Pulley going out in my car ???

Question

I have a squealing whistling noise coming from the belts area...autozone says the pulleys are going out how do i figure out which one it is ? is it best to replace both pulleys ? do i need special tools ? i have a 1995 mercury sable 3.8 and i cant find anything about the pulleys in my haynes book ??? i've never done this before so if you know what your doing please give me all the info you can ...thanks

Answer 1

most offen its the belt tensioner pulley that goes bad easy fix and not so high to buy

Answer 2

Normally a squealing belt just needs tightening or replacing if it is too old. You can test the tension by just pushing on the belt - it should not move more than 10-15mm in either direction on a solid mounted pulley. Be careful though - alot of cars these days have auto tensioners.

You can tell if the belt is worn by looking at the "tracks" (the inside - contact side - of the belt) If it is cracked across the belt it's time for a new one.

To prove if the pulley bearing is worn you need to remove the belt & spin the pulley by hand. If is spins freely & quietly it should be fine. Worn bearings usually give a noise or rumble or something to let you know.

Good luck