Another update...As you know, and have heard if you've watched any of the videos of Ethyl running, she has an annoying belt chirp that has been an issue since I got her engine running. Last week, i set about to correct this and after some tail chasing and snake oil remedies, it's finally fixed. I put together a few videos going through the process of getting it resolved.
The internet, as always, can be a helpful tool if you can read between the lines. Sometimes it is easy to forget, however, that source and context have a big impact on the end result.
When I first looked at this issue a few years back, folks experiencing a similar problem suggested different brands of serpentine belt, as chirping or squeaking tends to be a common complaint with the Dodge Magnum V6 and V8 engines. Continental and Goodyear brands were supposed to fix this issue. Others had suggested belt dressing or tire shine as a means of resolution, though I am reluctant to use anything to lubricate a serpentine belt, as by design, no additional product should be needed.
My local shop, that works on the city equipment and occasionally my personal stuff, when I don't have the time or special tools, suggested Comet Cleanser. I have to admit, I did give that one a whirl. It was cheap and effective for a short term, but in all, it was no better than the baby powder I tried two years ago.
Then a fellow interwebber pointed me in the right direction on another forum. The clue had been obvious all the way back to the summer of 2018, but I had forgotten. There has to be a physical cause for the belt to chirp on a serpentine system. One that is correct, won't, period.
I replaced a few "questionable" parts that would soon need to be replaced, if not were already in need, but there was no change. Back to 2018.
In 2018, I had an issue with the serpentine belt climbing out of the pulleys toward the radiator and found that the Power Steering pulley was not fully seated on the pump shaft. I compared the assembly on my motor with one i had as a spare on the shelf and found there was a huge difference. The one on the engine had a 3/8" gap between the rear of the pulley and the bracket, where the one on my shelf had a 0.787 mm gap between the back of the pulley and the bracket. I rented an install tool and moved the pulley further onto the shaft by about half, leaving a 3/16" gap.
After my friend reminded me that the only adjustment in the Dodge serpentine system was the P/S pulley, I looked up the spec and found the face of the pulley hub is supposed to be FLUSH with the end of the pump shaft. Paraphrased from the book, "if chirping is present, move the pulley out 0.5 mm on the pump shaft. If the chirping worsens, push the pulley back onto the pump shaft 1.0 mm". So the tolerance is 0.5 mm+/- from the end of the shaft. The pump on my engine had the end of the shaft recessed 1/8" and would not budge. In the end, I swapped over to my spare assembly and fixed the problem for good.
https://youtu.be/xUzEsHshDJo
https://youtu.be/rvNDHTFuYbA
https://youtu.be/7-5EYChHkEw
https://youtu.be/T0oophUPHC8
Enjoy the videos. I apologize for the wobble. I was working with my phone, but I'm plotting on a GoPro or similar for future videos.
-Joe