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Squeaky Fan Belt - Autos - Nairaland

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Squeaky Fan Belt by pannyman(m): 9:04am On Feb 16, 2010
Of late I have noticed that the fan belt of my 99 Camry makes a squeaky noise after start-up after the car has been parked for a hours or overnight. This noise lasts for a few minutes while I drive before it stops.

I have inspected the fan belt and it it still appears quite strong. Peeps, what can I do to make this squeaking go away?
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by KunleA2(m): 9:06am On Feb 16, 2010
it might be a little lose than it supposed to be.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Nobody: 9:01pm On May 22, 2010
It could also be worn. The Toyota Camry has an automatic tensioner (spring-loaded) so virtually impossible to over-tension the belt.

Replace it, and all should be well.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 9:46pm On May 22, 2010
@Poster
It might be time to start thinking of a new cam pulley - Its always the last they would actually check/test BUT those bearings are not to be trusted.

YOu can start by changing the belt; but be cautious, by the time you change the belt and it still squeaks, they tell you its not the original belt and you end up buying like 5 of them before they eventually tell you its the Cam pulley.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Nobody: 10:18pm On May 22, 2010
Onwan:

@Poster
It might be time to start thinking of a new cam pulley - Its always the last they would actually check/test BUT those bearings are not to be trusted.

YOu can start by changing the belt; but be cautious, by the time you change the belt and it still squeaks, they tell you its not the original belt and you end up buying like 5 of them before they eventually tell you its the Cam pulley.

Onwan, you're getting things confused here - the squeaking's coming from the serpentine belt (external) not the timing belt (internal).

Besides, the Toyota Camry doesn't have a timing belt - the camshaft is chain-driven, so the camshaft will have a cam sprocket. 
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Nobody: 10:28pm On May 22, 2010
My mistake - the 4-cylinder Camry engine is belt-driven, but still, the squeaking the original poster's referring to is from the serpentine belt, which is a regular ribbed belt, so can slip if worn.

The timing belt is a toothed belt, and can't slip, even when worn, same applies to the camshaft wheel. If it wears enough to slip (unlikely) the engine will stop running, as the valve timing will be out of sync with the crankshaft, after about 4 revolutions.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 10:52pm On May 22, 2010
@Siena
You've given your suggestion, just like I have given mine - They both are meant to help him out - So you need to understand its not about you, or me BUT about a solution he needs.

Im telling him this from my experience - I bought so many belts (in search of the "original"wink only to find the rubber pad that is meant to be in the cam pulley on the engine floor cover in bits - this made the belt shift backwards; it was never the belt BUT the cam pulley. There are a bunch of pullies in there, Ive noticed that a tokumbo 2003 Vehicle can come with a worn cam pulley - we are talking about a Camry 99 here.

IF a belt replacement doesnt work, Let him tell the mechanics check those pullies - Its easier that way (Im not sure how he wil explain anything more complicated to mechanics here)
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 11:03pm On May 22, 2010
By the way;

The "serpentine" belt is what we refer to as the fan belt here in Nigeria. And we know that once you have a timing cut on most vehicles, your engine stops and not squeak.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by viperman: 11:12pm On May 22, 2010
@Poster

change the belt. I had the same problem, and just got mine changed this afternoon and it's stopped.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 11:23pm On May 22, 2010
@Viperman

Thats the first step; the pulley is just in case that doesnt stop the noise. I sent you an email about your 04 Registered Infiniti - still expecting to hear from you.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Nobody: 8:31am On May 23, 2010
Onwan:

@Siena
You've given your suggestion, just like I have given mine - They both are meant to help him out - So you need to understand its not about you, or me BUT about a solution he needs.

Im telling him this from my experience - I bought so many belts (in search of the "original"wink only to find the rubber pad that is meant to be in the cam pulley on the engine floor cover in bits - this made the belt shift backwards; it was never the belt BUT the cam pulley. There are a bunch of pullies in there, Ive noticed that a tokumbo 2003 Vehicle can come with a worn cam pulley - we are talking about a Camry 99 here.

IF a belt replacement doesnt work, Let him tell the mechanics check those pullies - Its easier that way (Im not sure how he wil explain anything more complicated to mechanics here)

Onwan, relax. It's not about getting shirty, or trying to get one over on you. It's about getting facts right from the onset. A serpentine (fan) belt is not linked to the camshaft in any way. It's driven from the crank (bottom of engine) to whatever accessories need rotational motion - air can compressor, alternator, power steering pump and water pump. It is not linked to the cam pulley in any way, the camshaft has a sprocket internally, that is driven by the timing belt via the crankshaft (all internal).

I don't know what mechanics in Nigeria refer to as "cam pulley", but I'm just trying to get Nairaland car users know - it's wrong. The camshaft sprocket is not visible externally, and can not slip, as the timing belt is toothed! Unlike the regular external belts, that are ribbed. It's the external belts and pulleys that get worn, and noisy, that you replace. Not the timing belt, which can cause catastrophic destruction of the engine, if it snaps in service at high RPM, or if it's tampered with by someone who's unsure of how to set the valve timing.

To condense all I've written here, there is no such thing as a "cam pulley". This will only serve to confuse both end user, as well as the mechanic, who's being told to check the "cam pulley." If the mechanic's a qualified engineer, he / she'll have no idea what the car owner's talking about!
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Nobody: 8:38am On May 23, 2010
And to clarify something else here, Onwan, and also get my point across that you're referring to the "crank pulley", take a look at this:

Onwan:

Im telling him this from my experience - I bought so many belts (in search of the "original"wink only to find the rubber pad that is meant to be in the cam pulley on the engine floor cover in bits

This is the "crank pulley", not "cam pulley". The rubber bits are part of the vibration damper built into most modern car's crank pulleys, correctly referred to as a "harmonic balancer." It's sole purpose is to smoothen out pulses inherent in any internal combustion engine, be it petrol or diesel. These rubber blocks harden with age, become brittle, and eventually fall out of the pulley. The pulley is made up of two halves - inner and outer, seperated by the rubber. Once worn, the outer part can rotate independently of the inner, giving rise to the characteristic spueak.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Nobody: 8:43am On May 23, 2010
Here's a picture to further reinforce my claim. I'm not giving the original poster a suggestion, I'm stating fact. Note the two halves of the vibration damper (crankshaft pulley) inner and outer seperated by rubber, that eventually wears out, and causes both inner and outer parts to rotate independently. The rubber damper's just visible as a thin black circle:

Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 9:06am On May 23, 2010
If that fan belt change doesnt stop the squeaking, he should have the mechanic check those pullies there.

What you still are not getting is the fact that the mechanics refer to that pulley as the cam shaft pulley (but car-literate owners know that the camshaft pulley holds the timing belt - which has nothing to do with the sqeaking).

For further description; its the main pulley directly attached to the engine. Siena, its easier described and explained this way.

These are to be checked IF the belt change doesnt stop the squeaking.

There are lots of paper based theory that will only lead people running round circles here in Nigeria - for instance - go to Ladipo and ask for a 99 Camry ECU (I'm sure you will spend a week there without getting anything, BUT mention brainbox and you have your ticket right there!)

1 Like

Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Nobody: 9:14am On May 23, 2010
So, we're on track - the main pulley directly attached to the engine is the crankshaft pulley.

I know Nigerian mechanics have odd names, often incorrect for different components. But isn't it high time we moved on, and educated them, as well as car users a little more? Rather than use their incorrect terms ourselves?

I really need to come to Nigeria, and hopefully make some positive changes in the automotive industry.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 9:20am On May 23, 2010
The car owners have better chances on this than the mechanics. Im thinking how many mechanics have access to the repair manuals (even us owners, how many?), also how many of them even have that time to improve on their knowledge.

There are autocenters will very good equipment on ground and they try to get folks from Coscharis, Briscoe, etc to train their employees BUT after a while it all still comes down to them outrsourcing repairs to the "road side" guys. Cost of repairs is very important to the customers - even overseas, its an issue.

So, its better to buy intelligent vehicles AND to join online clubs or forum for owners of such vehicles, that way we can learn from our experiences and those of other owners.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by viperman: 10:04am On May 23, 2010
Siena:

So, we're on track - the main pulley directly attached to the engine is the crankshaft pulley.

I know Nigerian mechanics have odd names, often incorrect for different components. But isn't it high time we moved on, and educated them, as well as car users a little more? Rather than use their incorrect terms ourselves?

I really need to come to Nigeria, and hopefully make some positive changes in the automotive industry.


Shebi i've told you that before u no gree, UK breeze dey sweet u for body tongue
Come lets collabo , i sell, i repair and train, win-win. cool
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Nobody: 10:25am On May 23, 2010
^^^ LMAO! grin
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 11:58am On May 23, 2010
@Viperman, Siena
Remember that working in an auto center is one thing, owning one is another BUT the most important is to be competitive in terms of costs. You will have to deal with the "road side" who get it done for way less and wont hand you a N100,000 job card to change the alternator in a Range Rover cheesy

But generally for users, I feel IF one buys a model, one should invest money and time on materials and tips on that vehicle. Its basically a DIY world now - Nigeria is catching on gradually. I wish someone will start selling repair manuals and complete tool sets; so your mechanic only does what you want him to do with your supervision - It works wonders.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Kafin(m): 2:06pm On May 23, 2010
I won’t start looking for solutions based on a "customer's observation" of "squeaky noise after start-up" because there are so many things that can result in this. The belt, the tensioner (which I believe is what Onwan is calling “Cam Pulley"wink, the bearings (in the alternator, water pump, AC compressor or other accessories that the belt may be driving), even something totally different. The crankshaft pulley normally doesn’t have any rubber on it (not sure if the one used in 1999 Camry has some), so might not be what Onwan was referring to. Moreover it is a lot stronger than other accessories that the belt may be driving. Issues with its bearing will cause a misalignment that will be throwing off the belt.

With so many recommendations to change stuff, I will like to ask what happened to simple diagnostics? If OP can't/won’t be able to follow the instructions, then he should not be asking. A problem that I have noticed with questions on Nairaland Auto is that the OP will not come back to give a feedback. Anyway, I have some time so check the following:

If you can fabricate a stethoscope, simply touching all the components will confirm where the noise is coming from. (If you must ask, then I will say dont bother)

You already said that the fan belt looks OK, so I will assume you know what you are talking about, you may also need to compare the length of a new belt with the one you have. Second to this is the tensioner, which can also loose abilities and become slack. A belt tension test will conform the state of the tensioner, but I won’t spend anytime on this (not even the simple ruler deflection test), let your mechanic do it. Based on the result you get, you may follow up with a check of the alternator/water-pump, AC compressor bearings. Having said all these, I don’t believe that the problem will be here, because the net effect of a problem here will be a loose belt, and this will result in a constant (or at best intermittent) squeaky sound, not one that goes away after a few minutes.

My suspicion lies with the condition of your engine coolant. If it is rusted/not-clean, quickly go and do a flush (else you are some months away from a water-pump failure). Also check the water-pump to verify that it has not been damaged (depending on how long you have been having the squeaky sound). While on this, you may want to use a coolant tester to verify that your coolant is still strong (even if it is not rusted).

I personally don’t change parts unless I have a reason. While changing parts, one might touch the faulty component, and it appears that the issue is resolved, only to resurface after some weeks.

@ Onwan, You have answered so many questions that it is time you consider opening your shop. If you don’t open one by December, we will have to open one for you grin cheesy.
There are autocenters will very good equipment on ground and they try to get folks from Coscharis, Briscoe, etc to train their employees BUT after a while it all still comes down to them outrsourcing repairs to the "road side" guys. Cost of repairs is very important to the customers - even overseas, its an issue.

I have been trying in my little ways to get information about the current state of “standard auto service centers” in Nigeria, but haven’t gotten any reliable information. If you don’t mind, I will like to get intouch with you for some discussions along this line. My email address is kafinkata@yahoo.com


@Siena, How now? We no hear from you after your trip. It has been so long you fit don forget say you even travelled, anyway stay blessed.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 2:26pm On May 23, 2010
@Kafin
That misalignment happens a lot in vehicles and one should not think any of those bearings are "strong", they are just parts and can wear at any point in time - depending on the engine's running condition which can be caused by a separate engine part entirely.

Like I said, the guy should start by changing the belt and see how it works BUT if the squeaking continues, he should have those bearings checked - they feel sturdy and strong while still attached to the engine BUT on removal, you can see the gap.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 2:38pm On May 23, 2010
@Kafin
About the "Standard" Autocenters - when you train people for instance, they become more expensive to retain and you will need more customers to be able to pay them OR increase your repair/diagnostic costs - which will make your business tank eventually. If you are able to have a retainer for instance; A driver will collect the standard service cost from the company he drives for and one of your boys will privately do the servicing for him and "arrange" your receipt for him - there are checks to avoid this BUT they cost extra staff/professionals which means extra overhead and extra cost.

You might do better by importing[b] Auto Repair and Service manuals for common high-end vehicles [/b]- Imagine IF you are driving on that Falomo bridge hold-up and someone waves the repair/service manual of your car for 10k (I'll buy it personally - because its the difference between spending 5k on steps to troubleshoot/solve the problem AND paying 40k for "scan and trial/errors)

You can also run the advert for a few in the tech section of one of those papers and get orders too.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Fhemmmy: 2:50pm On May 23, 2010
This is why i love NL, the wealth of knowledge is incredible . . . . . . .great job guys.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Kafin(m): 2:55pm On May 23, 2010
OP is most likely not having issues with misalignment else he will be talking about belt flying off. That just came up while talking about crankshaft pulley. Like you said earlier, we all have our opinions. I just don’t like changing parts unless I have to.

You mentioned some issues that entrepreneurs who ventured into standard autoservice centers are experiencing in Nigeria. I will love to discuss this further, please email me at kafinkata@yahoo.com

***Saw your new post, and added the following.***

I am still reading over what you said about autocenter operations. Only three lines, but got so much information!!

Selling the tech manuals for 10K ($66) is definitely a good idea. I am sure that you will buy, but YOU are not the typical Nigerian driver. Business comes from volumes. I think we really need to talk. I opened a thread for auto service partner some days ago, but no response yet. Even if you are not available/interested, you can be a business advisor.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 4:02pm On May 23, 2010
Kafin:

OP is most likely not having issues with misalignment else he will be talking about belt flying off. That just came up while talking about crankshaft pulley. Like you said earlier, we all have our opinions. I just don’t like changing parts unless I have to.

You mentioned some issues that entrepreneurs who ventured into standard autoservice centers are experiencing in Nigeria. I will love to discuss this further, please email me at kafinkata@yahoo.com

***Saw your new post, and added the following.***

I am still reading over what you said about autocenter operations. Only three lines, but got so much information!!

Selling the tech manuals for 10K ($66) is definitely a good idea. I am sure that you will buy, but YOU are not the typical Nigerian driver. Business comes from volumes. I think we really need to talk. I opened a thread for auto service partner some days ago, but no response yet. Even if you are not available/interested, you can be a business advisor.

Personally, I do not beleive in business coming from volume, I beleive it comes from Relevance of the service you provide AND possibility of other services that can be added through it (service expansion); One good provisioning on your service CV and you can talk to others. Like I said, its my view - my very practical view.
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by pannyman(m): 9:46pm On May 24, 2010
Thanks guys for your responses. Quite a pleasant surprise that Siena made a contribution 3 months after my initial post and revived the thread. The noise persists and the clueless mechanic just waved off the noise as no problem. I am still left with the occasional squeak, too scared to let any mechanic fiddle with car and cause serious damage,
Re: Squeaky Fan Belt by Onwan: 1:17am On May 25, 2010
@OP

IF the sound continues, you simply risk a major damage IF you dont go to the next step and have those pullies removed and checked. Typically, the engine fan plus the belt can pull off in motion and cause damages to the following;

1. Radiator
2. Alternator
3. The engine itself

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