Driving with a squealing belt is possible, but are you ready to survive the irritating noise? Belts play a vital role in rotating many of the engine components like water pumps, etc. However, this turns out to be annoying when the pulleys and belts are worn out or slips. This makes them produce squealing noises when the engine starts.
This report will provide you with more information on whether it’s advisable to drive with a squealing belt or not. If someone moves around with such straps, they are at the risk of getting involved in road accidents? Everything you might need to know about squealing belts is in this article.
When does a squealing belt occur?
Moving around with a noisy engine is irritating, especially while driving on the highway. As the car owner, you may withstand it, but will the passengers or the car’s indwellers survive the hefty noise? These are only but a few reasons why you are not advised to drive with squealing belts.
You wake up early in the morning, and when you pre-start your vehicle, you start hearing the engine squeaks. Yet, you have not started the journey; when you step on the gas, the belts increase the noise level. It’s disgusting, and I am sure you can’t withstand it, and repair is the best solution before kicking off the journey.
Additionally, you will experience such an issue with your vehicle when marking a U-turn; the squealing becomes louder. People will start staring at you if you reach this extent; know you’re disturbing many people on the road. What about when you get stuck in traffic congestions; you will get pissed off feeling annoyed. You might even quit the race and park aside to diagnose the problem.
Why is my engine squealing?
Even though there are multiple causes of engine squeaks, one of the primary reasons is the faulty serpentine belt. This belt is also popularly known as the drive belt, playing a significant role in your car engine. The serpentine belt is in charge of driving several engine accessories like the steering pump and alternator.
Therefore, once the serpentine belt is worn out, these accessories will automatically start to misbehave. No driver will want even to imagine that they can have a squealing engine. A telltale symptom is that the noise comes from the car engine, grows louder and becomes persistent.
More so, belt squeaking can also be associated with accelerating actions, making a U-turn, and startup. The noise becomes louder and sounds like a loud chirp, squeak, or squeal. When the car squeals on braking, then automatically, the braking system is the problem.
We will ensure you understand some other issues that might make your belt squeak. These problems are there and don’t think that you are the first fellow to experience your vehicle. Let’s explore more about driving with a squealing belt.
When to replace a squealing belt
It is hard to miss a lousy belt; you will realize the high-pitched squeak persist when you start the engine. The situation worsens when you step on the gas. However, sometimes this problem happens during humid or rainy days; there will be a greater squealing frequency.
Unfortunately, a faulty belt will never turn to trigger the check engine light signal. What you only have to do is to be careful and observant. Watch out for potential symptoms and signs and diagnose for the possible permanent solution.
Other parameters can tell when the ripe time to replace your car’s squealing belt is apart from the high-pitched noise. Some of these other noticeable symptoms and signs include;
- Battery light
The serpentine belt is also essential in operating the alternator that is responsible for charging your battery. Therefore, if the belt is faulty, you will start seeing the low battery light on your vehicle’s dashboard. The battery dies sooner than expected when the serpentine belt is worn out.
Sometimes you will get stuck due to a dead battery. You reach your destination, park the car, but when you plan to kick off the journey again, the engine refuses to start. It’s hectic; calling a mechanic with another battery with power to jump-starts yours. Or you will wait and “hijack” another vehicle to get some help?
Don’t reach there; get the problem fixed immediately once spotted.
- Difficult steering
As mentioned above, belts like serpentine help drive the power steering pump. That’s what modern manufacturers are trying to equip their vehicles with. If you experience a more pronounced squealing when turning, especially when making a U-turn, fault belt is the main issue.
For your information, once the belt fails, you are likely to lose steering power, making it hard for you to rotate the wheel. This problem mostly happens when you are at high speeds, and if not careful, you may end up causing an accident.
- Overheating
Overheating is another noticeable issue that you will start to experience with your vehicle once the serpentine belt is terrible. Serpentine belts are also essential in powering the water pump, responsible for cooling the engine. Making unnecessary stopovers due to overheating should not be your portion.
If you experience overheating the engine, belts might be failing; the vehicle will be straining to move and operate some other valuable accessories. If you don’t know precisely where the problem is with your overheating vehicle, don’t hesitate to seek the help of an experienced mechanic.
- AC problems
The AC system of your car depends on the serpentine belt to operate smoothly. Therefore, when turning the AC on, you might realize chirp starts. The noise then gets louder when you accelerate the AC on. You won’t go for long distances with such annoying engine sounds.
It’s advisable to set a repair day, visit your favourite or nearest automotive shop, and have the squealing issue fixed. Delaying the repair will only worsen the situation.
Typical serpentine belt issues
Modern cars feature durable and strong serpentine belts with an excellent lifespan ranging from 60000 to 100000 miles. They only require little maintenance. After some time, wear and tear can affect the pulleys and belts, resulting in high-pitched chirping noise immediately when you start the engine. Some of the standard serpentine belt issues include:
- Faulty belt pulleys
The belt is driven along by different pulleys. A faulty pulley can therefore lead to misalignment or slippage. However, if you have subjected your vehicle to regular maintenance, this issue can be detected early.
- Cracked/worn serpentine belt
These belts feature grooves that comfortably fit into the pulley grooves. After some time, the friction will consume these grooves, leading to a loose fit. The worn belt will then start to slip, producing high-pitched squeals. On the other hand, the crack might be another cause of hearing squeaks from your belts.
- Improper tension
Sometimes, a belt that is either too high or too loose or misaligned may make the belt slip off. This will eventually result in squealing noises.
If the squealing doesn’t go away after warm-up, then weather changes can be the problem. In cold temperatures, a serpentine belt will squeal. The reason behind this statement is that the belt is brittle and stiff. Even though the squealing will stop, don’t hesitate to go for repair or replacement sooner.
Try to observe how the vehicle behaves on warmer and colder days. If the belt squeaks on colder days, then the problem is weather-related.
Dangers of driving with a squealing belt
When any of these belts are wrong, the car may become inoperable, requiring a costly tow. Adding such a cost to the overall repair is too much. Besides, heavy steering could lead to pressure loss, risking your life on the roads. Struggling with such steering will land you in critical accidents.
Frequently asked questions:
- How much can I pay for serpentine belt replacement?
Replacing this belt is relatively low when it comes to engine accessories. Accessing the straps is also straightforward making the replacement easy. You will not pay more money on labour because it’s easy to access the parts. Besides, buying a new serpentine belt isn’t expensive as it ranges from $30 to $80.
Generally, the cost of replacing a squealing belt varies based on the model of the car.
- How long can serpentine belts last?
Modern vehicles come with solid and durable serpentine belts with excellent lifespan, ranging from 60000 to 100000 miles. However, experts recommend going for a replacement after either 50000 or 60000 miles. That’s when you will be on the safer side.
- What should I do with a squealing noise?
There’s no other way than to drive to the nearest automotive shop. Have the car diagnosed for possible causes and fixed before you continue with your journey.
Final words
It’s recommended to have a squealing belt immediately replaced after spotting the symptoms and signs. Although you may be free to drive with a squealing belt, the issue will be worsening over time. You can only go for a few weeks or days; replacement is necessary; the earlier, the better.