A MECHANIC has revealed what it means when your car makes a squeaking noise – and how a common fix can make it worse.
The sound can be a sign of a deeper problem, but turning to the seemingly obvious solution could cost you hundreds.
Motors whizz Scotty Kilmer, who has been fixing up vehicles for over 50 years, explained the irritating noise on his YouTube channel.
He revealed that a “squeaking” from under your bonnet could be the result of an issue with your fan belt.
The fan belt is a length of synthetic rubber studded with teeth along the inside.
It loops around a series of shafts on the engine block and keeps them all turning, including the shaft that spins the cooling fan which gives the belt its name.
These shafts are vital to the smooth running of the engine and the belt makes sure they are all synced up and in time with one another.
However, like most engine parts, the fan belt can wear over time and needs to be replaced before it snaps.
This should be done every 60-100,000 miles.
Scotty explained that when the fan belt begins to wear or loses tension it can cause a squeaking noise.
When that happens, a common reaction is to try and lubricate the belt with a bit of WD-40 just like you would a squeaky door hinge.
But the car expert warned against doing so as it can actually do more harm than good.
He urged: “Fan belts are made to run dry.
“If you put lubrication on them, they can slip.
“Spraying oil on it isn’t going to fix that.
“These belts are meant to run dry, do not lubricate them.”
On older cars, the problem can often be fixed by manually tightening the belt with a socket wrench.
With newer models, on the other hand, almost all use automatic tensioners so the noise is either caused by the belt being stretched out or a problem in one of the shafts it drives.
You can solve this by replacing the belt and, if that doesn’t work, taking the car into your local garage for a check-up.
Just make sure not to lubricate the belt at all as that can cause it to slip off while running, potentially causing hundreds of pounds-worth of damage to your engine.
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