Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

will_95gt · Nov 28, 2007

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 i might take a shorter one later)

Thanks!

-Will

WHITE94COBRA · Nov 28, 2007

I would not be looking at the belt, the idler pulley sometimes squeels after time, also the smog pump will squeel when it starts to go bad, and will go away when it warms up.

will_95gt · Nov 28, 2007

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?

WHITE94COBRA · Nov 28, 2007

I sprayed a little WD40 on one then the other. Thats the easiest way. My money is the smog pump, it sounds like hell until it's warm. Mine has been like that for about 6 months now.

HISSIN50 · Nov 28, 2007

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.

Good luck.

squeak93 · Nov 29, 2007

Whew....... Thought someone was calling me out (see username )

But I would bet on an idler pulley or other pulley. The belt usually will squeak the whole time or under hard pulls.

JJ95GTID · Nov 29, 2007

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.

will_95gt · Nov 29, 2007

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.

will_95gt · Nov 29, 2007

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

drakesdad · Nov 29, 2007

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.

Good luck.

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...

mustang_cab · Nov 30, 2007

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!

will_95gt · Nov 30, 2007

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

HISSIN50 · Nov 30, 2007

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

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.

will_95gt · Dec 1, 2007

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

WHITE94COBRA · Dec 1, 2007

You can bypass it with a shorter belt, however it is not that hard to replace. As for cost, they run about $100, and take about 20 - 30 minutes to replace (if you have a lift available).

will_95gt · Dec 1, 2007

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?

Thanks,

-Will

fkurls1 · Dec 1, 2007

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!!!

HISSIN50 · Dec 1, 2007

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:

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.

WHITE94COBRA · Dec 1, 2007

I can get a rebuilt one for $100, I wouldnt go the used route on this one.

will_95gt · Dec 4, 2007

OK guys, thanks for all the help!

I'm sure i'll holler back at ya when i've made a move at this thing.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

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