Squealing auxiliary belt

I fitted a cambelt kit and water pump to my wife’s 2006 Hyundai Amica, which has 23,000 miles on the clock, and changed the auxiliary drivebelts. Since then, the power steering/ aircon belt squeals for about one second on start-up, particularly on cold mornings.

I tightened the belt – the specs I have state it should be 5mm for new and 6-7mm for used (half of what I would have expected) – but without success. I recently replaced the pattern part with a genuine Hyundai one which matched the one I originally removed – these feel grittier to the touch than the pattern part.

We have had the car from new and have never had a belt noise issue before, but this is the first time that I have personally changed the belts. I cleaned the pulleys before fitting the new genuine belt and have even tried a belt dressing spray. The aircon and power steering adjusters are now at their limits and the belt is to tolerance and the belt run is straight when observed with the engine on. Do new belts need to bed in?

Also, any chance of CM doing a review of nitrile gloves? I have found the quality and robustness to vary considerably.

Given the year of your Amica, I am assuming it has the 1.1 engine. The details I have on this model show three auxiliary drivebelts: one for the aircon pump, one for the alternator and water pump, and a third from the water pump which drives the power steering.

Given that the squeal is only present on start-up, it’s most likely that the alternator drivebelt is slipping. I would re-check the tension on this belt, and if you believe the other belts are overtight, I would release pressure on the water pump to power steering belt. If this is too tight it could be putting unnecessary pressure on the water pump bearings. The tension data given by Autodata is 10mm for the alternator and power steering belts and 6-7mm for the aircon belt.

There is the possibility that the noise is coming from the alternator or water pump bearing. This is difficult to ascertain as, with the auxiliary belt removed and the engine running, the noise will cease whether it is due to the belt or bearing. It may be possible to detect the noise using a stethoscope, but as it only lasts for a short time this may be difficult.

As you have just replaced the cambelt, I should mention that there is a note on Autodata that the black crankshaft pulley bolt must not be reused and should be replaced with a new bolt. The black bolt is shorter than the later bolt, so it’s possible that this may loosen and allow slight movement between the pulley and crankshaft.

A review of work gloves is certainly a worthwhile topic and one we will try to organise in the future.