Squeaky serpentine belt in cold weather

Question

The serpentine belt in my '97 7.3l diesel squeaks but its only in the mornings when its only like 80 degrees. After its ran for a while or its sat out in the 110 degree sun it doen't squeak, is there anything I can do to keep it from squeaking in the first place or should I be worried?(just spent $350 replaceing the vacuum pump,don't want to go throught that again)And what is belt dressing and what does it do?

Answer 1

okay one thing you need to consider is you got a strong engine and a rubber looses it  flexibility over time , this flex loss contributes to the lost  grip your engines belt has on the pulleys a belt dressing can  help the grip of your belt but to be honest if you never replaced the belt and it is really shiny and has cracks on it i would replace the belt. shiny shows dryness of the belts rubber and a dressing will work,but if you see  cracks also, then there's a possibility the belt will break then you'll loose  steering capability and if your driving when it breaks you won't be able to steer  also the belts helps with braking ability so be safe  and just change the belt if you haven't since you've had it  also where it is squeaking around 80 degrees means your belt is really dry if it was at 32 degrees and squeaking that would be normal

i would recommend Goodyear Gator-back belts  they have notches for flexibility and grip and cooling to prevent premature dryness

Answer 2

its probably dryed out. belt dressing is suppose to keep it moist and keep it from squeeking.

Answer 3

I have seen this alot on Fords and what you need to do is replace the belt using a Motorcraft belt and not an aftermarket one also check the tensioner as well.