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  1. #1
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    Car Issue - Belt Squeal

    I've been having an issue with a lot of belt squeal lately and it seems to be getting worse. Sometimes it will start when I start up the car and last for a few minutes or longer. More recently I've been noticing it starting to squeal when I come to a stop sign or red light and I'm just idling.

    I had my car in the shop last week for some other work and the mechanic said that my belts were in alright condition and that there is no reason to replace them yet. He was the second mechanic that has told me that.

    I've been told that belt dressing might be worth a try. I've also heard that rubbing a bar of soap on the belts will generally work to reduce noise.

    Has anyone done this?

  2. #2
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    Change the belts, or tension them. If they are supposedly alright, then tension them.
    The whole human race is de evolving; it is due to birth control, smart people use birth control, and stupid people keep pooping out more stupid babies.

  3. #3
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    if belt is ok, and it's tensioned correctly, i'd check that all the pulleys on the accessories the belt runs are turning ok. you may have an A/C compressor or something that is dragging on the belt.

  4. #4
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    Check the battery. If it is low after you start, the alternator goes to full charge and the belt will squeal.

  5. #5
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    Check ALL the pulleys that the belt touches....


    I had a squealing belt on my VW that I was in the process of diagnosing. The squealing turned out to be the bearing going on the timing belt idler pulley. Of course, I discovered that after the bearing seized and shredded the belt!

  6. #6
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    rub some soap on them
    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    Ben Franklin

  7. #7
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    I had this happen with my a/c belt in my Subaru. Changed the belt and it has been quiet since. Some belts just start getting noisy long before they are worn out.

    To find out which belt it is spray it with water or soapy water. The noisy belt should get quiet till the water drys off.

  8. #8
    doughboyshredder Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by GlimmerIII View Post
    Check the battery. If it is low after you start, the alternator goes to full charge and the belt will squeal.
    This is the most likely culprit, since the sound goes away after a few minutes at start up.

    My guess is bad battery not accepting and maintaining a charge, or an alternator that is going bad.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by GlimmerIII View Post
    Check the battery. If it is low after you start, the alternator goes to full charge and the belt will squeal.

    Really? That's interesting. I know for sure that my battery needs replacing...had no idea that the squealing might have something to do with that.

    What about that it squeals when I come to a stop...could that be the same issue, or does that mean there could be more to it?
    Last edited by chocolatecoveredbacon; 02-25-2009 at 08:19 PM.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by doughboyshredder View Post
    This is the most likely culprit, since the sound goes away after a few minutes at start up.

    My guess is bad battery not accepting and maintaining a charge, or an alternator that is going bad.
    Interesting. I had always assumed that a squealing belt sometimes goes away after warming up because warm rubber is grippier than cold rubber.
    that's all i can think of, but i'm sure there's something else...

  11. #11
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    Do you have a bunch of V-belts or one big flat belt? If it's V-belts then one or more needs tightening. After it slips and heats up it grips better. If it's a serpentine belt then the belt or tensioner needs replacing. The tensioner is a spring loaded idler pulley that keeps the belt tight.
    If you have a problem & think that someone else is going to solve it for you then you have two problems.

  12. #12
    doughboyshredder Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by chocolatecoveredbacon View Post
    Really? That's interesting. I know for sure that my battery needs replacing...had no idea that the squealing might have something to do with that.

    What about that it squeals when I come to a stop...could that be the same issue, or does that mean there could be more to it?
    same issue. The added load of the alternator creates more drag than the belt can handle at the low rpms of the engine at idle. replace the battery and I bet the squeal goes away.

  13. #13
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    that makes sense. yesterday i accidentally left my lights on and when i started the car the squealing went on for a lot longer than normal.

    i'm gonna replace the battery next week...i'll report back.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by chocolatecoveredbacon View Post
    that makes sense. yesterday i accidentally left my lights on and when i started the car the squealing went on for a lot longer than normal.

    i'm gonna replace the battery next week...i'll report back.
    If you can have your system load tested. This might save you some cash in the long run. Your car starting after you left the lights on has me wondering. Terminals clean, Voltage regulator or Battery

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by GlimmerIII View Post
    Your car starting after you left the lights on has me wondering. Terminals clean, Voltage regulator or Battery
    What do you mean?

  16. #16
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    Where you able to start the car after you left the lights on or did you need to jump it? If you did not need to jump it the battery might still be good. If the terminals are dirty it will restrict the flow of the electricity to recharge the battery. Thus the charging system must work harder(more drag) to charge the battery. Voltage regulator controls all of this. Auto Zone I believe will even do a load test for you(maybe for free). Walmart can but they will charge you I believe. I would just make a few calls if your strapped for cash. Then you will not buy a battery and find it is one of the other things.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by GlimmerIII View Post
    Where you able to start the car after you left the lights on or did you need to jump it? If you did not need to jump it the battery might still be good. If the terminals are dirty it will restrict the flow of the electricity to recharge the battery. Thus the charging system must work harder(more drag) to charge the battery. Voltage regulator controls all of this. Auto Zone I believe will even do a load test for you(maybe for free). Walmart can but they will charge you I believe. I would just make a few calls if your strapped for cash. Then you will not buy a battery and find it is one of the other things.

    ah i see what you're saying. it did start by itself, but it was pretty rough. they weren't left on for an extremely long time though either.

    i do know for a fact that the battery needs to be replaced soon anyway though...so i might as well just do it among other things and see what happens.

  18. #18
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    you might be right glimmer. i replaced the battery (which i needed to do anyway), but no results. i'll have to look into the voltage regulator.

    at the moment i'm having two issues...
    1) squealing belts still. supposedly they don't need to be replaced yet. looking into adjusting them.
    2) car has trouble starting...it will turn over, but usually takes several long tries to get it actually running. it's an '83 diesel benz. thinking possibly glow plugs or fuel injectors could be part of my problems.

    who knows about old cars? any more insight?

  19. #19
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    Have you tensioned them yet? Do they squeal more when it rains
    The whole human race is de evolving; it is due to birth control, smart people use birth control, and stupid people keep pooping out more stupid babies.

  20. #20
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    Same issue on my 06 Tacoma. Very temp dependent. If it's below zero overnight, it squeals pretty damn loud. 20 above, none at all. Goes away in 5 minutes or so.

    Shop said it was one of the tensioner thingys, iirc. They cleaned the belt, said it's in fine shape. It's a pulley deal. Would have replaced but have a full warranty which has to be done at dealerships...

    edit-yer in jackson too. It was Shervin's that gave me that diagnosis, big tall dude at the desk. He seemed pretty on the ball...
    Something about the wrinkle in your forehead tells me there's a fit about to get thrown
    And I never hear a single word you say when you tell me not to have my fun
    It's the same old shit that I ain't gonna take off anyone.
    and I never had a shortage of people tryin' to warn me about the dangers I pose to myself.

    Patterson Hood of the DBT's

  21. #21
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    yeah, as for the belts, they seem to squeal more in cold temps. in your case, was it the pulley wheel itself then?

    for starting...it used to start fine in warmer weather, but anything under maybe 20F was rough (the diesel engine is sensitive). now it seems to turn over, but have trouble starting up in any temperature.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by chocolatecoveredbacon View Post
    for starting...it used to start fine in warmer weather, but anything under maybe 20F was rough (the diesel engine is sensitive). now it seems to turn over, but have trouble starting up in any temperature.
    and actually, to add to that...this only happens on cold starts. once the engine is warm, it starts right up...which is what leads me to think it may have something to do with the glow plugs.

  23. #23
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    Are you sure its the belt? My jeep was making a squealing sound occasionally which i thought was the belt and it turns out it was the water pump, it seized one day and my belt flew off on the highway.

  24. #24
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    Fan clutch worn or wearing out?
    Quote Originally Posted by Socialist View Post
    They have socalized healthcare up in canada. The whole country is 100% full of pot smoking pro-athlete alcoholics.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bring On The Snow View Post
    Are you sure its the belt? My jeep was making a squealing sound occasionally which i thought was the belt and it turns out it was the water pump, it seized one day and my belt flew off on the highway.
    i just replaced the water pump a week or two ago

    Quote Originally Posted by iscariot View Post
    Fan clutch worn or wearing out?
    that could be a possibility. what signs would tell me that...or how would i know that it is the fan clutch?

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