Timing belt squealing, please help

[Daddyfatbacks]

Just had my timing belt tension checked by local porsche shop (who had 1 year previously put the belt on) and they said it was still good. Two days later it started squealing. Two questions haunting me:

Is it pure chance it started squealing after being checked?http://forums.pelicanparts.com/ultimate/confused.gif

Is the belt going to jump and destroy the engine?

All comments greatly appreciated

[alan6272]

I have not heard of a timing belt squealing, maybe some else has. but are you sure it's not a drive belt ? alternator? P.S. a/c?

[9FF]

...or balance belt or water pump bearing or timing belt rollers. Try to isolate the squeal to determine exactly where it is coming from. +1 a timing belt is unlikely to squeal but there are a lot of associated parts on the front of the engine that might do just that.

[Jfrahm]

I have heard of them squealing when a roller or the water pump seizes. I would not try to drive a mile in that condition. It is however more likely that is a different belt. It'd be good to be sure.

IMO the timing belt is usually scary loose at retension time and a year is too long to wait for that. Some shops put them on wicked tight so they run in to a reasonable tension but this can be rough on the rollers,water pump, cam snout, etc. IMO it is right to run it in for a short time and retension. Even a few hundred miles will cause a big drop in tension as the belt wears to match the gears.

[mikepellegrini]

Yeah, like the others said, it ain't the timing belt squealing. Timing belts have teeth, so it can't. It's probably either the alternator or power steering belt.

If those check out and aren't the cause, then it's possible it could be a roller or the waterpump getting ready to seize. But check the two V belts first.

The recommended interval for checking the tension on a new belt is at 2,000 miles.

[John_AZ]

Do you think it can be related to the earlier repair?

Bad noise from engine bay

J_AZ

[Daddyfatbacks]

She's got manual steering. I removed the alt belt this morning and cranked it up for a sec and she still squealed. Has to be balance or timing belt , or one of the pulleys of. Earlier sound issue ended up being a bad alternator.

[alan6272]

if it were me, with this new info, I would pull the timing covers and inspect all. maybe a pully locked up as stated before

[mueller944s2]

Pull the belt cover and rev the engine from throttle in the engine bay with your ear near the belts, you should be able to find it

[Ederd]

Fan motor going bad?

[VirginiaF1]

Can the OP post a short vid of the squeal?

[mytrplseven]

Sure sounds like a water pump or one of the rollers on a belt. Pull the fuses for the fans to eliminate them. Open the belt cover, get a squirt gun w/water and shoot each individual rollers to see if the sound changes. I've done that before and the squirt gun shoots a precise stream on the offending roller. If it's a water pump, I'd look at when it was replaced last. Usually every other set of belts, it's recommended to replace the wp.

[AKCJ]

I once had some serious front end squealling - it happened one day as I was driving down the road. I pulled over and looked and listened but then it went away and hasn't come back (for two years).

I checked and double checked the v belt and even changed the bearings in the alternator (no power steering). From my research I think it's most likely one of the timing/balance belt rollers. I've checked them all and they all seem fine so I'm just waiting (uncomfortabley) for the squeal to come back so I can hopefully nail it down.

[Tom944]

I too had a squeal after I had my belts done. From talking to my mechanic and looking at posts on other boards it is common for the balance shaft belt to squeal. Mechanics tend to over tighten it so that it dose not need retitening. Mine has mostly stopped after a few hundred miles.