96 Yukon Weird ticking sound near pulleys

[LVNeptune]

I took a picture of what I think is the culprit. I think it's the belt tensioner? When the vehicle is running it is moving side to side slightly. Does that mean it's not tightened down all the way? It's the one in the picture with the bolt in the middle that I am referring to.

 

[bowtiefreak]

bearing could be shot. A little trick is take a foot long piece of heater hose and hold one side to your ear and the other side like a stethoscope. It helps narrow down the location of the noise. Those tensioners are a common issue

 

[SunlitComet]

it will move a little. in fact it can show you how smooth the engine is running. when the engine run rough it will move a lot more. Make sure that the PS pulley shaft end is very flush to hub face of pulley it at one point in time was a noise maker of ticking sounds.

 

[LVNeptune]

It seems to be more of a screeching sound now...I did spill some coolant on it but promptly sprayed it down with some belt cleaner. I will get a hose and do the steth test to see where exactly it's coming from. The belt looks fairly new, no visible cracks on it.

 

[noJeepshere]

The tensioner arm should move a bit while the motor is running, and the pulley that is on it tend to fail pretty readily, mine is on its 3rd or 4th one, can't be sure, and it needs a new one, preferably one made in America.

 

[_Dylan_]

That tensioner is spring loaded so yes it is going to move.

Instead of a hose you can use a screw driver and put the handle up to your ear. Don't get your hair stuck in the belt though...

 

[LVNeptune]

I ended up spraying belt dressing on it and it went away but came back the next day but definately not as loud as it was before. I didn't spray a lot and I did it without the truck running so I will try and spray some more. Might not actually be the pulleys The tensioner looks pretty easy to remove so I may just replace it anyway.

 

[WalterMitty]

I own a can of belt dressing. I use it when I want to make a belt completely unusable and make a sticky mess out of my pulleys.

 

[LI99HOE]

Is that an aftermarket tensioner? I replaced my OEM with a Dorman tensioner, and wound up with a ticking noise while the engine was running. I found that the two metal "end stop tabs" ( I circled them in the pic) were tapping against each other while the engine was running. I put the OEM back in, and the ticking was gone.
Hope this helps.

 

[LVNeptune]

I will check into that, thank you. I need to get a long screwdriver or something to test and see where the sound is coming from. May end up needing to replace the belt as well unfortunately =/