Get Rid of that Squeal from under the Hood

There are lots of noises that come with operating a vehicle, from the hum of the fuel pump to the whine of a supercharger. The whistle of the turbocharger or the quiet roar of the tires on the pavement they are all sounds we get accustom to. The one sound that is common that most of us cannot stand is a belt squeal. The noise is created either by the belt in the groves of the pulleys in which it rides. There are a few different causes can be associated with the source of the squeal. When the sound comes after a rain or driving through a large puddle it means that some of the water has reached the back of the belt and is causing slippage which is the source of the sound.

Belt squeals are caused by the belt not being tight enough and slipping on the pulley, when the rubber of the belt slides on the pulley it causes the sound. A huge concern on this is that the belt will wear faster and could snap leaving the drive of the vehicle stranded.

Belts become loose for a few reasons in a vehicle, one is that over time the belt has stretched due to tension. Another factor can be physical movement of the belt driven part itself, all belt drive accessories are bolted to the motor on sliders. If the bolts that hold these units become loose the belt tension will lower and slippage will occur.

Belt squeals can be fixed in a number of ways, a new belt can be installed and the problem will be solved though this can be expensive at times. The more popular solution is to just simply tighten the belt, this is a simple process of loosening the bolts that hold the accessory causing the sound and moving the unit till the belt is tight. Then secure the bolts and the sound should be stopped, it is important to not over tighten the belt as too much tension can cause the belt to snap. As with all car maintenance it is important that this be done properly by someone who knows that they are doing. With proper attention a car can last well into the half million mile marker without major issues. 

Why Should a Visual Inspection be done on your vehicle

Car and trucks are just like people when it comes to health issues. Failure of an alternator or the starter can be seen months in advance just like the signs of a serious illness in a person. Many times the signs for a car can be seen by just taking a close look or listen.  

The tires are the first area to inspect if the tread wear is different on each tire or if the wear is strange on a single tire there may be more of an issue then the wheel itself. A strange wear pattern on a tire can indicate a bad alignment, bent control arm, bad bushing or something even worse. These issues can all be detected with a simple visual inspection which can save hundreds or thousands of dollars.

There are other areas that can be visually inspected such as the brakes or the engine itself. The brakes will show signs if there are going to be future issues, these signs can be as simple as grooving on the discs or leaking from the caliper or lines. Proper brake care is important since they are what slow the 3000lbs piece of metal that we all get around in.

When inspecting the motor it is a good idea to look at all the belts and check for extreme cracks or areas of the motor where there is oil leakage. If a belt were to snap in a motor not only will the car have to be towed to a repair shop but if it were to be the timing belt that was to snap it may destroy the motor. Leaking from gaskets in the motor is a sure sign that some attention needs to be paid to that area. Leaking of oil or coolant will eventually lead to failure if not addressed and can be very costly to the owner of the car.

There are many systems in a car and knowing what to check for can be the best preventive maintenance. Fixing an issue before it happens will always save money and time plus avoiding the headache that will inevitably follow any serious automotive breakdown.