[srb]

Hi ,

For the last couple of days , I am having this squeeking noise as soon as I start the car and get into first gear . This noise stays for 20-30 seconds and then disappears never to return again. This is happening only during cold starts . When I checked with a Mechanic , he readjusted the brake belts , but the problem is not solved.

Any suggestions ? I drive a Santro Xing.

Thanks

[fast_elegance]

I guess the squeaking noise is from timing belt. It normally starts making sound when it becomes old and hard. You can try replacing it. Anyway get it diagnosed from the A.S.S.

[MutantX]

srb, hyundai is having free car care camp from 7th Sep to 20th Sep. You can have your car checked.

The squeeking noise is common during cold start *for old cars*. My old Santro used to squeek like a traped mouse. But after changing the timing belt the noise was gone.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by srb

When I checked with a Mechanic , he readjusted the brake belts , but the problem is not solved

What on earth is a brake belt

Either ways, definitely one of the (rubber) belts gone loose. Tightening will solve your problem. While at it, check for wear & tear and see if any of the belts have cracks / need replacement.

[gpa]

^^If the noise persists even after adjusting the belt, it is a sign for you to replace the belt. How many kms has your car covered?

I noticed this sound (only during start-up) on my Xing after 50,000 kms (the belt was chnaged at the 40k service) and replaced the belt again and only then did it stop.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by srb

...this squeeking noise as soon as I start the car

Originally Posted by fast_elegance

...noise is from timing belt.

The squeak is from belt that is slipping - fan belt or AC compressor belt. It is NOT from the timing belt - a slipping timing belt will have more effects than a mere squeak.

Most likely cause - moisture condensation on the belt(s) overnight.

Solution - do nothing. Replace belts if car has run over 80k km.

Indicas esp. the early ones, were famous for this squeak - it was more of a heart-rending screech than a squeak!

[blackasta]

See, after running the car for quite a while (say 80-90K kms), what happens is both the belts go loose/brittle hard, and the pulleys become sleek (As the pulleys in the engine are not of railway grade steel, and are a notch inferior to them). The belt looses traction due to both of these reasons.
Moisture on belts / old hard belts only aggravates this problem. There is nothing you can do except changing the belts with new ones (good OEM ones would help) and pray that they don't go hard and do retain the rubber bite in them for long.
There is a kind of chalk available to put in the pulleys for increasing their traction, but my earlier garage guy did not recommend them. I got all of this funda from him (He was an old American guy, and had serviced a LOT of cars, both American and imports).

[DriverR]

My 1 year old i10 has started making the same noise for a few seconds when I move the car for the first time and/or after a long stationary gap (I get the noise when I start from office in the evening, and even when I go for lunch!) I feel the noise is more pronounced when I turn the steering wheel and when AC is on. All noises disappear after about 5-15 seconds. Total distance done 16K. Btw, I had an Indica before and I know that this is the same sound it used to make. But that was a 7 year old car, and I did not expect my i10 to start making such noises so soon.

The belt should hardly be worn out. Anyways, would ask for a check on my next servicing in a few month's time.

[B.R.S.Rao]

The sound is coming from the belt which turns the AC compressor in your car. Timing belt will not give that sort of squeaks. What I suggest to you is, open the bonnet of your car, put few drops of brake fluid ( preferably TVS Girling)to either side of the belt which turns the AC compressor.(Just few drops and not more than that...) You won't have that problem again.

[nitrous]

Originally Posted by fast_elegance

I guess the squeaking noise is from timing belt

Originally Posted by b.r.s.rao

The sound is coming from the belt which turns the AC compressor in your car.

If its just after ignition, then it is the alternator belt.
Tighten or replace if necessary.

[blackasta]

Timing belt is a serrated one, so squeaks from it means big problem. And also many cars use timing chains, not belts. I am not sure what santro has.

[srb]

I have driven around 36K kms in my car . I went to the service center over the weekend and got it fixed . The mechanic mentioned that the AC compressor belt had to be tightend . I did not hear any noise today . I hope it is gone forever. He mentioned that the belt needs to be replaced by 40-45K Kms and they would do these checks as part of the routine 6 monthly service.

[H3LIOS]

Just adding our experience with Santro belt noise so that it may be helpful to anyone who stumbles onto this thread in future. Basically, if your local Hyundai A.S.S like mine, then you are better off with a local mechanic who knows what he is doing.

Sep 2007 - Wife bought a Santro AT. Nice car, most convenient in Hyd traffic. We moved to Vizag mid 2008 and our problems with the Hyundai A.S.S started.

First of all they couldn't identify something as simple and common as the belt squeal, despite three visits and keeping car for over 8 days total. They first blamed the brakes, then tires, then the alternator bearing. Finally a friend mentioned it could be the belts and the next visit to the Hyundai dealer I asked them to check the belts. They said the belts were both hard and glazed and need to be replaced.

After much arguing that they didn't identify the problem the first three times, leading us to drive around with loose belts causing them to glaze, they agreed to replace one belt free (car was only 2 years old with 16K on the odo at that time) and I had to pay for one. It cost us about Rs 2K for that one belt + labor costs.

I wasn't very surprised when the noise returned after just two months. I had other less than satisfactory experiences with the local Hyundai A.S.S and decided not to go there again if I could help it. My opinion about their diagnosis and repair skills is pretty poor - they just want to replace parts, not repair them.

I spotted a newly started BOSCH service center near our home, and went there for the next service & oil change. I casually mentioned about the belt noise to the mechanic before picking up my car. He immediately opened the bonnet, pressed the belt with his fingers and announced it is a bit loose. Got out a couple of spanners from his tool belt and tightened it up - took less than 5 minutes, and didn't even charge for it. The noise went away.

After I came home, I took out the old belts (I got them back when the A.S.S put in the new ones) and inspected them. To me they seemed neither hard not glazed, infact they look just like new (I still have them). I strongly suspect that the A.S.S wasted my money just because they didn't know how to fix the problem. Grrr....

Didn't face any issues for the next two years until my wife got into a small accident a couple of months ago. After the body work, the belt noise resurfaced and steadily got worse. It got so bad that the car started screaming bloody murder when cold started in the morning. I could hear it on the fourth floor inside an AC room, when my wife backed out of the garage.

Anyway, finally took it to the BOSCH service center again this week. He said that not just the belt, but the mounting assembly was loose. Don't know how it happened. Anyway, they put in a crow-bar to leverage the assembly into positioned and tightened it. Then they adjusted the belt tension appropriately. It has been two days and there hasn't been a squeak out of the car so far.

The car has just crossed 30K on the odo and will be 5 years old come September. Except for the belt noise issue, it has been a trouble free city car.

Cheers

[rajeev k]

Tighten the water pump drive belt (or Alternator) and the problem would disappear. A very minor snag but tighten at the earliest opportunity.

[joybhowmik]

Symptom:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Hi All
Will be glad for pointers as to this problem.
Started Innova (diesel) at 7 AM today, everything sounded ok. Now while driving , suddenly a sound "ksshhhh,kssshh , kssshhhh" was clearly audible from somewhere inside the engine bay, and above the sound of the engine itself.
I stopped the car, engine idling, but the sound persisted.
Later opened the bonnet, to locate the general area where this was coming from. But could not spot any tell tale signs of anything fouling up the belt (the only visible moving part).

The sound appeared to be coming from near the rotating shafts.

Turned ignition off, and tried rotating the fan by hand. Spun with hardly a whisper.

Turned ignition on, no sound. So put the car in gear and drove. After driving a few meters through a wet patch and making a turn, suddenly the sound reappears, but lower in volume.

No indicator lights on the dashboard showing anything amiss. No loss in power - nothing.

Later took the car out for my commute to office in Gurgaon. Drove the whole distance (about 30 km) without turning on radio - just listening for that sound to come back. It was raining all the time, but no sound at all.

On the commute back home, again no sound.

Could it be a belt issue?

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The squeak is from belt that is slipping ...
Most likely cause - moisture condensation on the belt(s) overnight.

Solution - do nothing. Replace belts if car has run over 80k km.

Should I get the belt changed?It's a 4 year car and has done 42000 km.