Something wrong with the belt?

[Ashadia]

Well i got a 2003 Corolla S about a year ago and just the other day my check engine light came on when i was driving down the highway. I drove about 30-40 miles until i could get back home and parked the sucker till i could take it to the auto repair place. I plan on taking it in the day after tomorrow and getting it checked... but i dont want to get screwed over - i dont have much money to spend on taking it in for repairs 30 times so i want them to fix it the first time.

I think it might be the belt.

Ever since i got it if it rained the belt would squeek - i was told it was just because it was wet and not to worry about it. But it rained today and i went out to check and see if maybe it was some heating problem and the check engine light would be gone after it cooled down. So i went out and started it up.

I think its the belt because as i said it would squeek when wet, but now its making like a ticking noise that grows faster the longer the cars on, i only had it on for about 10 seconds before i turned it off cause the noise was freaking me out when it speed up.

Am i right to assume its a belt problem? I was reading through the forums and there was one post that said the 03 and 04 tensioners were faulty- so could that be whats setting off the check engine light?

(the car would only squeek when it was wet btw so i never really thought it needed to be taken it - i was told it wasnt hurting anything cept my ears)

[mikered30]

A bad belt or tensioner would not trip a check engine light, maybe if it was slipping the battery light would come on. How old is the belt? You can get the light checked for free at autozone or advanced auto.

[Ashadia]

I dont know how old it is, but i bought the car used from a dealer about a year ago - this is the first problem ive had

[hardtopte72]

Sounds like something on top of the belt. When the belt tensioners fail they rarely tick just squeal and it is usually the belt as most tensioners have been replaced by now. Sounds like something else.

[Tech1984]

Check your oil level anytime you open the hood to investigate strange noises under the hood.
Just good practice.

[Zembonez]

Have you looked under the hood? Is the belt still there? Driving 30-40 miles after a check engine light comes on is not the smartest move I've ever heard of.

From your post, I'll assume you aren't completely mechanical. You really need to get this checked out by somebody that knows something about cars. You could be causing permanent damage that we are not able to diagnose from here.

[invader]

No worries, Ashadia. Check for the obvious and try to get the codes read first. Maybe an oxygen sensor, or possibly a lean code caused by leaking intake manifold gasket. New revised gasket is orange instead of black, if you look at where manifold sits on engine head. With your head under the hood, you may have been alarmed by the VSV switching valve which starts randomly while idling. Original serpentine belt tensioner tended to get noisy and weak. Dayco's 89356 was a permanent cure on mine with Goodyear Gatorback belt:

http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/x,carc...Tensioner.html

http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/x,carc...Tensioner.html