This is strangely not a problem at the mo. But the squeel from my alturnator belt has done the opposite to what is normal! Now then, since owning the car (June 2010) the belt has squeeled for the first 5 minutes on start up (at lower revs) Since the weather got cold its stopped doing it! I dare say my neighbour is happier now! I'm just intreagued as to why my belt has stopped its noise since it got cold, any othe car Ive had tends to do it more in cold weather. (more drain on the alternator and that) My battery isnt suffering and seems to be charging fine. Any ideas? Should I start worrying?!

This is strangely not a problem at the mo. But the squeel from my alturnator belt has done the opposite to what is normal! Now then, since owning the car (June 2010) the belt has squeeled for the first 5 minutes on start up (at lower revs) Since the weather got cold its stopped doing it! I dare say my neighbour is happier now! I'm just intreagued as to why my belt has stopped its noise since it got cold, any othe car Ive had tends to do it more in cold weather. (more drain on the alternator and that) My battery isnt suffering and seems to be charging fine. Any ideas? Should I start worrying?!

My last squeelling seemed to be from the water pump :(

A squirt of oil just behind the pulley has cured it ..(so far).

There again a few inadvertent drops on the driving belt may have inadvertently done the job

The belt is tight,but I always wonder if it is too tight :wonder:

I believe a worn belt, not necessarily loose, can be noisy,but a squirt of oil is easier and cheaper

But maybe its too tight :wonder:

Maybe too heavy on the waterpump bearing.

Worry,worry :S

Edited 8 December, 201015 yr by iansmith

Not a Felicia - but related to the topic - my MX5 had this problem, and a mate gave it a squirt of a can of liquid (sorry I can't remember what it was now!) onto the belts which stopped it from happenning. It can be caused by the belts getting too hard (and maybe old!)

Check the condition of the belt. Is there any play in the belt? Maximum amount of movement should be about 1cm from memory! Are there any cracks / signs of wear on the belt that could be causing the noise? I know on my MX5 that I need to change them, but thats a job for the sping!

forgot to say that i replaced the belt, made no difference! I shall try the squirty oil on the pulley.

the squeal is always coming from bearings. the most exposed to weather is the alternator one.

The squeal isn't the bearings, it's usually the belt slipping on the pulleys. Sometimes they are so polished that a new belt makes no odds, I've had a couple that needed the shine taken off the pulley to stop them squealing.

The squeal isn't the bearings, it's usually the belt slipping on the pulleys. Sometimes they are so polished that a new belt makes no odds, I've had a couple that needed the shine taken off the pulley to stop them squealing.

Thank you for the information.

Use a wire brush ?

Mine is still quiet..

SSHH :wonder:

Edited 9 December, 201015 yr by iansmith

I did it with a file, just randomly, not too deep and just taking the shine off.

Not a Felicia - but related to the topic - my MX5 had this problem, and a mate gave it a squirt of a can of liquid (sorry I can't remember what it was now!) onto the belts which stopped it from happenning. It can be caused by the belts getting too hard (and maybe old!)

Check the condition of the belt. Is there any play in the belt? Maximum amount of movement should be about 1cm from memory! Are there any cracks / signs of wear on the belt that could be causing the noise? I know on my MX5 that I need to change them, but thats a job for the sping!

My MX-5 suffers the same, belts are all tensioned correctly and in good condition, a good squirt of "Prestone Belt Conditioner" later, no squeaks or squeals and the belts all look black, clean and healthy. It's a bit of a miracle spray but on my Mazda it really does work.

a good quality well tensioned belt should not slip till mirror face the pulleys in the first place, unless there was (or still is) an extra counter-torque due to heavy friction on rotating parts.