2.7 TDV6 Morning Squeal

[101RRS]

My 2.7 RRS has a squeal on start on cold mornings. Only lasts for about 5 secs on start.

It is obviously coming from the auxiliary serpentine belt system - belt and alternator is 60,000km old but water pump, compressor, power steering, pulleys and tensioner are 225,000km.

Because the squeal is only when cold and only for a few seconds it is hard to diagnose so I will replace the belt, pulleys and tensioner but I am interested in from others experience what can normally go first. Just hope it is not the water pump or power steering pump - is not the compressor as the noise still occurs with it turned off.

Thanks

Garry

[PerthDisco]

Could be something leaking on the belt which it burns off on startup. Start with that. Probably coolant from above somewhere.

When I do a CT 18 job to clean the engine it will do the same for a while because the belt slips momentarily.

If the tensioner is strong and the belt not physically damaged it has to be something like this

[101RRS]

Thanks - this morning no squeal on start despite it being below 0c, yet I could hear it for a few seconds while driving. Difficult for me to work out what it is as there is just me, and even with the bonnet open, after I start the car the squeal stops before I can get around to the front and listen.

Garry

[101RRS]

The squeal has slowly been getting worse but I have not been able to locate it - so was going to replace the serpentine belt and the rest such as tensioners etc.

However today when I placed steering on full lock either left or right it became really loud - I assume at lock the load from the power steering is at its maximum and is now causing the belt to slip when under load. A/C kicking in does not make it squeal.

I think I will just go for the belt at first and see if it is just that. Do you need to remove the fan to just replace the belt or will it fit over - I do seem to remember removing the fan when I replaced the alternator.

I have gotta drive down to the coast tomorrow so as there is always there is a chance it could be a tensioner or pulley I am not going to take the RRS but go in the V12 Jag and suffer gulping down 98 octane at the rate of 14mpg [bigsad]. It is nice to drive though.

Garry

[Tombie]

Belt and idlers. Do the lot

[101RRS]

With an impending death in the family I have had to travel back and forth from Canberra to Wollongong a few times and because of this issue I have had to use my 48 yo Jag - just not prepared to risk driving the RRS.

On the way over to buy a aux belt kit, the battery light came on but no other fault indications - power steering etc was still working so not a belt coming off.

The business did not have a belt kit afterall so when I went to come back home the car no start due to low battery. As I needed to get back home urgently I just bought bought a new battery and put it in - the old one still looks OK so I will use it for something else.

Again, with the fresh battery the battery light was still on but no codes - but the belt was no longer squealing.

I got back home OK and pulled the covers off the front of the engine bay and with the engine running nothing was obvious except you could see where the belt had been slipping on the alternator pulley.

Voltage in the system with engine off was 12.4v and when started dropped to 12.1 v so no charge from alternator - normally I would get 14.3v on start and drop to 13.5v when running. Last time I had a alt failure I got every christmas light you could imagine and other weird things going on - this time no faults at all other than the charging light on. Is this normal - I would have expected dash fault indications with a failed alternator.

My guess is that the alternator has had a failing bearing making it hard to turn and causing the belt to slip. Then this morning, something has given and taken out the electrical side of the alternator but released the resistance in turning the alternator hence no squeal now.

I have checked the 5a fuse in the engine fuse box and it is OK - any other fuses/relays I need to check.

I would normal get my alternator from Ashdowns but they have shut down locally so will have to try elsewhere.

Garry

[4bee]

With an impending death in the family I have had to travel back and forth from Canberra to Wollongong a few times and because of this issue I have had to use my 48 yo Jag - just not prepared to risk driving the RRS.

On the way over to buy a aux belt kit, the battery light came on but no other fault indications - power steering etc was still working so not a belt coming off.

The business did not have a belt kit afterall so when I went to come back home the car no start due to low battery. As I needed to get back home urgently I just bought bought a new battery and put it in - the old one still looks OK so I will use it for something else.

Again, with the fresh battery the battery light was still on but no codes - but the belt was no longer squealing.

I got back home OK and pulled the covers off the front of the engine bay and with the engine running nothing was obvious except you could see where the belt had been slipping on the alternator pulley.

Voltage in the system with engine off was 12.4v and when started dropped to 12.1 v so no charge from alternator - normally I would get 14.3v on start and drop to 13.5v when running. Last time I had a alt failure I got every christmas light you could imagine and other weird things going on - this time no faults at all other than the charging light on. Is this normal - I would have expected dash fault indications with a failed alternator.

My guess is that the alternator has had a failing bearing making it hard to turn and causing the belt to slip. Then this morning, something has given and taken out the electrical side of the alternator but released the resistance in turning the alternator hence no squeal now.

I have checked the 5a fuse in the engine fuse box and it is OK - any other fuses/relays I need to check.

I would normal get my alternator from Ashdowns but they have shut down locally so will have to try elsewhere.

Garry

FWIW. Try reversing the Serpentine belt for your noise. It may give you another story before spending more valuable dosh.

Good luck.