Squealing Sound On Cold Starts

Turning the wheel uses the power steering pump. I don't know about your model, but many of them have an nternal pressure relief valve that will squeal when full over to one side or the other. It would not normally make any noise when not turning. Squeal can come from a defective idler pully bearing, pump or alternator bearing, pully mis-alignment, worn belt, too tight a belt.

The wear indicators are only heard when the car is moving.

I think it is the power steering belt as it is the exact same sound as when I turn the wheel all the way to the left or right.

Next time I get an oil change, I'll get them to check it out.

Chris

Belts are probably loose.

More likely, it?s the alternator belt. The alternator belt drives the water pump, which in turn, via the power steering belt, drives the power steering pump. The alternator belts on Hyundais need to be tensioned very tight to keep them from squealing. Usually, any movement of the belt when applying light finger pressure (with car off!) will lead to a squeak or squeal.

Is the water pump leaking? Check for fluid on the belt.

Actually come to think of it, the battery light gets brighter on the dash when there's squealing.

Is this a pressing thing to fix or a "Get to it next time I get an oil change"?

Chris

It did this last winter as well so I doubt it's the water pump leaking. If it was, wouldn't the car be dead by now?

Chris

That's the CO2 sensor going off Chris. It's advising you of an inadequate supply of CO2 for proper operation.

Ok - that was my attempt to be humorous. You battery light is getting brighter because it is not being charged properly by the alternator. The more intermittent the charge, the dimmer the light will appear to be. The more the problem persists, the brighter the light will be. I'm a believer in fixing things when they are not working properly. You can find yourself stranded if you delay something this simple now. You won't necessarily cause bigger problems or component failures, but if you're driving at night in the rain and cold, and you're putting a heavy load on the battery/charging system, you could suddenly find yourself past the point of the battery's ability to run the car. Adjust the belt and be done with it. It's a simple thing to do, takes minutes, and it then becomes one more thing that you don't have to fool with while doing that oil change.

That is correct, but so counter-intuitive. Just think how low the electric bill would be if less power meant brighter bulbs.

I'm pretty confused about here. Normally, my battery and Emergency brake lights on my dash, flicker in relation to the RPM's of the engine. (My alternator got a "Yellow" rating from a garage so I'm assuming that means it's not working perfectly but is still functioning and will probably need fixing at some point.) Both lights get brighter when the engine is squealing.

I'm a believer

Well the reason for not fixing it right away is money. I don't do any repairs myself or oil changes. Any trip to the garage is going to cost me money and it's cheaper if you combine two things instead of making two trips.

Chris

They would get brighter when the belt is squealing because you are providing less voltage to the battery to charge it - or keep it charged. The more the belt is slipping, the less the system is properly charging, and the more of an error condition you are experiencing. The poor test of your alternator could have been from the belt slipping, or it could have been from a weak alternator. Was the belt squealing when they tested it?

Likely you'll need a new belt at the very least. You can't tension belts anymore, as serpentine belts have a spring tensioner that is part of the belt path, and it keeps the belt at the right tension. Once they start to squeal you have to change them. Don't fall for any cheap tricks like belt dressing. The only time a belt needs dressing is for its funeral.

Understood. In that case, have the service center verify whether the alternator output is poor due to belt slippage and go with a new belt first. Belts are typically $20 or so. Labor would not be more than a few minutes, but there may be a minimum labor charge.

No. The belt only squeals when it's really cold out and then for only like 30 seconds.

Chris

I'd get the alternator check again Chris, and if it still checks weak, replace it. Often the bearings in an alternator will degrade, causing resistance to the shaft rotating freely. This can result in belt squeals, so there may be a correlation there. Either way, if the alternator tests poorly, then you really have no choice but to replace it.

Well the other choice would be to hold off until it fails.

I generally can't afford to replace everything I own the second it stops functioning perfectly and generally wait til it doesn't work at all.

Chris

Sometimes that works. Unless, or course, it freezes and causes the belt to snap or shorts and kills the battery. Sometimes it is OK to wait, other times it can be cheaper to bite the bullet. Ever lose all your belts on the New Jersey Turnpike on a Sunday when it is 90 degrees? Or have to stay overnight in Amsterdam NY because the alternator died too late in the day to find a part and have it repaired?

No, but the alternator has been like this for a year and a half and the car has never failed to start.

Chris

Well, could be, I always changed my pump when it staqrted leaking, so I really don't know how long they can go like that :)

If you use belt dressing, the mechanic will hate you, cause they have to clean all that gunk off for the new belt. Belt dressing is for v belts, not the grooved kind.

I don't know if the 99 has a belt tensioner....there is a screw on the mount for the alternator, that tensions the belt, I think. That's something to check, that screw is difficult to tighten, and if they didn't use lock tight on it, it will loosen back up, and that will also cause squealing.