Some lessons you learn after the fact. At the end of our first season returning from a parade we noticed a squealing sound, quite loud. It sounded like a loose fan belt or a bad bearing. Checking the belt did not reveal it as the problem. The noise continued the next day and every time we drove it. We concluded it must be a bad bearing most likely the water pump. After putting the jeep away for the winter we rebuilt and reinstalled the water pump. The loud squeak persisted. Then, if not that, we thought it must be a bad bearing in the generator. After rebuilding the generator the squeak continued. During the replacement of the generator we noticed that its pulley was mounted 1/2 inch out of alignment with the other pulleys. After fixing the alignment the squeak still remained. Using a hose with a funnel as a listening devise we located the loudest place the noise was coming from was around the center of the exhaust manifold. After removing the fender and a close inspection we discovered the real cause of the squeak. It was two missing nuts, on the bottom of the exhaust manifold, which probably vibrated off during the parade.
Lesson learned: inspect every possibility before settling on one. The good news, we have a very fresh water pump and a rebuilt generator with properly aligned pulley.
Lesson learned: inspect every possibility before settling on one. The good news, we have a very fresh water pump and a rebuilt generator with properly aligned pulley.
