Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

will_95gt

will_95gt

Member
Jul 27, 2004
298
1
16
Austin, TX
#1
Hey,

Ok, with the winter season comes a little more cold weather--its about 40 degrees in the morning and my car is having trouble waking up to that cold weather (don't we all).

When I start 'er up in the morning there is a terribly ugly squeaky sound thats coming from under the hood. The squeaking continues as I start driving to school/work the squeaking usually stops by the time I get to my destination.

So, basically, (because the car heats up?) the squeak stops after a few minutes or so of driving... Now i'm wondering, would this be the belt that is squeaking? That might make sense because I know rubber expands/contracts in the cold which could make for a sqeaky/non-squeaky ride.

Oh, also the pitch of the squeak usually gets higher when I revv up the engine and if I get her above 3 or 4 grand the squeak can sometimes stops for up to 20 seconds or so...

But anyways, I suppose my question is this:

How could I check to see if the belt indeed is the culprit of the squeaks?

P.S. I did pop the hood but can't really tell with certainty if it is the belt or possibly a pulley or something of the like. (I took a vid but its too large to upload :bang: i might take a shorter one later)

Thanks!

-Will
 
#3
The smog pump or the idler pulley, eh? btw "squeel" is a much better description, thank you.

Ok, so If its one of those, how can I be certain? Are there ways of checking these things to see if they are the cause, and also how much are we looking at, cost wise, for them to be fixed?
 
#5
I actually liked the belt hypothesis. WHen the belt is cold, glazed or a a pulley is a little out of alignment, they like to scream.

If it's from an accessory or idler, you can hear it with a mechanic's stethoscope (be careful of moving engine parts).

As an aside, I recently found a solution to constipation. Accidentally touch the stethoscope to a leaky plug wire. You'll crap your pants. :D

Good luck.
 
#7
to cure the belt squeak:

PROCEDE ONLY IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WORKING AROUND RUNNING ENGINE

1. lift hood and start engine and let idle
2. put a dab of dish soap on your finger or small rag or folded paper towel
3. very carefully lightly apply to one side of serpetine belt and then the other (don't loose your finger in the belt and pulleys)

I CLAIM NO LIABILITY IF YOU HURT YOURSELF

This has worked on every vehicle I have owned and I have lived in many very cold areas where the squealing belt is common.

You could also do this with the engine not running but you don't get full coverage on the belt as easily.
 
#8
Hmmm... well in my experience HISSIN50 is almost always right, haha. But anyways, I suppose I'll peek under the hood one more time and see if anything looks out of alignment and if I can't find any obvious problems I might go pick up a mechanics stethoscope.

I'll be sure to let you guys know about my results.

Thanks for the feedback!

-Will

EDIT: JJ95, if nothing works I might try the dish soap idea as a temp. fix. Thanks for the advice.
 
#9
Ok, I checked for any noticeable signs of wear or misalignment on the belt itself and didn't find anything peculiar. I'm off to go grab a stethoscope (ten bucks at Oreilly's)

I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning when its cold to check it again but until then heres a pick of the belt--just incase you guys see anything that I might have missed:

http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/will4fang/?action=view&current=DSCN1293.jpg


http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/will4fang/?action=view&current=DSCN1292.jpg

angle shot:

http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/will4fang/?action=view&current=DSCN1293.jpg
 
#10
HISSIN50 said:
I actually liked the belt hypothesis. WHen the belt is cold, glazed or a a pulley is a little out of alignment, they like to scream.

If it's from an accessory or idler, you can hear it with a mechanic's stethoscope (be careful of moving engine parts).

As an aside, I recently found a solution to constipation. Accidentally touch the stethoscope to a leaky plug wire. You'll crap your pants. :D

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I havn't had this with the stang but every winter the Jeep would do it when cold weather hit....neighbors hated me warming it up....after 10 minutes or so it quit...
 
#11
i know i know!!!!!

i had the same problem. i just fixed it last week! this is what i did!

i pulled the belt off and started the car to see if i still had a squeek.
no squeek. so i put on a shorter belt minus the smog pump and no more squeek when cold!
 
#12
First: you can start your car without the belt on?!

Second: Don't you need your smog pump to pass inspection?


P.S. What exactly does the smog pump do? Do all cars have them? I'm sort of under the impression that it takes some of the exhaust and recirculates it throughout your engine. I'm not really sure why it does that, if thats even what it does. Is it something that regulates performance of your car or is it something thats supposed to help save the ozone?

Thanks much,

-will
 
#13
will_95gt said:
First: you can start your car without the belt on?!

Second: Don't you need your smog pump to pass inspection?


P.S. What exactly does the smog pump do? Do all cars have them? I'm sort of under the impression that it takes some of the exhaust and recirculates it throughout your engine. I'm not really sure why it does that, if thats even what it does. Is it something that regulates performance of your car or is it something thats supposed to help save the ozone?

Thanks much,

-will
Click to expand...

You just dont want to run the car very long with no belt. You're not spinning the water pump, etc.

The A.I.R. pump introduces fresh air into the exhaust. It's done at the back of the heads and at the cats (where the air is diverted depends upon the conditions). The extra oxygen helps light the cats off faster and then promotes full catalyzation.

Now the EGR (a completely different system!) recirculates exhaust at cruise conditions. EGR relates to NOx emissions.
 
#14
Ahh, I see. So without the A.I.R. pump, your car would run the same but it wouldn't produce as environment friendly exhaust?

Ok, I whipped out the stethoscope yesterday morning and touched it to each pulley. The squeel noise seemed to come most prominently from the pump on the very bottom left under the air intake (this is the A.I.R. pump, right?). I can't tell for sure because it wasn't long until my engine warmed up and the squeal went away but from the little evidence I've found (stethoscope reading a little higher on that pulley than the others) is it evident enough to officially blame the A.I.R. pump?

Now, for my next step, is replacing an A.I.R. pump an expensive/extensive job? If I'm tight for cash would bypassing it be easier for now?

Thanks a lot for the help so far!

-Will
 
#16
Ok, i'm seeing prices for used smog pumps at around 100 bucks like you were saying. Would it be a heavy risk buying a used one? I'm not sure how often they go out.

Btw, are "smog pump" and "air pump" interchangeable? :shrug:

Thanks,

-Will
 
#17
double check the belt before you replace the air pump, in my younger days i made this mistake, grab a can of brake clean, and with the engine running and your noise prominent, spary the belt...if it goes away you just saved yourself some christmas money!!!
 
#18
The A.I.R./smog pump is akin to the vacuum pump used in airplanes. They dont like periods of non-use (one thing to watch if buying a used one).

You can try to open yours up if you want (have another on hand in case yours falls apart - a real possibility). The two noise-makers that I've seen in the pumps are: that the mainshaft bearings go south. Then the mainshaft seizes on the respective lobe. Or the leaf bushings for the vanes get worn and allows the vanes to hit the pump walls, making a whirring/shriek (because the vanes side-load against the walls and cant recede). You can also have a nice combo of both. When you lose a roller bearing on the mainshaft, you know it though (even cats will say WTF was that?)

Here's a quick pic of the inside of a pump in case you take yours apart:

94768.jpg


A fox pump worked in my case. I had to make one extension on the discharge plumbing (a short rubber hose and a 45* fitting). The fox discharge port is on the side and not the rear.

Good luck.
 
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