Mitsubishi Eclipse 3G Club banner

Can I externally grease a squeaking pulley

11K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  mitsybishy 
#1 ·
2001 Eclipse. Steering pulley seized and had pump and belt replaced. Three days later, chirping sound. Turn a/c on no change. Increases with speed and doesn't go away when car warms up.

Returned to shop they said a/c pulley bearings bad so compressor will need to be replaced. They said they cleaned steering fluid off everything but it still made noise. (if it was a pulley would they have caught it before replacing belt?)

Wondering (hoping against odds) if it might actually be tension pulley. If it is can it be temporarily quieted with white lithium grease (or other grease of some sort) sprayed toward center (carefully without getting on belt) from outside pulley. (Assuming I can rig a way to only spray pulley, seeing it is very tough to get to)

If it is a/c pulley, can it be sprayed in similar way?

And last, is there a bypass available. Shop said maybe, then looked at car and said no. (could they not tell just by knowing make, model and year of car?)

Last, I have a hose I can try to listen to pulleys with. I am going to try that to identify which pulley it is if it isn't belt. I never did it but will give it a go.

I spent all I could on steering pump and belt. There is no more money except for grease. Good news, we have a good bus system. :mecry2:
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Why would a squeaky pulley prevent you from driving the car? It's not going to explode.

I highly doubt your AC pulley bearings are squeaking, I've never seen that ever. It's more likely the idler pulley right above the AC. They wear and start squeaking all the time.

Regardless, no you can't lubricate them. If you were able to spray grease into them then the weather would be able to penetrate the bearings also which would ruin them immediately. They're dry case bearings, not meant to be wetted.
 
#3 ·
You would have to take it off, pull the bearing seals, inject grease, reasseble, then replace it anyway. Just replace it with a new one. If it were the AC pulley the noise would change when you cycle the AC on and off assuming your AC works.
 
#4 ·
@silvertune Explode? Well, maybe? So it's okay to drive? I really don't know what will happen. Will it freeze and ruin another belt? (And I swear I saw someone point and laugh while waiting at a stop light. I have my pride you know.)

@Bitter I feel a little more confident it's the idler pulley now. I kinda figured it would be impossible to grease. If I have to take it off I'll replace it. Now I have to start a thread asking how to do it.

Thanks for the replies.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top