Hi all,

After searching this forum, I believe that the horrible squealing we've started getting when we start the car (and sometimes on full lock too) is to do with the belts needing tightening.

My girlfriend has just been working night-shift and I don't think she'd appreciate being woken (again) by the car screeching like a banshee so...

Before I go running off to the mechanic and give him a weeks wages just to fix that, I thought I might see if anyone can give me a guided walkthrough of how to try this myself :) . Keeping in mind that this gal only knows the basics about cars...

Thanks in advance!

Averil

Hi there..There should be a adjusting bolt near the alternator. You will need to adjuct that outwards to tighten the belt. I'll have a look on mine to tell you exactly where it is...A quick fix is spray some WD40 or silicon spray on the belt while engine is running..this will stop the noise temporarily.

First you'll need to figure out which belt it is--the Elantra has 3. If it happens with steering, my guess would be the power steering pump belt, which is the easiest to get to, it's the top one. To tighten it you'll need to loosen the 2 bolts on the power steering pump itself, then move the pump out to tighten the belt and tighten the bolts back up.

Yes a spray can temporarily help, but don't go spraying oil or something else on it--which will probably make it slip even more. Get a can of Belt Dressing, which is made specifically for this.

I think there are three adjusting points in Elantra: one for AC, one for alternator and one for power steering pump. For AC driving belt, you need to go under the card and remove a shield to get there. Belt tension is very important. If the belts are old or damaged, you should replace that. I do recommend to replace all three belts at the same time as required. I bought those from online parts store they are not expensive! Take a look your car carefully to find out which belts and where the adjusting points are located. After that, if you feel you can't make it you better bring the car to the mechanic shop for saving your time and safety.