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ok. 2002 Outback.

 

55k on the odometer.

 

when accelerating hard, a squealing noise is coming from what sounds like the rear end or from the engine bay. It only occurs above 4500 RPM when the engine is loaded. and usually not until I am in 3rd or 4th gear. So it is hard to pinpoint as I am driving.

 

I tend to think belt, but the belts seem fine.

 

Any Suggestions? thanks.

 

Sean

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  • 2 months later...

Still have the noise, always above 3500rpm. could it be rear end bearings? all belts have been tightened. could it be a leak in the exhaust? I have modified the intake system so there are no silencers and it goes straight to the airbox.

 

I guess it's time to take it to the mechanic.

 

Thanks..

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  • 9 months later...
  • 8 months later...
  • 5 months later...

Ok a few questions.

- are these automatics or manuals

- does the noise appear always at the same rpm

- does the noise appear at the same rpm in all gears or just one gear

- Does weather make a differnce

- is it a squeel or a buzz

- does it happen with the wheels straight or turned, does it go away when the wheels are turned

- what are the mileages on the cars

- is the ac/dfrosters on

 

nipper

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Spray water on the belt and see if the nose changes. I'm fooling around with Goodyear Gatorback belts, have not done the Subie yet. They actually have little traction lumps, take a bit less power to drive, and run cooler. They also don't seem to have slip problems in rain.

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Cookie that is a good looking belt, I just put one on our Saturn. I plan to use them on the Subaru also next time.

Spray water on the belt and see if the nose changes. I'm fooling around with Goodyear Gatorback belts, have not done the Subie yet. They actually have little traction lumps, take a bit less power to drive, and run cooler. They also don't seem to have slip problems in rain.
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Ya know TC, it makes you wonder. The same folks make belts as make tires. They figured out that tires work better with tread about 100 years ago, why did it take them 20 years to put tread on a serpantine belt?

 

you should see all the engineering that goes into a drive belt, its scary.

Its hard to put a "tread" on a serpitine belt, as both sides of the belt is used. It would be like putting treads on the inside of the tire too. on a V belt all the work is done on the angular side of the belts, and not the flat part.

The "treads" in a belt are made to be compresed, not elongated. they would elongate as they went over a reverse pully.

 

nipper

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Yep, I'm sure that's true nip. But regardless the Gatorbacks have little lumps and it seems to have cured the start up squeal on my BMW at least for now.

 

besy i can guess without seeing the belts for myself is that they make little pressure points that can give a little more grip to a glazed pully

 

nipper

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The only difference I see from what I normally buy is the little slots and sort of tread on the underside. Maybe some other manufactuers have this now as it ony seems to make sense. The ones I have been removing tend to be prefectly smooth on the underside or have ridges paralell to the length of the belt.

Out here some folks have reported good results in curing belt slip in the heavy rains. We are now using them on our cars, trucks, and busses in our fleet as they seem to be an improvement.

They aren't much more expensive, run quieter and cooler, help with slip, show a tiny power improvement on the dyno, and are supposed to last longer. (we'll see here in time). So far I don't see much to not like, but they are just fan belts.

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hehe slow day there too?

the cuts diagnal to the belt make perfect snese ona true serptine belt that uses both side to drive accessories. i often question minor dyno gains unless i know they were done in lab conditions, which 90% of the time they arent. And like you said its just a belt. i can't even remeber the last time i had to change a belt on a car when i wasnt chainging timing belts (then i change the drive belts too)

 

nipper

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Auto

high RPMS under load car floored.

lower gears(2,3)

any weather

wheels straight or turned

109,000 new beltsTiming and such

a/c off or on

 

 

 

 

 

Ok a few questions.

- are these automatics or manuals

- does the noise appear always at the same rpm

- does the noise appear at the same rpm in all gears or just one gear

- Does weather make a differnce

- is it a squeel or a buzz

- does it happen with the wheels straight or turned, does it go away when the wheels are turned

- what are the mileages on the cars

- is the ac/dfrosters on

 

nipper

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Auto

high RPMS under load car floored.

lower gears(2,3)

any weather

wheels straight or turned

109,000 new beltsTiming and such

a/c off or on

 

Sounds like the ALT drive belt. SPray the blets with a hose and see if the noise goes away (water acts as a lubricant). If the belts were new they may be glazed by now. you can try belt dressing but that is only temproary. Take the belt off and make sure the drive pullies are clean and free of rust and gunk, use some steel wool then see what happens. You have ruled out AC and PS by your descriptions.

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