lsportlex

hello everyone,
i have a 2000 gs4 i really dont drive the car, its been sitting for about 3 weeks or so cause the weather has been bad...but i just recently started my car up and drove it a little....now the belt make a very loud squelling noise... a friend of mine says all i need is some belt dressing... now im turning to my CL members for advice... the car has only 45,000 miles to my knowledge, i dont think it needs a belt... or does it???

steviej

iTrader: (1)

my 02 ES started to make some belt noise. Before you use a belt dressing (fixes the symptom NOT the cause) have the tension in the belts adjusted. They may just be loose. It is a simple adjustment made by any mechanic or DIYer. On the ES the ALT belt is easy to adjust, the PS belt had to go to the service guy to adjust. Now, not a sound is heard.

If the belts are dried and starting to crack or frey, then be safe and have them replaced.

steviej

Lexkost

Never use belt dressing .........buy a new belt!!!!!

ChuH

It may not be the belt. It may be the idler pulley. I am having my replace under warranty next week by the dealer for the second time. Guam is quite humid and tropical air which cause the bearing to rust. To find out if it is the idler pulley try squirting some WD-40 or lithium grease between bearing and face plate. If the sound disappear it is the idler pulley.

The idler pulley is located between the intake tube and radiator hose.

Chu...

steviej

iTrader: (1)

he is not in Guam, he is in Rhode Island, but you have an excellent suggestion.

lsportlex

much thanks for all the info fellas......hey steve where in mass are you located??

ChuH

Yes, I know he is not in Guam. Just want to let him know it is common problem here on Guam where the tropical weather is quite harsh. Every morning when it rains during the night my car would squeak. Quite embarrassing for a $50K+ car to do that. Had the same problem with my 95 SC400 which was also idler pulley.

Chu...

steviej

iTrader: (1)

I live in Scituate, on the South Shore. Most of my family lives on Cape Cod, and I work in Boston.
Watch the Regional meetings forum. There is a spring meet in the works for MA.

Where abouts are you?


Back to the belts, when you start the car up on a cold morning, and then gently turn the steering wheel, do the belts squeal? Or does it only squeal when you push on the gas, like when you are warming the car?
They are only rubber and will stretch over time and the tension will need to be adjusted. My old car has spring loaded tensioners, so adjustment was constant and I never heard a squeal.

good luck.

steviej

vwluv10338

There is no adjustment on the belt on a GS400/430. Try belt dressing or drive it for a while and see if it goes away. If it doesnt and it is the belt it will cost about $97 for the belt plus maybe 1.0 hr for install.

Eric

lsportlex

im in the providence area... employee at hi-tech auto salon, heard of us?? yeah if there is a club lexus meet i would be excited to attend it and see who is who.. im kinda new to this site and not sure how things are set up... but everything about this site has been cool...
about the belt i only makes noise when i rev the engine..so i guess i have to get the car serviced and get a new belt cause i cant adjust it...WELL THANKS FOR ALL THE INFO EVERYONE...

steviej

iTrader: (1)

Not even a tensioning bolt on the alternator?

sj

BananaGS

GS3/4 does not have any tension bolts. The belt is self-tensioned through a tension pulley that is spring loaded inside. 1 belt drives everything (AC/ALT/Powersteering/...) I don't use belt dressing. The only quiet the belt for a few days and you have to use it again, and it get worst everyday.

mikeyboy

it could just be from the moisture which causes your belts to begin to squeak. Try to first put a type of lubircant, since i own a mechanics shop i just use white lithium grease. If this problem presists in the future, then you need to get it checked out, it maybe be a tensioner or pulley.

joshoowa

iTrader: (1)

my belts squeal as well but i also noticed that the bearing in the pulleys were rusting i wd-40ed them the squeal went away. this never really bothered me this has happened well over a year but only squeals in the cold and since i live in houston cold isnt really a factor. well i got my lazy butt up and sent it to the dealership i got my car back yesterday, still under warranty they told me it was my belt being loose. they just gave me a new one and the whole squealing stopped