Two mysterious noises.

[Soarer24]

Ok, I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out what these two noises are before i give in to just taking it to the dealership. My 04' se sport (4cyl) has two intermittent noises, the first is a high pitched but not very loud squeaking sound coming from the engine compartment. Once the car warms up and has been running for a while it usually goes away, I had the alternator and electrical system tested and it all turned out fine. Cant figure out what the hell is making this noise, any opinions?

The second noise, is a rattling sound coming from under the car. It doesnt happen all the time and doesnt seem to be effected by weather conditions. When the car does make this noise it only does so on start up, it almost sounds like a high pitched lawn mower sound or something. Like i said its only on start up, sometimes. I had the dealer look at the underneath of the car last time it went for an oil change and they said everything looked fine and nothing was loose, but i was thinking maybe its the heat shield rattling around and it just needs to be tightened?? any thoughts on this one?

Thanks...

[sgunitkc]

the loud squealing noise from your engine compartment could possibily be your serpentine belt. i had mine replaced and no more noise.

[Aotoyota]

whats a serpentine belt?

[Donnie]

the loud squealing noise from your engine compartment could possibily be your serpentine belt. i had mine replaced and no more noise.

Agree. Sounds like it's gotten glazed. The rattling, check the clutch on the AC compressor. Could be getting worn out or trying to lock up. I'm just going on my past V8 experience and your description.

[Soarer24]

Thanks, Im going to have the belt replaced and hope that takes care of it.

[Soarer24]

so it turns out my belt was squeeking because the water pump was very slowly leaking onto it causing it to get a rust color to the belt. Plus that explains why there were spots of colored fluid in the snow a couple weeks ago where my car was parked all day. So, $440 dollars later, new belt and new water pump installed..

[thestevo44]

The second noise, is a rattling sound coming from under the car. It doesnt happen all the time and doesnt seem to be effected by weather conditions. When the car does make this noise it only does so on start up, it almost sounds like a high pitched lawn mower sound or something. Like i said its only on start up, sometimes. I had the dealer look at the underneath of the car last time it went for an oil change and they said everything looked fine and nothing was loose, but i was thinking maybe its the heat shield rattling around and it just needs to be tightened?? any thoughts on this one?

On the startup rattle, it is probably something being rattled by the torque of the starting engine. Duh, right? Seriously though.... I had a van, that when I would brake, the exhuast pipe would rattle and it sounded like a cow dying underneath my car. If I were you, I would drive the car up on ramps, then lie down next to it, and have someone start the car. Listen for the noise, and look for vibrations. Concentrate first on items actually connected to the engine, such as the exhuast pipe, and all points where the exhuast pipe mounts to the frame. Maybe one of your clamps is loose, or maybe you have a broken weld.

[copeland]

is the squeeling noise really loud? I have weird noises from my solara too but it isn't hella loud, also can someone tell me where the serpentine belt is located as i'd like to inspect it ! This has me all paranoid haha

[Down2TheC]

Belt dressing and check the belt tension and you'll be fine. Don't replace the belts unless they need it. (cracked, worn)

[Gadgetjq]

so it turns out my belt was squeeking because the water pump was very slowly leaking onto it causing it to get a rust color to the belt. ..

Just curious, how many miles on the car and have you ever had the coolant replaced? There haven't been many (if any) posts on this forum about leaky water pumps so maybe yours was an exception or if you have a bunch of miles maybe there's a 'time to fail' factor. Using the wrong coolant (with silicates) could also cause the pump to fail. The "rust color" is kind of curious.

Cheers

[Donnie]

so it turns out my belt was squeeking because the water pump was very slowly leaking onto it causing it to get a rust color to the belt. Plus that explains why there were spots of colored fluid in the snow a couple weeks ago where my car was parked all day. So, $440 dollars later, new belt and new water pump installed..

Funny how old threads still draw attention. I've done the same thing.

OK so I gots a ?.........If you posted a thread and it served it's purpose can the poster remove it or do they stay up just for search reasons?

[Soarer24]

well, my car is an 04' with just 39,250 miles on it. so it seemed kinda weird that i needed a new water pump so soon but, since the repairs have had no more squeaking issues and no more drips in the driveway. Still trying to find that freaking rattle though. looked under the car yesterday after washing it, trying to see if i could figure it out but i need to have someone start the car with me under it and see if anything makes noise. its one of those random noises that really irritates me. lol and im not paying the shop to look at it if i can find it myself. Anyone got any ideas as to what i could specifically focus on when looking for the source of this rattling noise on start up?? Thanks!