Screechin’ Annoyance
Like all auto’s there comes a time when you will get to hear a squeal that is not only annoying but quite alarming for the inexperienced. If it isn’t from the brakes, then it most probably is from the several belts that are in the engine compartment that may have managed to come loose. Don’t get alarmed for this is normal due to the heat and thermal expansion where metals expand as they heat up, the bolt and mounts may have been made of different metals and they have a tendency of loosening up at different rates. First thing to do is to pop the hood and take a look as the car is running on idle, no sound? Turn the A/C on and then listen again if it recurs. There are most often than not, three fan belts in a car engine (not so for American and European Cars for they tend to have one very long belt which connects everything else to the engine), one for the A/C, another for the Alternator and one for the Power Steering. All may have adjusters as they call that you can adjust to either loosen or tighten the squealing belt.
Let the engine cool if you spot one that is loose and loosen the mounting bolt as well as the pulley if there is one, tighten the adjuster first then the pulley bolt then the mounting bracket bolts to finish up. Start the engine and listen if the sound is still there, if indeed it is then there might be a bearing in one of the pulleys(even the alternator and AC compressor have bearing inside of them) may be signaling imminent failure so take it in for replacement. Your car has belts to transmit power from the engine to the other vital systems of the vehicle which are designed to fail or break without endangering the engine itself which would understandably be more expensive to replace than a sub-system such as the A/C, Steering or Alternator. Get your car checked up by a professional regularly so you avoid such instances for they can be easily seen by mechanics and service personnel. Drive Safe and Buckle Up…. Hands off that MOBILE.
