Wierd noises coming out around the timing belt area

[kwanpen]

During the past week when i started my car i heard some wierd noise coming right from the timing belt area. I end up realizing I have extremely low though visible coolant level. I just dont know if that was the case of causing wierd noises, what other possbilities could it be and how can i check it? When do i know if i have to change my timing belt or not...my current mileage on the car is 44k miles

Also, does solara 2004 have a low coolant light or does it just have the maint light lit when low coolant level was detected..thanks!

[Akfahad]

check and see if the belt has an visible cracks...

sometimes belts make noises as they start to where down. You can spray some silicone spray, others have used WD-40, or something similar on the belt itself while the car is running. If the noises stop, it may be the belt, at least it was for me when i was experiencing something similar.

Obviously, you don't want to coat the belt so it's dripping. A few little quick sprays wont hurt anything...I've done it with both my Maxima and SC Solara, just don't go overboard. A quick thing to do to shut it up for a bit until it's replaced.

[littlebookworm]

Don't spray silicone on a belt. It will quiet the belt temporarily, but it will cause the belt to slip and will coat the pullies themselves, necessitating a PITA clean-up. If you are losing coolant, then you've got a leak somewhere. It's unlikely, though not impossible, for a water pump to be leaking at 44k miles. You need to have the cooling system pressure checked to find the leak. If the water pump is leaking, it may be dropping anti-freeze on the belt, which could cause noise. You could have a bad or loose "fan" belt, causing the noise. Check it, with the engine OFF, for looseness or wear. By the way, if you need to add or replace the coolant, make sure you use a coolant compatible with the engine - original Toyota coolant is always safest. Good luck and let us know what you find. Hy

[kwanpen]

hey thanks for your input bookworm

i add the coolant and ran it for 10 min, the coolant level remains unchanged, so i dont know if the water pump is leaking or not. However on the belt area, i found some pink powered like stuff, would that be my dried coolant? (since its pink). I tried to spray some water to the belt and has no luck...

i probably will take it to dealership, however i still would want to get it fixed by myself if possbile

[littlebookworm]

Yeah, that's probably dried coolant. Changing a timing belt and water pump are a little tricky, but not impossible if you've worked on cars before. You definitely need the manual for guidance. If I remember correctly, at one point you must support the engine with a jack so that you can remove the right motor mount. The timing belt tensioner has to be compressed in a vise and then locked in place with a thin Allen wrench or drift pin. That's removed once the new belt and tensioner are re-installed. A manual will walk you through the process. Other than basic metric hand tools and other auto hand tools, there's nothing special needed to do the job. My V6 has 88k miles on it, so I'm planning on changing the timing belt and water pump some time at the end of March, when the car will have about 90k and the weather will be warmer (hopefully). Remember to get the right anti-freeze. Good luck with yours. Hy