Hissing sound from belts in my Avalon

adityapd · 25th September 2007, 23:46

Finally purchased my first car in the US of A last week and I am just too satisfied with it. This is a 2000 Toyota Avalon XLS which has done 80K miles and is the fully loaded version with moonroof, heated leather, trip computer, climate control, etc. It has a massive 220 bhp 3.0 L DOHC V6 under the hood. It is silky smooth and I love the way the it silently purrs while cruising on the highway and at the same time responds within a fraction of a sec upon pushing the gas to release tons of reserve power which it has in store shoving me back into the seat.

The only thing which bother me about this car is the hissing sound from the belt / pulley when I start the car early in the morning. I'm not sure but I think the sound disappears after sometime as the car warms up. I did show it to the Firestone guys and they examined the belts for cracks but couldn't find anything. Then they sprayed the belt with some lubricant spray which made eliminated the sound only to reppear after 2 days .

Have any of you guys come across something like this before ? Is replacing the belt, the only solution for this ?

As always, waiting for your inputs...

~A

gd1418 · 26th September 2007, 11:10

Congrats on your new acquisition. Avalon XLS is a great machine and with 268 BHP at 6200 RPM with a 6 speed AT, it is a demon of a car

.

As you say after the spray on the belts the hissing went off for a few days and reappeared, let me tell you that this hissing will change to a wailing screetch after some time.

It seems the belt (s) have hardened or not tightened properly. If there is a slack then also this happens.

It is better to get them changed at the earliest..

Quote:

Originally Posted by adityapd

Finally purchased my first car in the US of A last week and I am just too satisfied with it. This is a 2000 Toyota Avalon XLS which has done 80K miles and is the fully loaded version with moonroof, heated leather, trip computer, climate control, etc. It has a massive 220 bhp 3.0 L DOHC V6 under the hood. It is silky smooth and I love the way the it silently purrs while cruising on the highway and at the same time responds within a fraction of a sec upon pushing the gas to release tons of reserve power which it has in store shoving me back into the seat.

The only thing which bother me about this car is the hissing sound from the belt / pulley when I start the car early in the morning. I'm not sure but I think the sound disappears after sometime as the car warms up. I did show it to the Firestone guys and they examined the belts for cracks but couldn't find anything. Then they sprayed the belt with some lubricant spray which made eliminated the sound only to reppear after 2 days .

Have any of you guys come across something like this before ? Is replacing the belt, the only solution for this ?

As always, waiting for your inputs...

~A

gbpscars · 26th September 2007, 14:51

aditya, congrats on the avalon.

all symptoms that you have mentioned are typical to any belt-driven pulley kind of mechanism (either on or off a car).

checking for tightness of the belt may not be a solution according to me as the belt might be old.

check when the belt was changed, if not, the best option will be to change the belt and make sure to set it to the OEM tightness during install.

this will surely void this noise.

adityapd · 26th September 2007, 18:49

thanks for your replies gd1418 and gbpscars...your response is much appreciated !!! Since I've just bought this used car, I'm not sure about its past history but i think to be on the safer side, I'll get the belt changed soon.

and gd1418 my car is a 2000 Avalon XLS which comes with 210 hp and a 4 speed automatic transmission.

~A

Nitin · 27th September 2007, 00:11

Congrats, Aditya!
My brother's 1992 Toyota Corolla used to have the same hissing sound. The mechanic we took the car to,said that over time the belt & some of the other parts get creaky,hence the hissing sound. Invariably, once the car gets warmed up,the noise disappears. Particularly seen this in fall/winter,when it takes longer for the car to warm up.

tsk1979 · 27th September 2007, 03:49

aditya. Spend some money(30$ or so) and get a carfax report. This will have all the record.
As for slipping belts, if you tighten them too much, it may screw up the bearings, thats a 1000-1500$ charge.
Usually the timing belt lasts till 110K miles in such engines. Get the service manual, and that has scheduled replacement chart.
Compare that with carfax report

adityapd · 27th September 2007, 08:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

aditya. Spend some money(30$ or so) and get a carfax report. This will have all the record.
As for slipping belts, if you tighten them too much, it may screw up the bearings, thats a 1000-1500$ charge.
Usually the timing belt lasts till 110K miles in such engines. Get the service manual, and that has scheduled replacement chart.
Compare that with carfax report

tsk - carfax was the one thing i got even before I started looking out for cars..the report doesn't show many records for this vehicle. I checked with Toyota and also the service manual and the recommended mileage for timing belt change is mentioned as 90K for this vehicle.

btw the hissing sound also has a metallic clink to it...so I'm just hoping that its just the belt and not the bearing for the waterpump or the alternator...

Toyota authorised dealers have quoted $ 115 to 135 for belt replacement and to my surprise the cost of the belt in the Toyota parts center is just around $ 13...wonder why are they charging more than $ 100 for labour.????

~A

gd1418 · 27th September 2007, 13:13

The $100 is the tax you pay to go to an authorised service centre..

Quote:

Originally Posted by adityapd

Toyota authorised dealers have quoted $ 115 to 135 for belt replacement and to my surprise the cost of the belt in the Toyota parts center is just around $ 13...wonder why are they charging more than $ 100 for labour.????

~A

Nitin · 27th September 2007, 20:49

Labor costs a fortune here in the US. Invariably,you end up shelling out much more to get a person to have the problem fixed, than the actual repair/replacement part.

My guess is that the timing belt needs to be changed. On an average, the timing belts used in Toyota cars last 60-80K,depening on the driving conditions & location. Honda cars have belts that last 100-110K miles,on an average.

I'd suggest taking the car to Midas/Jiffy Lube and getting it inspected. If the noise reduces after a while,then it might not be anything big. Midas has a good dignostic service,so that should work just fine.

Jaggu · 27th September 2007, 23:02

replace belt, again ensure you re check the slack after 6000 miles with the new belt. i've heard from friends in US that its better to use local private garage for similar piece jobs on $$ front.

oh yeah, as mentioned, get the timing belts checked also, since they are usually due for replacement at these log points, just to be sure and safe.

vivekiny2k · 28th September 2007, 00:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu

i've heard from friends in US that its better to use local private garage for similar piece jobs on $$ front.

true, look for services-automotive in craigslist. by your own part and take it to them.

see if you hve an autozone nearby, they can recommend you a competent local mechanic (between the two extremes).

just make sure you oversee the whole thing since they may screw it up and are not backed by any liability.

tsk1979 · 28th September 2007, 00:28

Normally when they open up stuff they keep on finding new things.
My friend did a scheduled timing belt replacement from non authorized guys. It cost him 500$+
While opening up they found engine mountings also needed replacement, so total cost was 1100$ out of which 700-800 was labor and rest parts.

Nitin · 28th September 2007, 01:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Normally when they open up stuff they keep on finding new things.
My friend did a scheduled timing belt replacement from non authorized guys. It cost him 500$+
While opening up they found engine mountings also needed replacement, so total cost was 1100$ out of which 700-800 was labor and rest parts.

Happens quite often. My Mazda Protege had an issue with the muffler, and when I took it to the mechanic, he began pointing one thing after the other. A few of these seemed like genuine faults, and I had to sideline the rest of them. There are a few guys who are really good, and out of interest they usually improvise a few things to fix minor faults.

RJK · 28th September 2007, 04:46

Quote:

they charging more than $ 100 for labour.????

because labour is $50-$75/hour. The same thing was happening with my car and I've not done anything. It went away after summer.. That spray should just work fine. And yes, I'm a student so can't afford to fix everything all the time..so you guys stop judging

My car also currently needs an exhaust which is busted, so it sounds like a free flow right now.. :P

Nitin · 28th September 2007, 22:17

Haha...totally understand that, RJK !! My Protege needed a muffler change, and it sounded pretty good. At time I felt like I was driving a Mustang..

Cost me close to $250 to fix everything (if i remember right)...

25th September 2007, 23:46	#1
adityapd BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, Philadelphia Posts: 288 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage	Hissing sound from belts in my Avalon Finally purchased my first car in the US of A last week and I am just too satisfied with it. This is a 2000 Toyota Avalon XLS which has done 80K miles and is the fully loaded version with moonroof, heated leather, trip computer, climate control, etc. It has a massive 220 bhp 3.0 L DOHC V6 under the hood. It is silky smooth and I love the way the it silently purrs while cruising on the highway and at the same time responds within a fraction of a sec upon pushing the gas to release tons of reserve power which it has in store shoving me back into the seat. The only thing which bother me about this car is the hissing sound from the belt / pulley when I start the car early in the morning. I'm not sure but I think the sound disappears after sometime as the car warms up. I did show it to the Firestone guys and they examined the belts for cracks but couldn't find anything. Then they sprayed the belt with some lubricant spray which made eliminated the sound only to reppear after 2 days . Have any of you guys come across something like this before ? Is replacing the belt, the only solution for this ? As always, waiting for your inputs... ~A
	() Thanks

26th September 2007, 14:51	#3
gbpscars BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 402 Thanked: 5 Times	aditya, congrats on the avalon. all symptoms that you have mentioned are typical to any belt-driven pulley kind of mechanism (either on or off a car). checking for tightness of the belt may not be a solution according to me as the belt might be old. check when the belt was changed, if not, the best option will be to change the belt and make sure to set it to the OEM tightness during install. this will surely void this noise. Last edited by gbpscars : 26th September 2007 at 14:53.
	() Thanks

26th September 2007, 18:49	#4
adityapd BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, Philadelphia Posts: 288 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage	thanks for your replies gd1418 and gbpscars...your response is much appreciated !!! Since I've just bought this used car, I'm not sure about its past history but i think to be on the safer side, I'll get the belt changed soon. and gd1418 my car is a 2000 Avalon XLS which comes with 210 hp and a 4 speed automatic transmission. ~A
	() Thanks

27th September 2007, 00:11	#5
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 3,294 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Congrats, Aditya! My brother's 1992 Toyota Corolla used to have the same hissing sound. The mechanic we took the car to,said that over time the belt & some of the other parts get creaky,hence the hissing sound. Invariably, once the car gets warmed up,the noise disappears. Particularly seen this in fall/winter,when it takes longer for the car to warm up.
	() Thanks

27th September 2007, 03:49	#6
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,823 Times View My Garage	aditya. Spend some money(30$ or so) and get a carfax report. This will have all the record. As for slipping belts, if you tighten them too much, it may screw up the bearings, thats a 1000-1500$ charge. Usually the timing belt lasts till 110K miles in such engines. Get the service manual, and that has scheduled replacement chart. Compare that with carfax report
	() Thanks

27th September 2007, 20:49	#9
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 3,294 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Labor costs a fortune here in the US. Invariably,you end up shelling out much more to get a person to have the problem fixed, than the actual repair/replacement part. My guess is that the timing belt needs to be changed. On an average, the timing belts used in Toyota cars last 60-80K,depening on the driving conditions & location. Honda cars have belts that last 100-110K miles,on an average. I'd suggest taking the car to Midas/Jiffy Lube and getting it inspected. If the noise reduces after a while,then it might not be anything big. Midas has a good dignostic service,so that should work just fine.
	() Thanks

27th September 2007, 23:02	#10
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,212 Thanked: 15,892 Times	replace belt, again ensure you re check the slack after 6000 miles with the new belt. i've heard from friends in US that its better to use local private garage for similar piece jobs on $$ front. oh yeah, as mentioned, get the timing belts checked also, since they are usually due for replacement at these log points, just to be sure and safe. Last edited by Jaggu : 27th September 2007 at 23:04.
	() Thanks

28th September 2007, 00:28	#12
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,823 Times View My Garage	Normally when they open up stuff they keep on finding new things. My friend did a scheduled timing belt replacement from non authorized guys. It cost him 500$+ While opening up they found engine mountings also needed replacement, so total cost was 1100$ out of which 700-800 was labor and rest parts.
	() Thanks

28th September 2007, 22:17	#15
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 3,294 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Haha...totally understand that, RJK !! My Protege needed a muffler change, and it sounded pretty good. At time I felt like I was driving a Mustang.. Cost me close to $250 to fix everything (if i remember right)...
	() Thanks