What can you do if your V-belt squeals?

December 2010Your best bet is to go to your nearest auto repair shop. If your V-belt squeals in winter a new belt should be installed, advises ContiTech.

On no account should you simply carry on driving. Auto shop fitters are the experts when it comes to installing a new belt. What’s more, it is important that the belt tensioner be checked as well and replaced if necessary. For a belt can last a long time only if it is tensioned correctly. Since on some models, the belt drives the water pump in addition to the generator, the car should no longer be driven the moment the belt fails. If you continue driving, you are endangering the engine, which can overheat.

Squealing noises always occur when the belt’s drive pulley accelerates faster than the driven pulley can keep up. After a certain time the driven pulley picks up speed and the squealing stops. Belt squeal occurs more frequently in winter. At low temperatures the belt becomes harder and stiffer, and thus loses its grip. If additional moisture accumulates on the belt and pulleys, slippage will be aggravated.

Cold weather, particularly, is when the battery, which is charged by the generator via the V-ribbed belt, needs its full power. Because when temperatures are low, the battery must provide electricity for the window heater, ventilation, windshield wipers, headlights, seat heaters and much more. Here, the traditional V-belt ensures that the motorist is not left in the dark. It drives the generator, transmitting the right power to the cooling water pump for instance.

As an advanced development of the V-belt, multiple V-ribbed belts with their longitudinal ribs are used in modern engines. In addition to the generator, V-ribbed belts also drive auxiliary units such as the power steering pump or the air conditioning compressor. They can transmit more power and take up less space. To ensure that both belts function properly, they should be checked on a regular basis.