fan belt squeal?

busiscoming2

Hi

I have a daewoo Matiz, today when I took it out after I had been driving for about 5 mins there was a very loud squeal from the engine, this stopped and then happenened again for a couple more short periods (5-10 secs) could this be anything to do with the fan belt? Hubby will have a look tonight but I'm just a bit worried about driving it, I don't want it to go bang on me! Can anyone offer any advice please?

TiTheRev

The belt is slipping. It needs replacing otherwise the alternator wont charge properly. You can get belt spray to help it grip (or even washing up liquid helps), but essentially it needs a new belt.

It's nothing drastic, just make sure it's done in the next couple of weeks.

busiscoming2

Thank you so much - was having a bit of a flap!

kaya

washing up liquid? a slippery substance to aid grip? thats a new one on me, you could just tighten it.

Hintza

Possibly is loose and a tighten will sort it out. Check the tension on the longest stretch, should move about half an inch anymore and it's a bit loose.

You will probably be fine in the short term but chreck it out over the weekend and get a new one if required.

peter_the_piper

Had this on our diesel corsa short while ago,changed belts and it turned out to be the water pump seal gone kna***ring the bearings and making them stiff, so might be worth checking everything runs freely.

TiTheRev

kaya wrote: »

washing up liquid? a slippery substance to aid grip? thats a new one on me, you could just tighten it.

The washing up liquid goes tacky once it's dried out...insider handy hint for the day

If the belt has gone shiny because it's been slipping or just old, tightening wont help.

goldspanners

at worst it will need a new belt, they are only a few quid not to expensive.

if its needing adjusting then thats great, about half a twist of the belt should is a good way to judge tension.

big_gay_kirk

possibly preaching to the converted.. but check which belt it is.. if you only have one.. fine.. but some cars have one driving the alternator, one driving the water pump, and yet another driving the power steering... also remember a new belt can start slipping after its bedded itself in, and will need retensioning.. plus, for owners of some fords.. if it only does it firts thing in the morning when its a bit damp, or when the car's been standing for more than 24 hours, it might just be the damp... so be especially careful if you suspect the water pump belt, as tightening it in these conditions can lead to the impeller coming off its bearings..

anewman

Learnt on another forum that a good use for old fan belts is to use them with wire rope grips to replace broken exhaust hangers.

oldagetraveller

TiTheRev wrote: »

The washing up liquid goes tacky once it's dried out...insider handy hint for the day

If the belt has gone shiny because it's been slipping or just old, tightening wont help.

Outsider tip of the day:p - sprinkle a bit of granulated sugar on it as a temporary measure, this worked long before the advent of w/u liquid. The sugar melts and forms a sticky coating. This was used for slipping belts on line shafts until the belt could be renewed.