Squeaky Timing Belt/Drive

[badvibrations]

The Belt/Tensioner are fairly fresh. ~15k miles

1. Ever get one?

2. What did you do about it?

3. Should I be in fear of it breaking?


-Thanks

[jlevie]

Unless the belt is rubbing on the timing covers, noise from the belt area will be a bad tensioner bearing. In either case you'll need to replace the belt and tensioner. I'd hesitate to drive car until the belt and tensioner are changed. A noisy tensioner bearing or a rubbing belt could suddenly fail.

The other possibility is that the noise is from the water pump. The quick check for that is to remove the belt and run the engine (from cold) for no more than a minute or two. If the noise goes away you know that it isn't from the timing belt.

[badvibrations]

I have listened to the tensioner using a long screwdriver(with the rear timing cover removed). The noise of the tensioner is the normal sound you hear when listening to a pulley bearing. Also the tensioner's noise does not sync with the oscillation of the squeal. The noise is only present during the first few minutes of warm up. After that it is totally unnoticeable.

I have removed the other drive belts and have narrowed it down to the timing drive. The oscillation of the squeal syncs up with the label printed on the timing belt as it passes in and out of view.

I guess I'll just have to disassemble for inspection.