Has anyone had a drive belt tensioner go bad and start to sound like chattering teeth? Basically only when in a idle and in gear. Gets loudest when you turn the wheel all the way to one side. Gets a little louder when air is on.

it’* on a 98 lesabre.

put a scope on it to listen. It’* loudest at the tensioner bolt but my friend thinks it’* either the power steering or water pump. I’m siding to tensioner but I hate to change it and have that not be it.

Take the belt off and spin each pulley.

They all should sound smooth.

Tensioners fail like that.

I did remove the belt. All pulleys seem solid.

Maybe my car is just having a case of the chills?

They can still feel solid and make noises. In the absence of play on any pulleys, you need to listen for sounds as they turn. Use your scope to listen to them as you turn them. I bet one will make noises while the others do not.

I put a new tensioner on todsy. Used actually. Same noise but it’* quite when u turn wheel all the way now b4 it got louder

It is probably a bad bearing like before, but the new tensioner is holding more tension on the belt so the behavior is different.

It just started to leak antifreeze. It is not leaking from the bracket. I will be pulling the water pump soon.

You use a used tensioner?