Questions and Answers

Jeep Cherokee Noisy Serpentine Belt Q. Vince, I just had the serpentine belt on my 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4X4 replaced at 94,200 miles. After a few days the belt started squealing when starting the car in the morning, and during a quick acceleration. I took it back to the garage and the mechanic checked it and said that it was tracking correctly, and that nothing was over-tightened because there was a belt tensioner.

He said that because the other belt was so old and worn, the power steering pump pulley, for example, was tracking to the old belt, and was now running true to the new belt, causing noise in the bearing. He also offered the usual wet belt squeal exclamation, however it has been pretty dry of late.

Another week has passed and the squealing now happens every time I start the car, and occasionally when turning. (During this repair, I also had the steering damper replaced). That noise I hear I believe to be a bearing, not a wet and/or slipping belt. If it is a bearing, then I have future costly repairs. Any thoughts on the source of this noise?

Thanks in advance for your assistance...

A. I'm assuming the 4.0 liter engine. There is a belt tension adjustment. There is no tensioner for the serpentine belt. Belt tension is adjusted at the power steering pump bracket and idler pulley assembly.

It does sound (no pun intended) like the serpentine belt is too loose and needs an adjustment. It is normal for any new belt to need a bit of readjustment after 400 or 500 miles.