[Nick12790]

hey fellow jeepers. my problem is i just replaced my drive belt because it was squeaking and cracked. i inspected all the pulleys and all seemed well, and no bearings had went out. i reinstalled and tightend to less than 1/4 of an inch play between the power steering and the other pulley that isnt attached to anything, under and to the right of the a/c. that was about a month ago. since then the belt i guess has streched a little and has about a half inch play in it. whenever the car is running, there is a ticking noise that happens irregular intervals. could tightening the belt fix the problem? ive heard once you initially strech them out that much, you shouldnt strech them anymore, and my dad thinks the belt is "tight enough"

[Brown Dog]

Go to AutoZone and have them check the tesnion on the belt. I think they have a tension gauge

[medDOyj]

where does the ticking seem to be coming from? front of the engine? back? top? bottom?

[Nick12790]

i cant really tell but when i pour water on the drive belt it stops raddeling

[GOLENJEEPTJ]

Ticking is usually an exhaust leak it would have nothing to do with the belt or rattling like you spoke of?

[medDOyj]

Originally Posted by Nick12790

i cant really tell but when i pour water on the drive belt it stops raddeling

so is it a ticking or a raddling?

ticking is usually a bad spark plug wire (a miss) or like it was said ^^ an exhaust leak

does the ticking change with rpms or change after the engine warms up?

[Nick12790]

it changes with the RPMd. i know my rear bolt for the exhaust mani has cracked off. the sound sound like it is coming from the front of the engine. whenever i fool around with the tension of the drive belt, it seems to change the sound volume, and pitch

[coiner13]

when i first got my 97 tj i noticed a tick,tick. i thought it was lifters, but it turned out to be (with the knowlege of some info on the net) coming from the purge can/purge solenoid. haynes repair manual has details about how the system works. hope this helps, robert.

[djt283]

If this started after the belt change, and messing with the belt stops it, start by re-tensioning the belt. Check a manual, but 1/2" of play seems excessive. Mine doesn't have an adjustment, so I'm not sure about tj's. I'm not sure how or where you're measuring but every belt I've ever changed has needed to be tightened again a bit after the install.

I agree that a ticking noise should have nothing to do with the belt but you also describe it as rattling and say it changes when you tough the belt.

[medDOyj]

^^ x2 i'd say its got something to do with your belt tensioner

[Nick12790]

ok new news. i poured water onto the belt and the sound went away temporarily. the belt is tightened to specs. when the belt was off, i checked the pulleys i could spin with me hand, and no problems. what would you recommend doing? the sound is driving me insane

[GOLENJEEPTJ]

Start it up for a short amount of time without the belt on,then listen! You also stated you have a broken off exhaust bolt on rear?

[bradbodigon]

my jeep ticks, but i'm pretty sure that it is coming from the exhaust manifold. the reason i say this is because once my jeep gets fully warmed up, the ticking goes away. i think that once it is warmed up, them manifold seals better because metal expands when it is heated up, therefore creating a better seal. hope this helps.