Hello,

I have a 2000 mazda protege and when I start the car sometimes it makes this very loud squeal. If I turn it off and wait a few seconds and turn it back on it goes away. Also, when I turn on the a/c it squeals too. What could this be? Please help me

Thanks a lot

 

sounds like belts. babyhuey suggested in a earlier thread to spray some WD40 on the pullies to see if it goes away.
may need to tighten or get a new belt.
also does it happen when you turn the steering wheel?
could be youre low on power steering fluid. but thats usually a growl not a squeal

 

Sometimes it does it when I turn. Sometimes when I'm sitting still, when the a/c is on, but not on the highway. I'll try the WD40 and let you know what I find.

Thank You

 

I'd use belt dressing (right substance for the job), not WD40, I think WD40 would interact with the rubber in the belt causing it to degrade.

 

ok, I'll try the belt dressing.

Thanks!

 

well something is causing it to break down, 10 belts is alot.
heck if you are cheap you can use a bar of soap. lol I know it sounds wierd. but thats a ghetto way to do it.
remember GHETTO

and I dont know about WD40 causing it to break down. WD40 contains products left over from making gasoline.
and several other secret products mixed in with it.

 

Thanks sstlaure for bringing that up. I did not mean to imply that WD-40 be used on a continuous basis to stop the squeal but only as a one time quick use to diagnose the source. Most people who tinker with their cars have a can of WD or equivalent lying around somewhere. A quick squirt on each belt one at a time when the noise is occuring will tell you if it is indeed a belt making the noise and if so which one is all. I personaly use silicone spray to do this.
Since you indicate that noise occurs with A/C on and when turning steering wheel would bet on the outer belt. The outer one turns both the A/C compressor and Power Steering pump. Inner one turns the alternator and water pump. If you are going thru that many belts you might want to inspect the pulleys of that belt for damage that might be tearing up the belt. Also check to see if any of the pulleys have any wobble when engine is running and if all else fails there is a tool out there that is a laser aligner that would check and make sure all of the pulleys are lined up properly. All of these thing can cause premature belt failure and noise. Not to mention over or under tensioning of the belt.

 

definitely check for wobble of the pulleys. i hada bent shaft on a water pump once that was tearing up belts and it took me 5-6 belts before i noticed it. i have also found that when you change the belts, if you spray the pulleys with brake parts cleaner and let them dry, it will extend the life of the belts.

 

It's the belt where your tension pulley is..

 

babyhuey meant to find the source of the squeal with wd40 since it will make the belt slip more. not as a fix.