hi,
not sure if my question is too naive, but anyways, here it is
our car is having this very laud belt noise, and wondering if it was the timing belt, or if it could be from “another” belt, and if so, which one?
thanks!!
What kind of noise ?
Squealing ? Grinding ?
Timing belts have teeth and do not slip to make noise .
You have yet to impart the year and mileage but generaly belt noise means…
Get a new fan belt.
While it’s off, test spin the pulleys it works. The power steering may not spin freely but the others will and you can hear and feel if they’re ok. A binding pulley or item that has a pulley like the alternator, a/c, and water pump would cause a squeal.
If it still makes noise test the tensioner. If it’s a spring loaded type you’ll feel that as you remove the old belt.
thanks for quick replay!
it’s a squealing noise—typical from when you just start a car–, but this noise is not going away!
The power steering spins just fine, so i don’t think it’s that, but as you said the water pump could be too
i guess i’m going for a fan belt replacement and see from there how it works
thanks again!
Most cars don’t have fan belts. What kind of car? Electric powered fan?
really? …huh
it’s a hyunday elantra 2002 or 2003
It’s not the timing belt, the car wouldn’t run after the first squeak. Of course, if you haven’t replaced the timing belt yet, I’ll bet it’s about due.
It’s probably the accessory drive belt. It turns the AC, alternator, power steering and whatever.
FWD cars don’t have belt driven fans because the engines are turned the wrong way. Many RWD cars now use electric fans too, because they work better and steal less power.
Oh, c’mon, youall know dang well what I mean by “fan” belt.
It’s just a generic term everybody uses so ( lars46 ) don’t get all hyper-technical with overkill P-C terminology.
Yes, of course. Many years from now, people will wonder why they are sometimes called fan belts when no one can remember ever seeing one connected to a fan…
Ken, I Knew Exactly What You Meant. Also, Since You Sell Automobile Parts For A Living, And Have For Years, . . .
. . . I know you know the difference between accessory ribbed serpentine, V - belts, and timing belts.
I’d also bet that any mechanic with a brain would know what to look at on a customer’s car if the person complained of a noisy fan belt, . . . RWD, FWD, AWD, . . . whatever.
If you asked me for a Kleenex I’d hand you a tissue even if it wasn’t Kleenx brand.
CSA
Thanks guys , I know all us old dogs know generic terms and use them widely.
espcially me , here in the four corners, a veritable language barrier haven.
At the parts counter you don’t nit-pick the political correctness of the terms as the customer gives their inital description.
You let them say it out, in their own words, as you picture in your mind what they must mean.
And lo-and-behold you usually get it right the first time.
Or the second, if the investigative questions are also rudimentary.
In Navajo there are many words for things, especially nouns, that flat out do not exist. A liquistic technical translation is simply a lengthy description.
In spanish, many words a latin based and you can deduce the root.
Zuni is as obscure as Navajo.
We also have customers of arabic, palestinian, and other mid-eastern backgrounds and ALL of these “english as a second language” customers have taught me a valuable life lesson about tolerance, leeway, assumptions, and first impressions.
“it’s a hyunday (sic) elantra 2002 or 2003”
Ummmm…You don’t know the model year of your own car?
Do you know the odometer mileage?
Do you know when the timing belt should be replaced?
Do you know what happens when it snaps? (Hint: Your wallet will take a major hit.)
we thanks to all of you for your comments/suggestions and cultural insights! indeed, english is not my mother tongue, so very appropriate conversation!
and i don’t know the year of the car, because it’s my wife’s sister’s that we’re borrowing, and she bought it used; so no clue about its history!! 
thanks again!
"i don’t know the year of the car, because it’s my wife’s sister’s that we’re borrowing, and she bought it used; so no clue about its history!!
You can clear up the mystery about the model year of the car by simply looking at the vehicle’s registration or its insurance card. If you are driving it, surely you must have possession of the registration and proof of insurance.
As to the maintenance history of the vehicle, we have said it many times previously in this forum, but here goes again:
[i]If you don’t have maintenance records for a used car, then you have to assume that no maintenance of any kind has been done.[/i]
Refer to a copy of the Hyundai Maintenance Schedule to see what maintenance should have been done by the time that you have reached the current odometer mileage–and have it all done.
Will this extensive maintenance list be expensive? You bet.
But, if you think that maintenance is expensive, wait until you see how much repairs cost!