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Hey guys, I noticed a problem with my gen 3 5sfe tonight that i need to diagnose. The car made a squealing noise shortly after i started it for about four seconds and then stopped. the noise started again later after i braked and took off. It started to become more and more persistent, usually when i stop and begin to accelerate and or turn, always for about three or four seconds. The weird thing is the noise also starts when i have the ac on and is a constant squealing with the air conditioning on. when i shut it off it stops. any ideas? Im thinking it is a belt of some sorts- the noise seems to be coming from near the alternator. Any ideas are welcome, thanks guys.
would this be power steering related?
EDIT i should mention the timing belt and water pump were replaced about 4000 miles ago. Im going to be pissed if it is somehow related to that.
The good thing is you can make the squealing sound come on, and it's not an intermittent problem. Intermittent probles are very difficult to troubleshoot.
What I would do is get a rubber hose, about 2-3 feet long. Hold one end to your ear, hold the other to where you think the noise is coming from, in this case, near the alternator. Repeat this step with all other parts you suspect. This will help you narrow it down.
yeah i can make it come on and off with the ac but it also does it occasionally when the ac is not on, so in some respects it is intermitten, in others i can control it. weird
my camry was doing this.. the a/c compressor was seized.. and would burn with smoke when the a/c was on, when it was off it would intermittently squeal.. which didnt make sense because when the a/c is of it has an electric clutch and the compressor should be fully disengaged.. but took it to a shop and they took the compressor out and put in a shorter belt going directly to the alternator seeing as it was winter and there was no funds for a new one at the time. it could also not be the a/c and the a/c could be causing it to squeal more because its putting strain on the belt
my cousin seems to think it may be a bearing on the pulley squealing, hes not here though so thats just his idea. i guess ill try to look at it tomorrow, im nervous about being able to fix this because i have to move back home in a week and need my car
is the accessory belt the one on the left of the engine bay by the alternator? im going out to look at it right now and give you guys further diagnostics
okay, so the accessory belt looks really loose. it appears to be vibrating back and forth when the car is running, it just seems really loose. the condition of the belt looks okay. here is a pic of the current tension, i need to figure out how to adjust it:
okay, the bad news is i noticed a coolant leak while i was in there, a pretty bad one. its coming out of one of the lines near the bottom and collecting on the plastic piece that shields the bottom of the car:
^in that pic you cans ee the line that is leaking but i dont know what that line is, its coming off of this cylinder looking pump located near the battery:
you guys have any ideas on what is leaking?? this is driving me nuts! thanks
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