"Mike Marlow" <mmarlowREMOVE@alltel.net> wrote in message
news:366c7$44b5277e$45289544$13071@ALLTEL.NET...[color=blue]
>
> <pcalvert@rocketmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1152717051.056199.103190@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...[color=green]
>> This concerns a 2001 Chevrolet Prizm (essentially the same thing as a
>> 2001 Toyota Corolla).
>>
>> An intermittent, high-pitched squeak/squeal is coming from the
>> left-hand side of the engine compartment, where the drive belt (aka
>> "fan belt" or "serpentine belt") is located. This seemed to have
>> suddenly started after the vehicle hadn't been driven for a month.
>> It's also possible that it was happening before but I just didn't
>> notice it. The noise goes away when accelerating and comes back
>> (sometimes) when decelerating or maintaining a steady speed. Also,
>> initially the squeal was heard quite frequently. However, I have taken
>> this Prizm on several short test drives since I first noticed the
>> noise, and the intermittent squealing seems to be getting less and less
>> frequent with each test drive. It's almost as if the short test drives
>> are helping to loosen something up, though that's just a guess.
>>
>> Anybody have an idea about what could be causing the squealing noise?
>> A friend suggested that it might be due to a loose belt, but I doubt.
>> that. I'd expect a squealing belt to get noisier during acceleration,
>> not quieter.[/color]
>
> Not necessarily. The first thing I would check would be the condition and
> the tension of all of the belts. Change any worn or cracked belts.[/color]
Also make sure that the belt is not glazed or shiny. Check both the inside
and outside surfaces of the belts. A worn belt is not always obvious. When
checking for belt wear, make sure that the angle part of the fits the
profile of the pulley and contacts evenly.
[color=blue]
>
> The next most likely culprit is the serpentine belt tensioner idler. This
> is an idler that simply bolts onto the tensioner and is easy to replace.
> They normally make more of a growl than a squeal, but it's not beyond
> reason
> at all to expect a squeal.
>[color=green]
>>
>> Okay, I need to add a few things because the picture changed a little
>> during my most recent test drive (made after I started writing this).
>> The squealing doesn't always go away during acceleration. But it does
>> seem to occur less frequently during acceleration. And I should also
>> mention that sometimes the squeal has a definite rhythm to it when the
>> engine is idling. At one point it sounded something like this:
>> squeak-squeak-SQUEAK (pause), squeak-squeak-SQUEAK (pause),
>> squeak-squeak-SQUEAK (pause)... In other words, two short squeaks
>> followed by a longer and louder one.
>>[/color]
>
> I'd go with the idler - but first check the condition of those belts.
>[/color]
On a serpentine belt, make sure that all of the pulley, idlers, tensioners,
etc. are on the same plane. If one or more pulley is not on the same plane,
then the pulley and/or belt may make noise when passing through that pulley.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)
