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caineroad
07-17-2012, 01:31 AM
when i start my car in the morning, it squeaks from the front for like 4-5 seconds, then it goes away. I have done some research on this forum, it seems to be the belt, but what is the belt actually called?

i have never heard this noise before, until recently for the past week. My car is at 121,000km (75180 miles), had the alernator changed at dealership 2 years ago.

any idea?
Lux
07-17-2012, 01:38 AM
It is the accessory belt. Americans call it the serpentine belt. The noise is a symptom of the belt losing friction from drying up and cracking or simply losing tension from age. Have a technician replace the belt. He should be able to do it in less than 0.5 hours labour if he is competent. From experience, I'd recommend using a genuine Toyota belt for your car.
jpmck03
07-17-2012, 01:41 AM
It is the accessory belt. Americans call it the serpentine belt. The noise is a symptom of the belt losing friction drying up and cracking or simply losing tension from age. Have a technician replace the belt. He should be able to do it in less than 0.5 hours labour if he is competent.

Everything he said was spot on, but I would suggest swapping it out yourself. Should only take you 10 minutes time and it's pretty easy to do.

Better to buy the belt for $10 and do it yourself, versus having a mechanic charge you upwards of $100 to do it for you. :thumbsup:
caineroad
07-17-2012, 03:10 AM
Thanks! Will buy the belt tomorrow and do a little DIY.
RedRide
07-17-2012, 05:44 PM
Yes, it is the belt.

One word of caution..... since the Yaris does not have an automatic belt tensioner, be careful you do not over tighten the belt which could make the accessoriries bearings fail.
caineroad
07-17-2012, 06:17 PM
I will mark on the bolt.

It is $35 here to buy a belt, what the hell!
RedRide
07-17-2012, 09:36 PM
I will mark on the bolt.

It is $35 here to buy a belt, what the hell!

That wiil not work as the new belt will not be exactly the same size as the old one.
jpmck03
07-17-2012, 10:15 PM
That wiil not work as the new belt will not be exactly the same size as the old one.

He's 100% correct! I learned that the hard way when I installed my lightweight pulley a few weeks ago. It's helpful to have the bracket marked as a guide... but base it on belt tension, not the mark you put on the bracket.

Here's a video I looked at when I was "teaching myself" how to do it. Some good information...

Eric the Car Guy: Replacing a Serpentine Belt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg1AX77xEBQ)