825i Belt Squeal and Chirping ....

[jradue]

I have had a problem, as many others, with the alternator belt squealing at start-up. I checked the belt and it appeared to be a little loose. After tightening it a bit, the start-up squeal went away, but after the unit warmed up a bit, the belt would chirp rather loudly. I took the unit to my dealer to get an opinion. After they looked it over and tried some different things, they had no idea what was causing the noise. They sent a technical question off to Deere for an opinion. Today they answered back and instructed the service guys to change the water pump. Now this unit I have had since the end of August, and it has 25 hours on it. It seems strange that the water pump would go out so soon, but I suppose anything is possible. Either way I hope this stops the blasted chirping. Overall I love the 825i. It is a solid, well built machine. However, don't be afraid to use your warranty if things don't seem right. I am trying to add the extended warranty to the machine after the fact, but I have not heard back from the dealer yet if I can do that or not.

[DIXIEDOG]

You can do it for as long as the factory warranty hasn't run out according to my dealer....the downside is they are well over $500 for the warranty....that's a lot of cash for a just in case repair. Most things that are defective are going to break within the first 12 months anyway....at least that's what I'm banking on.:lol: I hear a ton of guys mention buying the warranty but I haven't heard of many using it for any repairs that cost more than the warranty did.:hdscrh:

[jradue]

Murphy's Law applies I believe. If I forgo the extended warranty, then something big will happen. If I buy it, the unit will run perfectly without problem. Seriously though, it is clear doing any repair on the 825i will be expensive. It is essentially a modern car engine with four wheel drive. We all know Deere parts are not cheap. If you read the technical manual, replacing something as simple as the alternator requires you to remove the rear gear box and other compnents. That adds up to a ton of labor. I will see how much they quote for the extended coverage, but I am leaning that way.

[jradue]

I forgot to mention that when my dealer was trying to figure out the source of the noise, they pulled a new unit off the lot and got it to produce the same noise by letting it idle.

[jradue]

The water pump was not the problem (as I suspected), so they are on to replacing the alternator now.

[jradue]

SUCCESS!! After being in the shop for over a week, I got my 825i back last night. The chirping and squeals are gone. The problem was the alternator. I think the shop did some tweaking to the unit also because it is running better than ever.

[duling]

I have been having the same problem with my gator. Intermittent chirping and squealing of the belt. I took the shield off last night and the belt seems tight enough. Did the alternator replacement fix the problem for good?

I seem to notice my squeal most after washing or some other form of getting the gator wet/muddy.

[jradue]

Naw, it squeals again, but not as bad as before. I think it has to do with the higher RPM's the Chery engine runs at.

[Destiny creek]

Back to the extended warranty these units are known for front axle problems and it happens after the first 100 hrs I have heard so 600 hr warranty is a good thing. My dealer told me a front axle replacement repair is about 2000 dollars,it's simple math. And that's just one repair
GO BRONCOS:Ysnd::Ysnd::Ysnd:

[jradue]

I just passed on the extended warranty as my base warranty expired in August. If I have significant problems after 100 hours, I will never buy another piece of JD equipment again.

[Bunky]

I just got my gator and I had no expectations. The problem is if it fails the dealer is over an hour away and I would have to get it there. I did not get a trailer yet but likely it will be the first purchase after something happens although the dealer seems to make runs to various parts of the area so they could pick it up.

For example, when they delivered mine, they made a stop to do maintenance on some JD equip, and apparently took another back...so possibly I could pay a more nominal fee than over $1000 for a trailer.

[jradue]

The big advantage of the extended warranty is that it covers pickup and delivery on repairs.