I've been hearing a weird sound coming from the belt on the right hand side of the engine by the alternator. Its like a bird chirping sound. I only hear it when the windows are open. Its not very loud. I just had a 45k mile service done. They are supposed to check the belts at that time and they didn't tell me anything.

 

Check to make sure they are not too tight. Maybe try some belt dressing too.

SuDZ

 

I have the same noise coming from under my engine, and when i went to a very very experianced mechanic he told me my lifters are making that noise. I hope its my belt too.

what belt dressing should we use?

 

What will happen if I just leave it alone. Can it mess anything up?

 

Just go to any auto store and ask for belt dressing. They will point it out to you from there. It is all the same.

SuDZ

 

Well if it is a belt you dont want it to go on you while driving. Like your alternator belt will mean the battery will die and leave ou stranded and the accesory belt can kill all the power in your car. Possibly headlights too.

SuDZ

 

You would think that the Nissan Technician would have said something
Oh well, I will take it to Nissan and have them look into it.

Thanks for your help.

 

Was the problem happening then? Maybe it wasnt noticeable yet, believe me they try to get you for any work tey can so if they saw even a little somethign they would try to get you to pay for it.

SuDZ

 

i have to agree there they dont let anything by.

 

I heard from my car this morning when I started it up-a whiring noise just after ignition(just for a sec and it stopped {not the engine})/plus it makes a chirping swish noise. Is that the same belt noise? I noticed after I got back from my drive the noise was gone and its not noticeable from inside the cabin.

 

Probably time to have the accessory belts checked and if they show any signs of cracking or pieces of the belt missing then they should be replaced.

If the belts were recently replaced with new ones, then often you will have to go back to the dealer and have them readjusted after driving on new belts since they stretch a little.

I have changed my belts under these conditions on my 1996 Maxima SE 3 times in 176,000 miles. An average of every 60,000 miles and I just did it again when it started squeaking at startup when the car had sat in the cold weather from noon until time to go home in the evening.

That was about a month or so ago, and I had to go back and have them adjusted, and its been fine since.

White96MaxSE

 

are they hard to change out in the driveway? My car has 64k and unless they changed them out at 30k they are the stock ones

 

Someone else will need to address this question.

I decided that for 30.00 for belts and 1 hour of labor I would rather leave the responsiblity of tensioning the belts to the dealer.

I can hold them responsible if I have any problems due to them being to loose or too tight.

Damage from too tight can be in the form of a water pump, alternator, etc., so I always just have them changed at the dealer.

White96MaxSE

 

Water pump on Max is driven by timing chain, not belt. Adjustment of acc. belts(alt, a/c), can be done in a matter of 5-10mins. All you need is one socket because the pulley bolt and the idler are both the same size. The other belt, which is a bit more difficult than the aforementioned, is still quite easy. Also, I paid ~$9 for my belt. So 9 dollars and 10 minutes, better than 30-50 dollars an hour and 30 dollars a belt.

 

Always much cheaper to do it on you own. It really is only a few bolts to loosen/tigghten and your done. Might as well try it on your own.

SuDZ

 

its probably easier said than done i bet.

 

Thanks for the info on installing belts.

Maybe I'll try putting the belts on myself at 240,000 miles.

Thanks for the correction on the comment about the water pump above.

I would say be careful about overtightening.

I'm still on my original AC compressor and original alternator so
I'm not too unhappy.

20.00 to 30.00 for both belts, plus labor to install at the dealer.
Ya, you're right, still be better to do it yourself and not let the dealer touch the car.

White96MaxSE

 

I used to encounter this fairly frequently on other cars. The belts occasionally slip causing the squealing. I can't remmeber how to solve it exactly, it's been so long but it is a very simple fix. You can spray something on the belts to prevent it. I will ask my friend tomorrow.