Flathead Chirping at Temperature

[Steves46]

This is a bit odd. When I first start the motor, it runs nice and quiet however...after she gets warmed up starting at 160 degrees, this chirping noise starts to set in. My belt "appears" good and has 1/2 in. deflection. During my troubleshooting, I removed the generator/waterpump belt, fired her up and the chirp was gone. I manually moved the generator and water pump pulleys and there was no noise or looseness of the pulleys. Put the belt back on and the noise was back. I know this is ill advised but I tried some belt dressing and it really did not make any improvement. I will try to find one of those cogged generator/water pump belts and see if that makes a difference. What baffles me is that is any of the pulleys were going bad, I would think they would immediately start making the noise rather that once the engine is warmed but I could be wrong. Has anyone else ever dealt with this type of problem and what resolved it? I am hoping a new belt will do the trick. Appreciate any feedback. Steve

[Planojc]

Oil the front and back of the generator, but my bet is water pump going bad. With the belt off, turn each water pump pulley and see if there is a difference in resistance.

[Art Maurice]

I have a 33 Ford with a 53 engine, It makes that chirping sound that you speak of. It doesn't do it all the time, so I ignore it . I have searched for the cause but to no avail. I suggest louder exhaust?

[dwaynec]

Easy thing first. As Planojc states oil the generator bearings first and give it a try.

[big job]

Mine chirped too, problem is there is no oil cup on the pulley end of my generator,
some do some don't. Napa took care of that ! For something 70yrs old thats a good
track record v/s all these serp. belt tension pulleys we replace on the new junk...

[G.M.]

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Originally Posted by Steves46

This is a bit odd. When I first start the motor, it runs nice and quiet however...after she gets warmed up starting at 160 degrees, this chirping noise starts to set in. My belt "appears" good and has 1/2 in. deflection. During my troubleshooting, I removed the generator/waterpump belt, fired her up and the chirp was gone. I manually moved the generator and water pump pulleys and there was no noise or looseness of the pulleys. Put the belt back on and the noise was back. I know this is ill advised but I tried some belt dressing and it really did not make any improvement. I will try to find one of those cogged generator/water pump belts and see if that makes a difference. What baffles me is that is any of the pulleys were going bad, I would think they would immediately start making the noise rather that once the engine is warmed but I could be wrong. Has anyone else ever dealt with this type of problem and what resolved it? I am hoping a new belt will do the trick. Appreciate any feedback. Steve

Try squirting a little WD 40 on the belt right near the water pump.
This won't fix the problem but will tell you if the belt is squealing.
I have seen this a dozen times. G.M.

[Steves46]

Thanks for the feedback. I placed a few drops of oil in the rear access but there are no previsions for the front. Tried the WD-40 but it did not quite anything down. My pumps were rebuilt by Skip and I did not notice any difference in resistance. Will try the new cogged belt when I receive it and if that doesn't work, will install a spare generator and see what happens. Replacing the belt is a lot quicker and easier than the generator. Other than this annoyance, the motor runs great..no overheating or charging issues.

[RalphG]

ONe remedy for dry, squeeky fan belts was brake fluid. I don't know if it is harmful to the belts but it did quiet down the noise.

[J Witt]

Don't get brake fluid on the paint!

If WD40 on the belt didn't fix it, brake fluid probably won't either. Anything sprayed on will change the noise, at least temporarily. If belt dressing didn't affect it, probably not the belt.

Check for paint in the pulley grooves, also get some oil on those generator bearings.

If it's the belt, a new one should fix the problem. Good luck, and be sure to let us know what it turns out to be.

[Jack E/NJ]

Steve>>>I placed a few drops of oil in the rear access but there are no previsions for the front. Tried the WD-40 but it did not quite anything down.>>>

If you haven't done so already, I'd try blasting the WD-40 around the front generator armature bearing before exchanging it with another generator. Some of the WD-40 should get into the bearing area to quiet it down at least temporarily if it's the bearing squealing.

Jack E/NJ

Jack E/NJ

[Steves46]

Thanks. I added several more drops of 3 & 1 oil to the rear portion, fired her up and let it run for several minutes until reaching temp. So far-so good. I added some oil several days ago so I will see how it performs tomorrow. Not convinced that I resolved it but time will tell.

[slowforty]

Check to see how tight the belt is. I had a crank pulley on my 40 come apart. It made a chirping noise before it came apart. It was a metal pulley on the crank. I put a new slightly longer belt on and used a cast iron pulley.

[Steves46]

Originally Posted by slowforty

Check to see how tight the belt is. I had a crank pulley on my 40 come apart. It made a chirping noise before it came apart. It was a metal pulley on the crank. I put a new slightly longer belt on and used a cast iron pulley.

I have 1/2 to 3/4 in play for both belts. Thanks for your suggestion.

[Tony, NY]

Try using a mechanic's stethoscope and check anything with bearings.

[Frank Miller]

Bearings can feel good but still be noisy. Seeing your pumps are rebuilt replacing the generator bearing and bushing should be tried. Easy to do as I just did mine on a spare that was sporadically noisy. Had to cut the bushing with a hacksaw blade to remove it.