Yaris 2011 Squeal or Screech at Startup

[xqophx]

My Yaris hit 65,000 miles this spring, and then started screeching something awful immediately following startup. I figured it was the serpentine belt, so I had it replaced by Sears. Following that, the noise got worse and worse.


It used to be just when the car was cold after sitting all night.
Now it happens more often, but usually not when the car has been running or warm before startup.
It is right after startup, I do not hear any other noises at any time.
Sears is convinced it is not their fault.
Sears wants to put the blame on my power steering.


I attached an .mp3 recording of the sound, which is double zipped so I could attach it here. ANY information is very much appreciated!

[ern-diz]

I'm on a work computer and got a funny prompt after downloading your sound file, so couldn't listen, but based on your description a couple things come to mind. First, does this video shed any light on what you're experiencing?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRrVMtyIqIY

If not, then I posted about a similar issue (based on your description) with a YouTube link of my car doing it here:

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55661

There are also a couple other threads about this type of behavior on the forum. None that I've seen have posted a resolution.

Now that the weather is warm, mine hasn't been doing it, but it was doing it frequently during the colder months. My mechanic speculated that it was the starter, but couldn't actually get it to make the sound while it was in his shop, so he couldn't fix it. His thought, and others on the forum had the same idea, that the starter was sticking in the on position when very cold. Interestingly, I am at about the same mileage as you are.

Hope you get to the bottom of it and if you do, please share the fix.

[CrankyOldMan]

There was a service bulletin issued to address the belt squeal. The remedy? Tighten the belt. If you're still having noise on startup with a *quality* belt at the right tension, it could be a bearing on the accessory side (alternator, water pump, A/C compressor). I say quality because I've had bargain brand belts fail in 6 months, whereas a Gates will last me at least a few years.

Keep in mind, this is on a supercharger with a magnetic clutch, so there's lots more hard engagement and wear and tear on the belt.

[Exiwolfman]

My Yaris hit 65,000 miles this spring, and then started screeching something awful immediately following startup. I figured it was the serpentine belt, so I had it replaced by Sears. Following that, the noise got worse and worse.


It used to be just when the car was cold after sitting all night.
Now it happens more often, but usually not when the car has been running or warm before startup.
It is right after startup, I do not hear any other noises at any time.
Sears is convinced it is not their fault.
Sears wants to put the blame on my power steering.


I attached an .mp3 recording of the sound, which is double zipped so I could attach it here. ANY information is very much appreciated!

tighten the belt or replace but since u have replaced it i would say it needs to be re tighten , also quality of the belt could be poor ...its just the belt from what i can hear in ur clip.

[WeeYari]

Sears wants to put the blame on my power steering.



First off, your power steering is electric, not a belt driven pump. There is no way power steering could be producing a squelch or screech.

Secondly, and I didn't listen to your recording, but the belt may not be tensioned enough by Sears. Also, don't know what brand of belt they used, but it is well known that some brands will squeal like a pig.

[xqophx]

First, does this video shed any light on what you're experiencing?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRrVMtyIqIY



That is definitely the noise! Mine doesn't last that long yet, fortunately. I have an appointment at Sears tomorrow and I will be asking them to replace whatever belt they used with a higher quality - a Gates - based on that recommendation above, as well as tighten it.

Going forward, I will "slowly" start the car, like he does in this video. I'll update after my appointment and a couple of days of seeing how the changes go.

Thank you all so much for your input!

[MUSKOKA800]

In the meantime, until you get back into Sears try switching off the AC button before start-up and when leaving a stop. That helped reduce my squeal until I could put the wrenches to it. Once re-tightened all was good. One word of warning. It's be said that excess belt tension will damage the bearings in the alternator, water pump and perhaps the AC compressor. Find the sweet spot and nothing tighter.

[xqophx]

Resolved! I had Sears tighten the belt, but also took the recommendation by the guy in the YouTube video that was posted to wait until the computer is on before kicking over the engine. If I waited until the initial car dinging tone finished after putting the key in, then kicked it over, the sound was dramatically reduced like in the video.

After a tightening, the sound did go away, but I am still waiting until after the computer is on before kicking over, just in case that helps long term with belt wear.

Thanks again for your input! Hopefully they didn't tighten it too tight, but I am not sure how to tell if they did.

[samtrappett]

Just some gee whiz info for anyone else having this issue. Be careful when washing your car to keep wax or polishing chemicals away from your serpantine belt. I took mine to a self power wash place and when spraying the wax it went through the grill and got on the belt. It essentially polished the belt and the pully. The squeal didn't go away until I changed the belt and also cleaned the pully. Was kinda funny when everyone within a mile would look my way when starting my car though lol. Good luck!

[ern-diz]

Just some gee whiz info for anyone else having this issue. Be careful when washing your car to keep wax or polishing chemicals away from your serpantine belt. I took mine to a self power wash place and when spraying the wax it went through the grill and got on the belt. It essentially polished the belt and the pully. The squeal didn't go away until I changed the belt and also cleaned the pully. Was kinda funny when everyone within a mile would look my way when starting my car though lol. Good luck!

:thumbsup: