Vintage Air Top Mount Squeal

[Scott2]

Originally Posted by cebra

What belt and tensioner are you using? I put a new alternator on mine as I thought it may have bearing issues....belt squeal just got louder. Thus far I have tried 2 different tensioners, 2 belts (Gates K061115-111.29" and K061123-112.37") and I just ordered K061120-111.99" as 1123 is too long (squeal on acceleration) and K061115 is too short (had to pry on and it squealed constantly), and more shims and adjustments than I can even recall. I still think the tensioner is too weak for such a long belt, I can move it by hand. My Audi 4 banger has a much more robust tensioner and the original GM tensioner for the long belt was very robust. I have over 20 hours and $150 in belts/tensioners in trying to get this thing to work.

On a side note, every time I request a refund from Vintage Air they send me to Kwik. The Kwik folks said they had a new prototype to fix issues and would send me one but never have. I am getting pretty annoyed that VA keeps sending me to Kwik when VA is the one that sold me the kit.

Sorry - haven’t checked in for a bit. I am using all the stock pulleys and alternator that came with my 2006 LQ4 truck motor, with the Kwik AC bracket and whatever tensioner comes with the kit. I am using a MasterPro K061130 belt. Seems to work fine at this point.

[derotoreut]

I believe the Kwik bracket bolts to the water pump if I'm not mistaken. I decided to go with the Dirty Dingo compressor mount for my LM7 5.3L swap. The DD bolts to the head and not the water pump. I'm in the early stages of my swap so I have no hours on this set up yet, but I was really pleased with the quality. The DD tensioner seems very good too.

[cebra]

I believe I finally have this resolved after 4 months of fighting it. Kwik sent me a new revised bracket that doesn't use the water pump as a key mounting point (although it does have a small support bracket that bolts to the water pump). I also used 2 shims behind the tensioner (they provided 1 with each kit) and K061115 (111.5") belt with a 105A alternator. I have put 500 miles on it without a squeal thus far. The new kit is the same as the old with an extra bracket and you don't use the water pump bolt. I would assume Kwik/VA could sent a cheap "upgrade" to anyone having squealing issues with their brackets and it would only take a few minutes to make the changes. The new Gates tensioner (rather than the one VA supplies) seems more robust as well.

[derotoreut]

Glad to hear that you've made progress with this. I like that they are now getting away from using the water pump as a mounting point. I also believe the Dirty Dingo kit that I have uses the Gates tensioner, which is pretty strong. Good luck with it.

[04ls1gto]

Looks like I'll be making a phone call for this upgrade.

[TA_C10]

Pics of new bracket please.

[cebra]

Below is a pic from Kwik website of the new bracket, note the little bracket for the third bolt that attaches to the water pump rather than the main bracket attaching directly to the water pump. This oriented the bracket in a noticeably different position. I did still need to lift and push the bracket toward the motor and tighten and then do the same with the compressor. I used 2 of the shims they provided, it squealed a lot with none, a tiny bit with 1 and 2 resolved it (fingers crossed.

[Putzer]

seems to be a common issue. Lots of posts on FB about it. One guy said the following-

"Anyway, I posted on another page and Boris Maryonovski (owns Street Machinery in Euclid Ohio) saw my post and hooked me up. They machine a tensioner pulley that doesn't need the shim. Puts everything in correct alignment. INSTANT QUIET! And it's only$50."

Might help someone out. Have yet to fire mine up but expect to hear some chirp based on all these issues..

[MDPotter]

We installed the updated Kwik mount and belt indicated in their directions and the squeal has stopped! Summit sent the new bracket in a couple days and took the old one back for no charge. No shims needed in our case.

[cebra]

Originally Posted by MDPotter

We installed the updated Kwik mount and belt indicated in their directions and the squeal has stopped! Summit sent the new bracket in a couple days and took the old one back for no charge. No shims needed in our case.

Attachment 1980188

Excellent, the new bracket seems to do the trick; glad you got it resolved.

[TA_C10]

Well, here is my update. Finally got my truck fired up and running/driving(around the block anyways). I have ran it quite a bit idling in the garage and around the block a few times now and no squeal. I don't have that new bracket above that I can tell. I bought my VA kit a year ago or maybe 10 months.

Here is some video of my setup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXLjXUWMsT4


And here are the instructions I followed:

https://www.vintageair.com/instructions_pdf/141808.pdf

.

[04ls1gto]

Finally fixed my squealing..... Installed the Holley bracket. I would highly recommend there brackets to anyone doing a ls swap. Took about an 1 hour to install, high quality machine work, no flex in bracket and belt tracks straight and noise free!!

[Scott2]

Mine started squealing again a while back. I ordered a smooth idler pulley from Street Machinery and then loosened the entire KWiK mount, pulled up and back on it and tightened it in place starting with the top bolts into the head. Also inserted a thin washer between the lower tensioner mounting point and the bracket. So far it’s all peace and quiet! (Of course, the aluminum spacer between bracket plates fell out and got stuck down under the motor, had to jack up the truck to reach all around and find the damn thing...). Wife and I drive around yesterday (escapees from quarantine!) for almost an hour and it stayed quiet.

[1972CST]

Originally Posted by 04ls1gto

Finally fixed my squealing..... Installed the Holley bracket. I would highly recommend there brackets to anyone doing a ls swap. Took about an 1 hour to install, high quality machine work, no flex in bracket and belt tracks straight and noise free!!

What part number bracket did you use? Any pics?
Thanks

[prodjay10]

I ordered the ict billet mount and it squeals when the compressor is on. They claim it’s the compress but two new ones later it’s still squealing.
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[derotoreut]

My LM7 swap is done and so far no squealing from my Dirty Dingo mount. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[jjzepplin]

Is anyone using this bracket? https://lsxinnovations.com/product/l...amaro-spacing/

https://lsxinnovations.com/wp-conten...38-100x100.jpg

[nsb29]

Originally Posted by jjzepplin

Is anyone using this bracket? https://lsxinnovations.com/product/l...amaro-spacing/

https://lsxinnovations.com/wp-conten...38-100x100.jpg

That looks like a pretty substantial bracket a few weeks ago I ordered my AC unit from VA with a top mount compressor I’m hoping I don’t have the problems that y’all have been having from what I see it appears to me the bracket that VA sales has too many pieces To maintain a solid mount The solid cast aluminum brackets being all one Peace Is a much better design I wish I had seen this thread prior to ordering if I have issues I will return it and buy one from someone that has a solid one piece like this holley also makes one that everyone seems to like

[jjzepplin]

I went through a period of belt squeal on the donor 99 Trans Am. The consensus was cheap belts and weak tensioners followed by aftermarket brackets flexing on modified cars. I searched High and low for something without spacers. This one (LSX) is expensive but a nightmare averted is priceless. I had already bought a cheap belt so mine was squeaking. I mimicked the more expensive belt by carefully cutting angled grooves every half inch in the belt I was gonna toss anyway with my 4" grinder. Yes it was tedious but I had nothing to lose. It worked great. I will look for belts with those extra grooves from now on. Funny, my 94 serpentine system never makes any noise even with the crappy belt.

[TA_C10]

My update. I have had zero issues with my bracket so far. It's gotten some decent run time both idle and load. Sounds to me like alignment issues with the kwik bracket others have been facing. I do know there were some "instruction issues" that made one of the spacers look like it was supposed to go on inside, but after studying the instructions more and studying the bracket as well, I realized that spacer went to the outside so make sure you take a good hard look at everything. No squealing, and alignment is good.

You can see my setup in earlier posts in this thread.

[04ls1gto]

Originally Posted by 1972CST

What part number bracket did you use? Any pics?
Thanks

Sorry for the delay here are the Holley part numbers

-bracket 20-134
-spacer 21-3 (truck accessories)
-tensor 97-151

[cebra]

Originally Posted by nsb29

That looks like a pretty substantial bracket a few weeks ago I ordered my AC unit from VA with a top mount compressor I’m hoping I don’t have the problems that y’all have been having from what I see it appears to me the bracket that VA sales has too many pieces To maintain a solid mount The solid cast aluminum brackets being all one Peace Is a much better design I wish I had seen this thread prior to ordering if I have issues I will return it and buy one from someone that has a solid one piece like this holley also makes one that everyone seems to like

This is exactly the issue, there are way too many pieces with the VA mount. I don't know why they have not switched suppliers as they don't make it in-house (get it from Kwik). There is way too much adjustment, shims, trimming etc. necessary to find the magic angle to get it to stop squealing. The design is the worst on the market.

[jjzepplin]

If I had to buy all the brackets and balancer for my engine I would go with the Holley. I have Camaro spacing and a new balancer so I think the LSX Innovations is where I will go. They come with or without solid spacers for each Spacing configuration IE Vette, Camaro, Truck.

[nsb29]

Originally Posted by cebra

This is exactly the issue, there are way too many pieces with the VA mount. I don't know why they have not switched suppliers as they don't make it in-house (get it from Kwik). There is way too much adjustment, shims, trimming etc. necessary to find the magic angle to get it to stop squealing. The design is the worst on the market.

I was thinking I could tig it together once alined ?? If I don’t just return it

[racecougar]

Just came across this thread as I'm fighting this dreaded squeal. I have the "new" Kwik mounting setup, and I've experienced a squeal since day one. At first, I thought it was the idler or tensioner pulleys, but replacing them has not corrected the issue. I've changed belts as well. Listening as closely as possible, it almost seems as if the squeal is actually within the compressor clutch itself. I haven't charged the system yet, but I'm tempted to, just so I can see/hear what happens with the compressor clutch engaged. That said, I don't want to lose a charge if I end up having to replace the compressor.

I'm honestly fed up with it, but I may try loosening and realigning the Kwik mount before reaching out to VA tomorrow.