AND IT WORKS.
#54
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Thanks for the suggestion but that was one of the first things i did... I replaced the tentioner assembly last night, and it still squeals loud. Now i'm hoping i get rear ended so i can send this thing to the salvage yard. As you might be able to tell, I'm frustrated...
#55
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Another update.
Narrowed this problem down to the hydrofan pump pulley (hydraulic fan pump pulley).
I drained all the fluid from it and filled just the reservoir and started up the car. No belt squeal. As i added fluid to the reservoir, it was getting sucked down into the pump through the hoses and progressively squealed louder and louder until I filled the reservoir to the required level.
Looks like my fix for this is to replace the hydraulic fan pump, or go electric and get the LS400 pulley shindig.
Is there any good DIY on the conversion to electric for the SC4 and also a really economical source for the LS400 pulley/assembly to replace the hydrofan pump?
Narrowed this problem down to the hydrofan pump pulley (hydraulic fan pump pulley).
I drained all the fluid from it and filled just the reservoir and started up the car. No belt squeal. As i added fluid to the reservoir, it was getting sucked down into the pump through the hoses and progressively squealed louder and louder until I filled the reservoir to the required level.
Looks like my fix for this is to replace the hydraulic fan pump, or go electric and get the LS400 pulley shindig.
Is there any good DIY on the conversion to electric for the SC4 and also a really economical source for the LS400 pulley/assembly to replace the hydrofan pump?
#56
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That's great, process of elimination, that's the way to isolate the problem. Would there happen to be a filtering screen that may be getting gunked up in the hydraulic's of the system? Common problem with my BMW, the power steering resevior has a screen that gets clogged up over time, causing noise from the power steering pump. Simple fix on the Bimmer is to just change out the PS resevior with a new one. Good luck and let us know the fix/outcome.
#57
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I tried several belts including some cheap brands and there's no difference in noise or wear.
Go for the electric fans if the hydraulic pump has a problem. Use the LS fan bracket in place of the SC hydraulic pump. Or you can fabricate a blocking plate like mine. If you're running NA, run dual 12" fans. 14" fans should be better. Each fan should have 1500 cfm or more.
I currently use the fan controller TorquFlo # 733652 bought from Autozone to control the fans off and on. To be safe, you may run 1 fan controller for each fan, just in case 1 fails. For the ignition source, I use the cooling fan ECU ignition 15 amp for 3 fans. I have 1 controller for each fan. This mod is pretty simple. You can also check for the complete mod here: http://www.lextreme.com/forums/showt...t=electric+fan
Go for the electric fans if the hydraulic pump has a problem. Use the LS fan bracket in place of the SC hydraulic pump. Or you can fabricate a blocking plate like mine. If you're running NA, run dual 12" fans. 14" fans should be better. Each fan should have 1500 cfm or more.
I currently use the fan controller TorquFlo # 733652 bought from Autozone to control the fans off and on. To be safe, you may run 1 fan controller for each fan, just in case 1 fails. For the ignition source, I use the cooling fan ECU ignition 15 amp for 3 fans. I have 1 controller for each fan. This mod is pretty simple. You can also check for the complete mod here: http://www.lextreme.com/forums/showt...t=electric+fan
#60
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I made a template out of card paper, then used it on the stainless steel plate (about 2mm thick). The plate shouldn't be thicker, otherwise, it'll push the pulley out too much. I cut and drilled the holes on the plate so the screws can hold the plate to the stock pump. The big center stud (10mm stud) that you see on the plate is welded to the back of the plate. A nut and some washers were used to push out the pulley so the pulley is aligned to the belt. The pulley's hole is too big for the center stud, so I used a galvanize pipe that can fit inside the pulley's hole and the outside the center stud. You can use a bigger stud so you won't have worry about the galvanize pipe inside the pulley.
The screws to hold the plate are Allen hex screws with round heads. The clearance between the screws and the pulley is about 2mm. Another stock tensioner pulley was used in place of the pump pulley. I used the aftermarket replacement tensioner pulley for this mod, but it's so weak and broke twice. I then used the OEM pulley and had no issue ever since. Its wall is a lot thicker than the aftermarket one. However, you can use the aftermarket on the actual tensioner and use the OEM pulley for this mod.
The stock belt was used because I created the same distance as the pump pulley was there.
To eliminate all of the above headaches, the LS400 fan bracket is the best and quickest way to go. A used one on Ebay averages about $40.
Here's the picture of that DIY pulley.
The screws to hold the plate are Allen hex screws with round heads. The clearance between the screws and the pulley is about 2mm. Another stock tensioner pulley was used in place of the pump pulley. I used the aftermarket replacement tensioner pulley for this mod, but it's so weak and broke twice. I then used the OEM pulley and had no issue ever since. Its wall is a lot thicker than the aftermarket one. However, you can use the aftermarket on the actual tensioner and use the OEM pulley for this mod.
The stock belt was used because I created the same distance as the pump pulley was there.
To eliminate all of the above headaches, the LS400 fan bracket is the best and quickest way to go. A used one on Ebay averages about $40.
Here's the picture of that DIY pulley.
Last edited by stevechumo; 01-05-09 at 06:08 PM.