bena67•1mo agoProlific Poster

Overheard a veteran mechanic's tip for quieting squeaky belts

I was at the parts store picking up filters and heard an older mechanic talking to the clerk. He said to use a bar of plain soap on a squeaky serpentine belt. I tried it on my neighbor's truck that had a constant chirp. Just run the dry soap along the belt ribs with the engine off. The noise stopped immediately, which really surprised me. It's not a forever fix, but it works in a pinch. I love how these little tricks get passed around in our trade.

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse41mo ago

Wait, you used dry soap on the actual belt ribs? I always heard that would make the belt slip worse once it got hot. Doesn't the soap melt and make a greasy mess all over the pulley? That just sounds like asking for a different problem. I'm shocked it worked without causing more trouble.

riley3631mo ago

Totally believe it worked as a quick fix. I used hand sanitizer on an old alternator belt once when I was stuck without tools, and it shut it right up for a few days. It's definitely not a real repair, but man it gets you home.

laura_murphy23d ago

Trust riley363 on this one... sometimes you just gotta get creative when you're stuck.

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