Brand new belt is squealing.... (auto, idle, credit, engine)
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What would cause brand new belts to squeal, a week later?
I had some belts replaced, my mechanic said they were needing replacement ( 10 year old belts ) and yes, trustworthy mechanic...
Some factors to consider:
The weather has dropped to 30 degrees and it's been raining, off and on for a few days.
The squealing started the first morning of rain.. two days ago. Then, this morning, very cold out and the belt squealed for 20-30 seconds. The rest of the day, nothing....no squealing and the car acts normal.
What is the likely cause for newly squealing belt?
My report says they replaced all drive belts.
Also, this noise is only when the car is in motion. It did not squeal in idle position.
Possible that the belts were not tightened enough. Make, model, and year of the car?
You are saying that the belts only squeal when you rev the engine, or only if the car is in motion? What if you rev the engine a bit with the car still?
Does turning the headlights on make any difference? (increasing electric load on the alternator, usually makes squealing worse)
OK that has a serpentine belt with an auto tensioner. You have an extra load somewhere causing the belt to slip. It could be a bad battery causing the alternator to work harder or it could be a power steering pump going bad causing the same thing.
It could also be a worn bearing in one of the idler pulleys or the tensioner its self could be worn out.
Here are a few ways to check and eliminate a few of these things.
Next time you drive the car and it squeals make a note if you are driving straight or turning a corner. If its straight then we can pretty much rule out the power steering.
After that we will look at the alternator.
When you are driving and it starts to squeal turn off anything that uses electricity. i.e. heater blower rear defrost, headlights if its safe.
If the squealing stops then you need to get your charging system checked.
If the car has a tensioner then that would be the problem. Generally it is a safe bet to change the tensioner along with the belt, if you keep driving like this, the new belt would be glazed pretty soon and then you need a new belt along with the tensioner. The key is to return to the shop that did the work soon enough, so that they own up and do the proper work. In this case expect to pay for the new part (tensioner) and partial credit on the labor fee since since you paid for the belt change once.
Since you went over there today, this is probably of no help. Most likely they didn't clean the pulleys after removing the old belt. Any grease/oil that is left on them will cause the noise especially when it's high humidity outside.
I took it over there today and they tightened the belts.
I asked if there were any other things wrong with the car, regarding the belt squealing and he said everything checked clear.
Time will tell...
And I did do a few things you guys suggested before taking the car over there....
I revved the engine in park and no squeal. Today, on start up and on the way over there, no squeal at all...but I took alot of your advice here and you guys confirmed that it was a loose belt.
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