My car is making a squealing noise

I don’t think it is due to being rear ended on monday, I think it existed before then. All the info I find online says it is probably due to belts slipping. Are there any other causes?

I doubt its the brakes because it doesn’t squeal when I push on the brakes, it squeals essentially all the time when i’m driving, not just when i’m braking.

How loud is it? Does it seem to show up primarily when you’re slowing down? Does it happen more/less/same amount when your headlights are on?

Definately sounds like a belt. The belt could be squealing because it is old and worn out, or it could be squealing because something came loose and it doesn’t have proper tension on the belt any more, or it could be squealing because something it turns isn’t turning very well, like maybe the bearings in the alternator are going south, or the compressor for the air conditioning has seized, for example.

If it’s just the belt it won’t cost too much to fix it. If it is something besides the belt it could be significantly more expensive.

Ivylad, a former mechanic, says it’s your belts.

You need to get them fixed now. I had my belts come off while I was driving. Very scary.

Is this not the “Tell Tale” squealer of the brake pads needing replacement? IANAM, but I’m pretty sure that if it stops squealing the moment you touch the brakes - then that’s your problem - the brakes.

::: off to google:::

Sorry to partially-hijack, but I’ve had a squeal that only occurs for the first five minutes of driving, and then vanishes for the whole day - is that likely to be belts, too? (Caveat - It’ll be serviced soon, anyway!)

Hmmm… I couldn’t find anything concrete, but here’s two things of possible interest:

And this is what I was referring to earlier:

Even though IANAM, I’m still gonna say breaks, because I can’t see why a belt would stop squealing when you break.

[channeling Ivylad]Is the A/C on when you start the engine?[/channeling Ivylad]

A/C - don’t make me laugh!!! :frowning:

Ivylad would bet it’s a belt. For a cheap fix and to see if it’s a belt, start the car, and take a bar of soap, and hold it against the belt so the soap gets all around the belt. That will help the belt stick a little better. Either the belt is loose or it’s bad. It’s a pretty easy fix.

Does the squeal happen when the car is idling?

I don’t think its that, I had the brake pads replaced on the rear axle 1.5 years ago and when I did the mechanic said the front pads were still good. And when I had them replaced back then the squeal was totally different. When it was the pads it only squealed when the brakes were applied, now it squeals all the time.

Scruloose - I didn’t mean to imply that the sound stopped when I would brake. What I meant was ‘it doesn’t only squeal when I push on the brakes, it squeals all the time’. I’ve had brake problems before and when I did it only squealed when the brakes were applied.

ivylass - are you joking about the soap? I don’t think it happens when the car idles, it might.

What all belts are there? I know almost nothing about cars, is it the timing belt, or the fan belt or some other belt? I had the timing belt replaced 5 months ago.

Move your car. You are parked on a pig.

Was your car borrowed by any cast members of “Deliverance” ?

I had a squeal once which was only present when the car was in motion. It turned out to be a worn wheel bearing.

Ah, OK. I must have read it wrong. The simple answer re the breaks of course is if it squeals while parked or stopped, it obviously isn’t break/wheel related.

What kind of car? Some vehicles have several belts each driving one or two things, and some only have one belt driving everything.

1999 ford ranger with a 2.5L engine.

I just tried idling it for a minute and I heard no squealing, but I don’t think that means it never squeals while idling. I could’ve sworn I heard it squealing uptown this afternoon while I was sitting in a parking space. The noise also occurs both when i’m driving straight and when turning, and it occurs at low speeds (10mph) as well as speeds around 40mph.

What are the signs that it could be a wheel bearing? How much does it cost to fix that and how long does it take to fix that? I do not really have the free time to take the car in until tuesday or friday, is there risk of permanent damage between then and now? I could skip classes or find some other way to make free time if need be and take it in monday, wednesday or thursday (i’m usually busy about 11 hours straight on m/w/th but I could skip something or other and take it in) if I needed to, but i’d rather not.

So far I have several guesstimations on a potential cause.

Low power steering fluid
wheel bearing
brakes
belts

I doubt its the brakes since I had those replaced on the rear axle and i’ve had braking problems before and this squeal is totally different. Tomorrow i’ll check the power steering fluid and add some if it is low. Naturally i’m going to let a mechanic determine what the real cause is but i’d rather try to get a ballpark idea on what is wrong in the meantime.

A wheel bearing is only going to squeal when the car is moving.

Belts (which might also be alternator, compressor, power steering pump, and water pump, since if any of these are harder to turn the belt driving it will slip and squeal) are probably going to squeal all the time, though it might be dependent on humidity and temperature outside. The alternator belt in particular might squeal worse when there is more of an electrical load on the car, which is why look!ninjas asked you if it happens more when your lights are on. On many cars the air compressor comes on when you use the defroster as well as when you use the air conditioner, so if you notice that it happens while you have the defroster on that might be a good clue.

Brakes are only going to squeal when you are moving, and will probably squeal either a lot more or a lot less when you press the brake pedal.

Hope that helps to narrow it down a bit.

What are the consequences of a wheel bearing if that is what is wrong? Like I said, I don’t really have time to take it in until tuesday or friday, will there be a risk of damage between then and now.

What will it take to fix it if it is the wheel bearing?

I tried idling it for a couple of minutes and it didn’t squeal, so maybe it only squeals when in motion.

Yup. But if it doesn’t squeal while idling, I don’t think it would be the alternator, although I could certainly be wrong. I’m also still interested in the volume of the squeal - it’s been my experience that brake squeal, although audible, is nowhere near as ear-splitting as the sound of a belt that needs tightening. In fact, I think the sound of a loose or damp alternator belt may be the least pleasant sound known to man.

GorillaMan - Judging by your reply to the A/C question, it’s cold where you are. Does the squeal seem to go away when the car is warm? If the car is off for an hour or two and gets cold again, does the squeal return? IANAM, but I am someone who’s had more than their fair share of alternator troubles, and that seemed to be the pattern it went through - squealing when first started, and squealing when the engine was cold, but quiet when the engine had actually started to warm up a little bit.

I can’t say whether it’s something that needs to be fixed immediately, although I did go for a pretty substantial amount of time with a squealing alternator myself. I think if it’s only going to be a few days before you can get it into the shop, you should probably be okay. But again, I’m no mechanic, so don’t take my word for it.