How to quiet or replace a squeaky belt | Autoblog Wrenched

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Squeaky belts can be seriously annoying and potentially dangerous. It's important to change them to keep your car up-to-date. Here's how.

Watch all of our Autoblog Wrenched videos for more tips on how to diagnose, fix, and modify cars from professional detailer Larry Kosilla. While you're at it, check out Larry's other car cleaning and maintenance video series Autoblog Details!

Materials Used:

• Long Ratchet

• Replacement Belt

• Water

Instructions (video transcript):

[00:00:00] Squeaky belts can be seriously annoying and, as I found out, what sounds like one issue may be a problem with multiple components. Here are the tools you'll need for this job. Long handled ratchet, water, and replacement belt. I'm Larry Kosilla, pro detailer, and trainer for last 15 years. But when it comes to what's under the hood, I'm the student. Follow me as experts teach me how to diagnose, fix, and modify cars on Autoblog's Wrenched. There's nothing more annoying to me than a squeaky belt

[00:00:30] and I hate driving around like that. Is there anything I can do to fix it? - Well, there's a few things that could be going on that you can diagnose. So, let's look inside and find out if it's a loose belt or component that needs to be changed. - [Larry Voiceover] You'll need to do some of this repair while the engine is running so be very careful to avoid the engine fan. Touching the fan can cause serious injury. Some fans run constantly but some turn on only when the car reaches a certain temperature so be careful. There are four main reasons for squeaking or a chirping noise from your engine.

[00:01:00] Start the car and try to locate the sound as there are a few things to keep in mind as you're looking and listening. The first thing to check is for an old or damaged belt that shows cracks or other signs of wear. Even if the belt needs to be replaced, the wear may be a symptom of another issue so here's what to look for. Number one is a misaligned pulley. This is when one pulley is not on the same plane as the others causing the belt to rub. If the noise gets quieter for a few seconds, misalignment could be the likely source of the issue.