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Car Forum / Mazda / Mazda Miata / April 2008LOUD NOISE
Hi all: My 94 Miata has been making a loud noise for months. It happens when I start up the car in the morning (or after it has been parked for a while and I start it up.) The noise is more than likely the drive belt (sometimes it will stop if I turn off the AC - sometimes it happens when I make a turn) The noise is becoming more regular and I know I need to do something about it. (I replaced the belts last year.) My car has been to two horrendous mechanics this year (for unrelated repairs) I told both about the noise. The 1st told me that the pulley was broken and needed to be replaced. The other said that the belt was put on too tightly and had stretched and needed to be replaced. Neither mechanic fixed it (they fixed other things) But I don't trust either one. How much should I expect to pay for this repair if it is: 1) need a new belt 2) need a new pulley or 3) need both. Is this an expensive repair? For years my car has needed nothing - now in the past 12 months everything seems to be breaking. and I have been getting reallybad service too. :( Please help! Thanks! > Hi all: > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Thanks! I've had the same problem off and on for months. Even right after getting all new belts. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with the A/C. I've wondered if it could be the alternator bearings going bad, which could make the belts slip until the alternator loosens up. > > Hi all: > > [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > the A/C. I've wondered if it could be the alternator bearings going > bad, which could make the belts slip until the alternator loosens up. It could be that. Last week my alternator dropped dead on my '99 after several months of sometimes squealing at startup. At least the battery didn't go flat for another twenty miles of driving after the red battery light went on, so I didn't have to get it towed, I was able to drive it to the mechanic. On the other hand your alternator could be OK, the new belts might have stretched. In my old '93 I had the belts replaced and a couple of months later it started to shriek after startup because the new belts had stretched out a bit. But I just tightened the belt and the squealing went away, and my alternator worked fine for the next couple of years. It's easy to tighten the belt yourself. On the '93 there's a tensioner screw on the alternator bracket, that you have to locate by feel (easier than it might sound) becase it's underneath the alternator, which takes a 10 mm wrench. On the '99 they relocated it to on top. When you turn this screw it pushes the alternator away from the center of the engine which tightens the belt. I turned the screw only a quarter turn at a time so as not to overtighten the belt and destroying the bearings on the alternator, a/c and water pump. After the second adjustment (i.e. a total of one half turn of the tensioning screw) the noise went away for good. I remember when I was a kid the solution for belts slipping was a shot of hair spray on the pulley. I don't know if they even make hair spray any more! Yours jp I had a squeal and/or a howling noise when I started my '94 miata. The noise was embarassingly loud and lasted several minutes. I did two things at the same time and the noise has totally gone, but I can't tell you which was more effective. I replaced the electronic clutch on the air conditioner compressor with a rebuilt one (about $150) and I also replaced both fan belts (about $25). I also used Permatex belt dressing (a spray can of stuff worth $4) on both belts at the time of installing them. > Hi all: > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Thanks! The last time I replaced the belts on my 99, I had a similar experience with belt squealing. Turned out that the belts stretched, and after about three cycles of adjustment, quit the squealing. (Squeal on startup, quits until car sets for several hours or overnight.) Some brands of belts are worse than others. Most mechanics either use low cost replacements, or whatever their favorite parts house carries. The belts that stretched the most on my 99 were Goodyear "gatorback" belts. Some mechanics are either too lazy or too ignorant to adjust the belts properly. > Hi all: > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Thanks! Actually the low cost belts tend to be just fine...and as far as adjustment, well...if the belts are replaced, part of what you have to know going in is that they will need to be tightened again in 5000 miles. They are made of rubber, steel, and fabric, all of which stretch and break in. The process of belts is easy enough you should do it yourself. Miata.net has a great write-up in the garage on how to do it. Be careful about AC and PS differences, though. Now...OP...you provided us with 2/3 the info we need...you told us WHEN the noise happens and what the mechanics say...but you never described the noise itself. It it squealing, screaming, bumping, grinding, thumping, thrashing, sparking, tapping, glomping....? My guess, since you replaced the belts last year...is that you never had them re-tightened after 5K miles.. Or maybe you did? Let us know to help! r0ll > The last time I replaced the belts on my 99, I had a similar experience with > belt squealing. Turned out that the belts stretched, and after about three [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > > > Thanks! > Actually the low cost belts tend to be just fine...and as far as > adjustment, well...if the belts are replaced, part of what you have to [quoted text clipped - 64 lines] > > - Show quoted text - The noise is a screeching high pitched noise... I'd even call it screaming - it's horrific and embarrassing. I don't put a lot of miles on the car (less than 3000 per year) The belts are Goodyear - they look brand new still... and they aren't loose. I'm going to try belt dressing to see if that quiets the squeel... if it does should I have them tightened? In article <74097bfb-bbec-43e6-ad6e-68e879ec0d0d@c19g2000prf.googlegroups.com>, > I'm going to try belt dressing to see if that quiets the squeel... if > it does should I have them tightened? You should have the belt tension checked, but overtightening can destroy the alternator, power steering pump, or air conditioner compressor bearings. If the tension is good, then you'll need to find the actual cause. I once had a belt that squealed for the first 30 seconds after starting or idling at a traffic light. The cause was a tiny leak in the cam cover gasket--it produced a drop of oil every minute or so, and if the car wasn't moving the oil would land on the crank pulley, making the belt squeal until it had burned off. A leaky water pump can do the same thing with coolant. FYI, Miata owners have always had fewer problems with genuine Mazda belts from a dealer. It's one of those items (like brake pads and water pumps) where it doesn't pay to scrimp.  SignatureLanny Chambers St. Louis, MO '94C > FYI, Miata owners have always had fewer problems with genuine Mazda > belts from a dealer. It's one of those items (like brake pads and water > pumps) where it doesn't pay to scrimp. That's interesting. I was thinking of getting aftermarket pads (like Porterfield R4Ss below) when the time comes and I just naturally assumed they would be better than the OEM stuff. By better, I assumed slightly better braking performance and slightly shorter pad life). Not the case? http://www.flyinmiata.com/index.php? deptid=4539&parentid=0&stocknumber=14-39100%20%201990-93 I don't have any issues with the current pads. They are long-lasting and don't squeal. Braking performance is very good, but of course there is a lot of braking surface per pound of car weight. I may still get braided brake lines. > That's interesting. I was thinking of getting aftermarket pads (like > Porterfield R4Ss below) when the time comes and I just naturally assumed > they would be better than the OEM stuff. Aftermarket pads can solve specific braking problems. If you don't have a problem, why search for a solution? No other pad has the combination of low rotor wear, low noise, low dusting, long life, moderate pedal pressure, and good fade resistance as OEM. All the rest present compromises that you may or may not be willing to accept to solve a specific problem. The usual issue is fade resistance for track use--OEM pads are not quite up to extreme heat, and noise, heavy dust, frequent rotor replacement, etc., are not typically deal breakers on a track car. On the street, if you can lock all four wheels on demand, seems to me you have plenty of braking power. > I may still get braided brake lines. If the problem is a soft pedal, first try flushing and refilling with new fluid. Next, add a master cylinder brace. Braided lines are mainly for looks, and don't really work any better. They also require regular inspection, as they tend to unscrew themselves. SignatureLanny Chambers St. Louis, MO '94C > Braided lines are mainly > for looks, and don't really work any better. They also require regular > inspection, as they tend to unscrew themselves. Having owned two Miatas with braided brake lines and also having worked on two more Miatas with them installed, I can assure everyone here that they do not "tend" to unscrew themselves. If that were the case, I think that I would have seen it happen at least *once*, instead of never. What they actually tend to do in my experience is work fine without any problems at all. This assumes proper installation, of course. Pat You can try (with the key off and the engine cold) taking a dry bar of your favorite soap. (regular soap, not cosmetic soap.) and soaping the underside of the belts where you can reach them. Turn the engine over with the key so that different parts of the belts are exposed, and with the key off and the engine stopped, soap the parts of the belts undersides that you missed. No squeal? Belts likely too loose. Squeals anyway? Belts really loose, oil on pulleys, coolant on belts, problem with belt driven accessories or water pump. I had a squeal problem with both new belts, one at the power steering, the other at the alternator. They were initially adjusted to the deflection called for in the service manual. To stop the squealing, the gatorbacks had to be tighter than the mazda OEM belts. On Apr 15, 6:03 am, r0lliSl1fe <jerryn...@gmail.com> wrote: > Actually the low cost belts tend to be just fine...and as far as > adjustment, well...if the belts are replaced, part of what you have to [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > car sets for several hours or overnight.) Some brands of belts are worse > > than others. Most mechanics either use low cost replacements, or whatever > > their favorite parts house carries. The belts that stretched the most on my > > 99 were Goodyear "gatorback" belts. Some mechanics are either too lazy or > > too ignorant to adjust the belts properly. > [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > - Show quoted text - The noise is a screeching high pitched noise... I'd even call it screaming - it's horrific and embarrassing. I don't put a lot of miles on the car (less than 3000 per year) The belts are Goodyear - they look brand new still... and they aren't loose. I'm going to try belt dressing to see if that quiets the squeel... if it does should I have them tightened? |
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