Intermittent Squealing Sound

[devkinetic]

First post here

I have a 97 LE and I've started getting this strange behavior this winter:

Turn on car, runs for a few seconds then squealing sound for about 10-15 seconds or so. Goes away and car runs fine. I will also get it at different times when driving on city streets. I've noticed the tone of the sound is affected by turning the steering wheel and I THINK its coming from the right side.

I'm not sure if this is actually related or if its like a belt or something but I find myself constantly topping off my power steering reservoir. Each time i check it the tank is only about 1/2 full, nowhere near where the levels are marked. The first time I remember topping it off, I think the squealing stopped, but I don't know if I'm just crazy. Last thing, I do need an alignment so unsure if that has anything to do with it as well.

[BMR]

Depending on how the squeal sounds, it could be the PS belt needs to be tightened. To tighten it take off the passenger-side front wheel & remove a rectangular access cover. Loosen the PS pump mounting bolts and rotate the pump on its pivot to tighten the belt.

Or it could be the pump whining when the fluid gets low. The fluid is probably leaking due to a hose going bad. Shouldn't be hard to find.

[devkinetic]

Thanks for the quick reply. What your saying seems spot on with what I was thinking. I'm wondering if I should attempt to adjust the belt (and risk doing more damage?) or look for a leak.

I'm a great DIY person, but i haven't done either of these things. The belt adjustment seems fairly simple to do, but I'm not sure how to check for the leak or how to replace the hoses. I do know that I have to top off my PS fluid often, but it only drains to a certain point in the reservoir (about 1/2 way down).

Other than that, is there a good way to diagnose if and where a leak is?

[BMR]

If the belt gets set too tight, it can ruin the PS pump by putting too much of a radial load on its bearings. Problem is that without a tension gage "tight enough" is very subjective. You might take it to an automotive shop and ask them to check it. I doubt they'd charge you to do that. Or you could tighten it a little and see if the squeal goes away. If it does, call it good, or maybe have a shop check it for ya to see if it's too tight. I've done mine, and I'd have to say it's not the easiest to get set correctly because access is poor.

Diagnosing the leak?... Just follow the hoses and piping (some of the lines are steel tubing) and look for wet spots. The difficulty in replacing a hose depends a lot on which one is bad.

Thought of another question to narrow it down: Does the squealing ever happen when the fluid level is good? That would mean it's likely the belt tension is too loose.

AH!... just thought of another possibility. The rack and pinion in Camrys commonly develop leaks. Early on, the leaking fluid is contained in the rubber bellows on each end of the rack. Check there too for signs of fluid.

[TheJourneyman]

If you're looking at your steering rack be careful of what you're looking at though; the steering racks often start "sweating" very early in their lifespan and continue in that sense for quite a long time before truly becoming a leak. Just because the rack is moist doesn't mean it is your true culprit.

Still a valid place to look though. I'd hope for the belt or hose problem myself.

[devkinetic]

Sorry to resurrect my thread, but I have an update that might help figure out what the issue is.

I've narrowed the squealing sound to a pattern...

When I turn my car on after sitting for a few hours, initially for 5-15 seconds after the motor starts the RPM's are up and the squealing sound is constant. After that initial time after starting the motor, RPM's return to a normal idle, and the squealing immediately subsides. Occasionally, while driving on city streets the squealing can 'kick-in' sometimes but not so often for a short period of time.

On a side note, I may be crazy but I believe that sometimes I'm able to silence the squealing quicker than normal by turning off heat/ac or the radio.

Again, thanks for any help or ideas.

[fenixus]

it is caused by loose or worn (stretched or glazed) power steering belt.
if it wasn't replaced for a few years, I would suggest replacing both alternator and power steering belts soon. tightening the worn and old belts leads nowhere (they will snap eventually).

Gates, Good Year, Bando, Dayco, Mitsuboshi are best belt brands (last 3 are also recent OEM suppliers).

stay away from Duralast and Valucraft brands, they are utter piece of crap, you will have to replace them again after 6 months or so (if not earlier than that).