Why Does My Drive Belt Squeal?

People ask me “Why does my drive belt squeal?” Do you ever hear someone with a really loud annoying screech when they first start their car in the morning? As a drive belt ages, typically after 5 years or more, they begin to stretch or crack. Your drive belt is a big rubber piece that goes around a bunch of pulleys that control your power steering, alternator, water pump, and other accessories. So as you can see if your drive belt fails, you can over heat your engine, you can loose power steering, or your car can die and stop running because the battery is not being charged. And sometimes it’s not your belt that’s the problem but rather one of the pulleys can lock up or become loose, destroying your belt in the process. So if you’re dealing with a broken belt it’s a good idea to check all of these pulleys too. If you’ve never had your drive belt checked and your car is 5 years old or over 60K miles, get it inspected. Most shops will take a look at it for free. I’m Anthony at Fast Lane Automotive, thanks for watching see you next time!