That may squeak or whistle under the hood? It’s not just the belt

Looking for what may squeak in the engine compartment.

The culprit of the creaking coming from under the hood of the car, can be not only a new serpentine belt (drive). Although if you hear a whistling or squeaking, this belt should be the Prime suspect. But sometimes that sound can produce, and other items that need to be changed can be very expensive.

The Prime suspect is the belt attachment (belt drive)

The drive belt of the engine is the first thing you should check if you have started to hear a whistling, squeaking from under the hood. It can be both intermittent and continuous unpleasant sound when the engine is running. As a rule, the V-ribbed belt noise in the morning starting the car. Whistling usually lasts as long as the car does not start normal movement. But what is the cause of this whistling?

According to statistics, many car owners when WE neglect the replacement of drive belts, changing planning only belt or timing chain, forgetting about V-ribbed belts. Many motorists believe that the breakage of the timing belt will not do too much damage, in contrast to the breakage of the timing belt, in which valves can meet pistons of the engine, moving it out seriously.

So very often car owners do not change the belts until recently. But in some cases this is a mistake. The fact that some car models the breakage of the timing belt in the engine compartment could cause a lot of damage. For example, there are cars where the timing belt breakage can get into the timing. In this case we can break the timing belt, with all the consequences (for example, the drive belt can get into the drive roller).

Fortunately, these cars a bit. In most cases, the V-ribbed belt can’t get into the timing.

But in any case do not forget to regularly change the alternator belt, water pump (on some cars the water pump receives torque from the timing belt), power steering, steering wheel air conditioning. Also when replacing the timing belt is advised to change all the drive rollers.

For that, follow two simple rules:

• belt with multiple grooves must not work longer than 100 000 km

• When replacing the timing belt and rollers is to replace poly-V-belt

To fix the creaking/squeaking alternator belt, air conditioner, power steering, etc., usually use a primitive method based on a stronger belt tension. That is, the experienced masters offer you to tighten the drive belt. This will help for some time, but assuming that the tensioner has a manual adjustment. However, dragging the strap, you can put the car more harm than good. Modern cars are increasingly began to use hydraulic tensioners drive belts. In these cars, to eliminate the whistling of the strap, pulling it will not work.

A big problem are the pulleys

Replacing the drive belt usually is cheap. The belt is cheap. Work also to not drain your pockets. By the way, depending on the engine there is a vehicle having two drive belts. In this case, the replacement belts will have to give twice more money. Of course, the final cost of replacing the belt will influence the make and model of car. The average price for replacement drive belts start from 800-1000 rubles. Replacement belt tensioner will cost about 800 rubles. As you can see, it’s not a problem.

The real cost for the car owner start when it comes time to change the pulleys. The main pulley is mounted on the crankshaft. Fortunately, he wears very rarely, unless equipped with a vibration damper. But in the case of wear of the pulley to prepare a round sum, as the cost of its replacement you unpleasantly surprised. More often than not, you need to change the alternator pulley, pulley power steering pump steering wheel and air conditioning.

Signs of wear on the alternator pulley

After starting the engine sometimes the alternator belt doesn’t squeak, but after turning on the electrical equipment starts whistling or squeaking. This may be a sign of wear on the alternator pulley. It can also indicate problems with the alternator and the battery. Replace the generator pulley can cost from 2000 to 6000 rubles. By the way, this work refers to the bulkhead of the generator. At present, more and more generators are equipped with pulley with vibration damper.

Signs of wear pulley a / C compressor

The same applies to pulley a / C compressor that is starting to squeak at startup. When you turn off the compressor, the squeak stops.

Signs of wear of the pulley power steering pump steering wheel (Gur)

Pulley power steering pump to check the easiest. To do this, turn in one direction when wound the motor the steering wheel until it stops, making a few deep turns again and again. Of course, it should be done when the machine is in place. If you turn the steering wheel until it stops I hear a whistle, squeak, it is quite possible, there is a strong wear of Gur pulley or bearing power steering pump. Also, this sound can appear at the wear on the belt, transmitting torque to the WTP.

The emergence of squeaks or whistles under the hood can be guilty of the rollers and the tensioner. That’s why they need to change is always set to all drive components in the engine compartment served equally. Also, when buying rollers and tensioners aim to get the details of one manufacturer.

But if it’s not the belt and not the pulleys?

Sometimes the creaking and whistling is not associated with the drive belts, rollers, pulleys mounted equipment and stretchers. For example, extraneous noise in the engine compartment can give the engine cooling fan. It’s possible that the fan clutch went out.

Also yelp can give (rare) any of the timing components. Usually it’s the other sounds – the whirring, shuffling sounds or metallic noise. However, if this is the last stop as the source of extraneous sounds in the engine compartment, the problem should be fixed as soon as possible. Remember that even a faulty tensioner the timing belt can contribute to motor failure.