Pulleys are located on generators on the serpentine belt in the front of the Jeep Liberty engine. It is important to know that the pulleys control many aspects of the vehicle including heating, cooling system, power steering, power breaks, alternator and radiator fan. When a pulley is going out there are some very distinctive occurrences.
Clanking from the front of the engine is a sign that one of the pulleys on one of the systems is going out. It will be a loud tinny sound that may come and go depending on the condition of the pulley. Listening to the individual pulleys will help you discern which one it is. You will have to open the hood and leave the engine running but do not touch anything, just listen for the noise and its location. The sound can be coming from the individual pulleys on the components that operate major systems on the Jeep Liberty.
Squealing from the front of the engine compartment can also mean a problem. This is caused by one of the pulleys actually locking up and the belt being pulled over the top. Locking up means that the pulley has broken loose and become jammed in the housing of the unit it is on. Turn off the motor before you check for a frozen pulley. Examine the belt for damage also.
Failure of one of the systems is also a sign of a bad pulley. If your power steering is hard to turn, or the radiator fan is not going on, the pulley on that specific unit may have broken internally. This is a dangerous situation since these are major control systems. Turn off the motor and try to hand turn each pulley on every system on the serpentine belt.
