MikeGS4PE

Hello Guys,

I am getting very annoyed by my car right about now. The belts or something associated with them has started to whine again. I had this fixed at a dealership about 25k miles ago, but its back again though not as bad as before. They apparently replaced the belts, but I am not very positive about that. I would take the car in again, but the last time I was there they scratched up my dash and gauge clusters while fixing a problem I had, so I don't want them touching my car again! argh. Do you guys have any suggestion as to how I can fix this noise? This noise has always lingered around with this car and its embarrasing sometimes! Haha, especially in the morning. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

zenki300

iTrader: (3)

Your belts might be loose. They might have replaced the belts, but they might not have tightened it properly. Just make sure your problem is the belts and not something else, like the valves or something. Chances are it's the belts though.

That is all.

biggie27

mike I have the same problem as you do, first off if you habe low miles them Im pretty sure that the belt starts to whine early in the morning or when the car is cold, correct? If thats the case then you really cant do anything about it, its just do to damp and wet weather. and once the belt dries off the noise will go away. The second option is that the car has high miles on it and your belt has some wear and tear ( but it cant be this since you just changed your belt ) and it could be cracking, if thats the case then you need to change your belt again

MikeGS4PE

biggie - You are completely correct when saying it occurs in the morning on start up and in damp conditions! After running for a while, it seems to go away. Argh, why is this? I mean I do understand the logic behind it, but why don't all cars do this then? I have about 53k miles and the belts were "changed" at about 21k, so I am not sure...though I am going to check to see whether or not they are tightened properly like zenki said. I do appreciate the help! Take care guys!

whitels

To be sure that it's the belt that's causing the problem, buy a "Belt Dressing" spray from a car parts store. Run the engine on Park, open the hood and spray it on the belt while the whining is on. If you notice a change in noise, then you've hit the problem. In my experience, belt dressing sometimes can quiet belt squeaking noise.

MikeGS4PE

Alright, I tried belt dressing! Solved the problem for about 5 mins! argh! The squeak is gone from idle to about 2.2k rpm, but after that...it gets very bad! At this point, I have no idea as to what to do!

whitels

Noise is definitely not normal but it looks certain that it's generated by the belt. If it was fixed before but came back, I would suspect it is the belt tension - too loose. I think these cars have auto belt tensioning system. Might not be picking up the slack tight enough. Suggest returning it to dealer but mention that it was fixed before but problem reappeared. They should replace the belt, and check the tensioning system if it is pulling the correct tension. Too loose will glaze the belt and damage it causing it to generate noise.

MikeGS4PE

Thanks for the help whitels! I will keep you posted on the situation

MikeGS4PE

Oh yah, I am almost at 60k miles. The service manual suggests change the "v" belt at that time. Should I just wait for that and see what happens?

MikeGS4PE

Here is a new one, the squeal lessens when the AC is turned on. Why is that? I hope the AC clutch is not going bad! It costs nearly 600.00!

MikeGS4PE

Alright, I decided to just try replaced the belt once again. Well, after 2 days in rainy weather, no problems at all! I ened up going with a belt from Autozone for 14.99 as opposed to the one Lexus sells that is made by Mitsubishi for 70.00. If this solves my problem for at least 10k miles, I will be extremely happy. I think the amount that lexus charges for these items is outrageous! Listen to this one, I usually get charged 13.33 for an oil filter at lexus when my car is service and I am lazy. When I do the oil changes myself, I go to a toyota dealership and they normally sell the same exact oil filter for about 7.00. Does this make sense? Nope...oh well. Thanks for all the help again!

whitels

The extra load in the belt from the AC compressor can cancel the high frequency noise regularly emitted by the belt.

Hope the replacement belt takes care of the noise permanently. One suggestion, check your belt every 3 months for cracks. I've tried those belts myself in other cars (not the GS) and I've found that except for the ones manufactured in Canada which held the best, some can crack within a year. The one the Toyota/Lexus sells is actually MITSUBOSHI (it's with an "O") and they're really great for the long haul.

MikeGS4PE

Thanks for clearing that up I do realize the belts may be of a cheaper qaulity than the Mitsuboshi one, but if this is the solution to my problem...I wouldn't mind replacing it every 3-6 months because the install only took less than 5 mins... Anyway, my problem probably starts with me living in Michigan where we normally see worse weather than the general population of clublexus...Thanks again!

GSquicksilver

WD-40 works pretty well for me and has gotten rid of any belt squeals on any car i've used it on. good luck on your car