cobaltdevil1

Wondering if someone could give me some answers. I have an 06 cobalt ss sc, and I'm having a boost issue. Whenever I start accelerating and it starts going past 20kpa on the boost gage (sometimes sooner, seems to be getting worse) there is a loud squeal and the boost won't go higher than when it started slipping. It really does sound like the belt slipping but idk what I should try fixing. Does it just need a new belt or possibly a tensioner? Or could it even be something else???

random_letters

stop looking at the boost gauge and go look at your belt. Cars dont usually fix themselves, especially over the internet.

does it sound like a belt squeal... if so, its probably a belt squeal... caused by a belt... squealing...

Not trying to be a dick. But come on man, open your damn hood and look.

cobaltdevil1

Kinda dickish but I could have worded it better. Anyways okay it is for sure the belt slipping and creating a loud squeal. I know that. But I don't know how the belt would be the problem since I replaced it only a little over a year ago.

southal cobalt

iTrader: (3)

lol, that was helpful

if youve got a smaller pulley and are running the stock belt, that would be a problem. if not, a new belt would be in order. if you have a stock pulley (no bolts, press on style), a stock belt is fine. if you have gms2 or a smaller pulley, youll need a gms2 belt. check out crate engine depot. not sure if zzp still does it, but back in the day, they wouldnt sell genuine gm belts, so be wary.

you can check the tensioner by lodging the end of a small crowbar between the tensioner pulley and the engine hoist support and pressing the crowbar down to press the tensioner down. this can give you a rough idea of whether or not it is compressing and retracting correctly

cobaltdevil1

Much more helpful than the other guy. Anyways... I'm not sure if the pulley is stock or not. The guy I bought it off of didn't say much. I'm pretty sure the belt I have on right now is just a plain stock one. And it's clearly not working out. How do you know if you got a stock pulley or not. I believe there are screws/bolts on the sc pulley.

southal cobalt

iTrader: (3)

if the pulley has bolts, then it isnt stock. it should have markings on the outside or inside of what size it is. the gms2 pulley may have blue bolts with a black pulley that says 77.7 mm on the outer surface of it. zzp marks their pulley size on the outside. smoothflow marks their size on the inside, so you cant actually see it with the pulley installed.

if it has bolts and isnt a press on style, then its smaller. unless the previous owner installed a 3.3 inch pulley with a bolt pattern so he didnt have to pull and press the stock one on when he sold the car. and if you bought the stock belt, then that would probably be your problem. you can always pull out a tape measure and get a rough idea of the size of the pulley.

random_letters

Lol I said I wasn't trying to be a dick...

I was being serious when I said open your hood and look.

Get a friend to rev it in and out of the squeal while you looking at the belt.
You can usually tell where the belt is squealing and sometimes why (look at the tesnioner in and out of a squeal, it should be moving not stationary). If you can't find anything, use a gloved hand and put it on the snout of the charger then at the fat end then the center (so pass side, DVR side, center). Do you feel any grinding?

If you can't find the squeal by doing that. Stop the engine and just look at the belt, is it dry? Cracked?

Still no answer... Take the belt off. See if there is any play in any of the pullies, if they are notchy or make a noise when you spin them. See if you can move the tensioner.

Still nothing... Fold your belt in half and measure it, see if it has stretched. Someone here will know what length the belt should be.

cobaltdevil1

Thanks for all the good advice guys. And it looks like it measured out to 2.9"

cobaltdevil1

So a stock belt on a 2.9" pulley would be the wrong size of belt? What size of belt do I need to buy?

cobaltdevil1

I've heard some different ways of measuring your pulley. How did you guys do it?

bubba_jay

iTrader: (1)

If it measures 2.9 inches then, yes, it would be the wrong size. That's almost half an inch too long on the belt. Go to crate engine depot and get the GM stage 2 belt. Should fix your problem.