Most modern vehicles come equipped with serpentine belts, though they may occasionally be called fan belts. Older vehicles may have belts that are used only to power the fans that cool the radiator. These belts are very similar and may be treated in the same fashion. A noisy fan or serpentine belt can make chirping, squeaking or squealing sounds that may be consistent or may come and go. Often, these sounds indicate an issue that may need to be resolved like a loose or damaged belt.
Applying Belt Dressing to Neoprene Belts
1. Ensure your vehicle is equipped with a neoprene belt. Most modern vehicles have a serpentine belt instead of a fan belt, though the names may be used interchangeably. Older model vehicles and some high-performance applications still utilize fan belts instead of electric fans. Older belts were made of neoprene and would benefit from the application of belt dressing, but newer EPDM-made belts may dry out as a result of using belt dressing.
2. Open the hood. You will need to apply the belt dressing directly onto the belt. In order to do so, you will need to open the hood of the vehicle and remove any cowl cover that may be in place over the fan belt itself. This may require the use of some basic hand tools like a socket or hand wrench.
3. Locate the fan belt. The fan belt will likely be located at the front of the engine, attached to a pulley that rotates the cooling fan or fans for the radiator. It will often be black or grey. You may be able to locate it faster by starting at the radiator fan and working backward.
4. Start the vehicle. Ensure the vehicle is in park with the parking brake engaged, then start the engine. You will need the engine to be running in order to apply the belt dressing evenly over the entire length of the belt.
5. Spray the belt dressing directly onto the belt. With the engine running, spray the belt dressing directly onto the back of the fan belt. As the engine runs, the fan belt will be moving quickly, so you can leave the can in one place and spray onto the belt as it spins.
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