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Help with squealing noise

I have a 1995 Saturn that makes a squealing noise when driving.

Situations:

- usually when the car is starting up. I've noticed that if I run the car for a while and stop it for just a few minutes, the squealing doesn't appear when I restart the car. If I let it sit while I'm at work, it is more likely to come back. It does NOT always happen though.

- happens for a random amount of time, usually a few minutes. Sometimes it appears again after I've waited at a traffic light.

- eventually when I'm driving, it does go away. usually after a few minutes.

- if I slow down enough (to maybe a few miles an hour), I can make out that the squealing isn't constant but rather comes and goes, almost like a sine wave.

- no noise when the car is stopped.

My mechanic replaced the belt a while back which did cure the problem for a few weeks but now it has returned.

Any ideas? What should I tell my mechanic to look for/replace?

Thanks.

Reply to
Newsposter Guy
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Could be the belt. Try spraying some belt dressing on it and see if it goes away. About $3.00 from WallyMart.

Reply to
Steve Elmore

Sounds like the belt tensioner is weak.

Reply to
Mike Martin

My '94 had a TSB way back when it was new for similiar symptoms. It was the idler pulley that needed replacement.

Lane [ l a n e @ p a i r . c o m ]

Reply to
Lane

My 92 SL2 also squealed in cold weather last year. Replacing the serp belt with a new one did not help.

I have read about the bad tensioner being a prime suspect for causing squealing, and decided to just live with it till it becomes unbearable.

But, about 3 months ago, I replaced the water pump since this car is 12 years old w/ 121 k miles, just for peace of mind. And now, no more squealing in any kind of weather.

The short of it: it might be the tensioner, but it might also be a water pump that is starting to fail.

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" ..... I ain't no bandleader!!"

Reply to
Jack Woltz

If it happens more with the headlights and heater on, that's when the alternator is working the hardest. The highest torque load that the alternator draws is at idle. More likely here to cause some belt slip and squealing.

Check the belt for any shiny surfaces (glazing) or cracks. For either condition the belt should be replaced. Also check the tensioner. It is supposed to be automatic tensioning but I've seen a few where the spring snapped and it lost some of the tensioning force.

Belt dressing is only a temporary fix. I tried it once and it lasted two days... Then I replaced the belt.

On another car, a bad alternator (shorted diode which cooked the stator assy) caused an ever worsening belt squeal. Got so bad that I pulled over and yanked the plugs off of the alternator and quickly drove to buy another alternator. Replaced the second failed nipondenso (OEM)with a Bosch(?) equivalent and it never failed again.

Oppie '01 LW300

Reply to
Oppie

If your tensioner is bad you should replace it immediatly because it is very possible for it to leave you stranded. Couple years ago when I had the belt off for some reason, when I put it back on I thought that the tensioner felt a little weird. Worked it back and forth again and it seemed fine. Probably about a month later, I'm sitting at a red light(radio up) and I see the battery light flashing. I turn the radio down, and give it a little gas to see if the light turns out. Well, it made a horrific grinding noise. Luckily I was turning into the restaurant where I was going anyway, so I popped the hood and found that the belt was totally loose, and the grinding was actually belt slip. So I get a ride to autozone, pick up a tensioner, and change it in the parking lot. So, moral of the story, if you think your tensioner might be hurt, change it before it bites you.

You might have 'helped' your tensioner when you changed the pump......

I would tend to doubt the water pump. Its most likely the tensioner.

Reply to
BANDIT2941

I agree that it is more likely that it would be the tensioner, just sharing my water pump experience , for what it's worth, in case someone replaces their tensioner still has noise.

While I had everything apart, I fiddled with the tensioner and as far as I can tell it is OK. The old pump did have a rough feel when turned, and some side to side & in/out play when compared to the new one. Whether the play / roughness is normal or excessive for this car's age/mileage, I don't know. But that's what led me to conclude that the pump was wearing out & was the squealing source, since it is now completely gone.

=================================

" ..... I ain't no bandleader!!"

Reply to
Jack Woltz

I'm with you on this one. Water pump might be a bit stiff when cold but never should feel rough when turned. Any shaft play, either radial or axial means that the bearings are about to fail. When under mecahnical load from the belt, possibly the balls in the bearing started to jam against one another and that was the cause of the increased torque load which caused the squeal.

Before automatic tensioners, the most common cause of water pump failures was an over-tightened fan belt or an out of balance fan. those days are gone.

Oppie

Reply to
Oppie

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