anyone ever heard a car start up and make a horrendous screeching sound? i used 2 hear it a lot on older domestic cars and trucks, but my damn integra is makin this sound now! please help me out, this noise is terrible and i have no idea whats causing it.

 

check your belts?

 

**** hurts to hear that.

 

Yep, check the belts and also the bearings on the pullies.

 

not to jack your thread but we put all 3 new belts on my bros 95ls and its making that screeching noise too...can that be caused from being to loose/tight?

 

when you say check the belts, what am i looking for? cracks?

 

check that the belts arent to loose

 

belts are too tight or the pulley is bad.

 

how do i know if the belts are too tight? is there some tool that measures this or do i go by feel?

 

If your screeching noise is at start up and goes away when you rev it, your alternator belt is slightly loose. If it is at any other time, it is one of the other 2 belts. There should only be about a 1/2" of deflection.

 

The belt is either too loose or one of you pulley's is going bad. I just had to fix a 93 accord w/the same problem today at work. We replaced the timing belt(cuz he was at 170,000) and the accessory belt cuz it was whining. If you want a quick fix you could always spray some wd40 on it, jk. Really don't do that.

 

ok for the most part this is occurring right when i start the car up, however once i heard it while the car was idling. should i still go by what Comp97GSR said and assume its the alternator belt? and the problem is its too loose not too tight is this correct? some people are saying too tight and some are saying too loose. i'm gettin confused. sorry if i sound like a dumbass, i jus never had this problem before.

 

It wouldn't be too tight. I would tighten the alternator belt. When you start the car, the alternator immediately kicks on and if the belt is loose, it will screech.

 

thanks Comp97GSR you've been really helpful. now how do i tighten this belt? is it fairly easy to do or do i have to take it to a shop?

 

How many miles do you have on your car, it sounds like it's time for a new belt. I would recommend you just replace it. It's relatively simple. You just loop it around all the pulleys just like the old one and then pull up on the tensioner pulley and slide it on, and voila, finito.

 

It is simple to do, but you need to remove the other belts to replace the alternator belt. If you elect to just tighten the belt, you must loosen the 14mm (maybe 12mm) bolt located on the top of the alt. If you have a 2ft pry bar, you can CAREFULLY use it to move the alt. back until it is tight. If you don't, you will need to loosen the pivot bolt under the alt. Hope this helps.

 

i think i'm gonna jus try and tighten the belt since it doesn't look too bad. it does however seem a bit looser then the other belts so i'm gonna try tighten it up tomorrow. i'll let you guys know how it goes.

 

...oh and btw, If you use a pry bar to move the alt., I highly recommend you remove the 100 amp fuse from the underhood fuse box. It is a dealer only item were I live and you could move the rubber boot that covers the constant 12v that runs to the alt., make contact and blow the fuse.

 

damn that doesn't sound too good. should i jus go with loosening the pivot bolt to make this a little more idiot proof? i'm jus a beginner at this mechanical stuff and don't wanna make a stupid mistake.

 

Yeah, but that pivot bolt is a BIATCH if you ask me. I have tried time and time again to bust mine loose and I can not.

 

damn thats friggin great. ok i guess i'm gonna try and pry it back then. this amp your saying to remove, its the only 100 amp fuse in that box?

 

Yes it is, and to be sure, it will be the BATTERY fuse. If you have an older Teg it could be a smaller amp fuse.

 

what if i jus disconnected the negative terminal of the battery? would this be just as safe?

 

does anyone kno? i suck at electrical systems...

 

I would disconnect the positive myself.