Okay, so i just recently changed my accessory belt b/c it had a small tear in it...ended up actually breaking the tensioner bolt so i had to get that replaced and stuff. so, anyway, the acc belt starts squealing like a banshee again and i'm wondering why, since it's brand new (i re-tensioned it after the first couple drives with the new belt, although it's all by feel since i don't have one of those guages the big book says to use).

anyway, i popped open the hood and i think i discovered why it's squealing--i've got oil splatter marks right in the area around where the belts/sproket is/are and a nice littel band of black on the underneath part of my hood. now, this looks like it's pretty bad, but what could have sprung a leak in this area? i'm not very familiar with toyota motors, as i've owned hondas all my life. perhaps it's just a minor gasket (what's in this area? starter? something else?). maybe i'll be able to get a pic or two up later...but does this problem sound familar to anyone?

thx in advance

edit: i realized it'd probably be helpful if i specified what type of engine this is--it's a 99gt liftback, autotragic, 2.2L

edit:
oil spray underneath hood
dirty communist oil invading my engine bay
oil splatter on pulley/sprocket thing

This post has been edited by Abraxis64: Jun 11, 2006 - 8:13 PM

That looks like road grime to me. I had the same experience with my 99 GT hatch, but it was losing no oil.

seems like your engine bay needs a good "degreasing"

does your air conditioning work?

isn't it normal to squeak?? how many miles on it? i have a belt squeak too, happens as the car warms up and stays squeaking, not loud, but noticable and im not losing any liquid, check to see if you're losing coolant, because when i had a waterpump leak, my belts were squeaking like crazy.

Yeah, my ac still works. before, when the belt had the tear, it'd squeal for a bit when i first started it and then would stop after it got warmed up. same thing once i changed it and before i retensioned it. now, that thing seems to squeal whenever the heck it wants. it'll do it on warm-up again...but also like if i turn it off while on the freeway and decide to turn it back on again there it is again! it doesn't care. sometimes, i'll just be driving with it on and it'll give a little squeal, just as a reminder that it's not happy or something.

a lot of that seems to be road grime, but some of it (the splatter that made it's way onto the underportion of my hood) is always kind of fresh and wet and seems to be localized around the pulley. are there any seals around that area that could've gone bad?

pure_dx i've never had a car where the accessory belt (or any belt, really) squeaked as a rule. it's usually a sign of either a tensioner that needs attention or a belt that needs replacing. might be go time to just give a peek at your belt to make sure it's not fraying or sporting a tear. if it looks fine, go ahead and start the ac and see how much wobble you have in the belt as its spinning. if it looks like it's too much, u may just need to retension it.

thanks for the advice, guys.

peace

That looks like drive belt to me. Seems something is seizing. Is the belt tensioned sufficiently? I wonder if the alternator or a/c compressor is locking up. Oil on the belts will be oily. That looks kinda powdery. Good luck.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v95/Abraxis/DSC01410.jpg

look carefully at the belt edges. something is misaligned and chewing the edges of the belt!

good catch bitter, i just notice the belt dust all over the engine bay.

this happened to the vert celi quite recently, its still in the backyard:P

what happened is the crank pully/harmonic balancer on our engine is a 2-peice held together by a rubberized seal, well it failed and caused the accessory drive part of it to pop off, grind the belts till they melted everywhere, and grind agaist the frame causing the car to turn off..

might want to give it a check.

>

gee, good thing you guys [bitter, 95celtgt] caught this...could potentially lead to a disaster! lol. thanks a bunch, i'll make sure to tinker around with things or have someone give a look at it.

peace

finally the vert lives! put the new pulley in, along with belts and BAM, drivable.

that'll be a $69.95 diagnostic fee, PM me for my paypal adress