Serpentine Belt Squeak Cold Start - 2005 Camry LE

Maintenance/Repairs
21

Yo . . . this car has an automatic belt tensioner

It’s impossible to re-adjust the belt tension

Please don’t take this the wrong way . . . you need to buy yourself some newer vehicles which have features that modern cars have, so that you have some good reference point(s)

The days of 5 or more V-belts and re-adjusting the belt tension every month are over

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

3 Likes
22

Above is car starting from cold start with heat and air conditioning off. About 50 degrees outside

Above is a video after driving for about 45 minutes, with air condition running for about 15 minutes

Thanks for any help everyone

23

True, it’s not possible to adjust the tension, but it IS possible for the tensioner to not work correctly, or the tensioner can be installed incorrectly, as well for the belt can be installed incorrectly. The belt installation instructions require for example that the belt tensioner be turned clockwise for a minimum of 3 seconds. If that’s not done, who know what will happen to the belt tension. That’s why it says as part of the install procedure the the tension must verified after running the engine for 5 minutes whenever installing a new belt.

24

Is that what sounds like is going on with my car? I took some videos of it

25

Looks like you have a dirty belt and it squeaks, that is more common than a tensioner failure. Replace the belt.

26

thanks ill give that a shot

27

“The belt installation instructions require for example that the belt tensioner be turned clockwise for a minimum of 3 seconds.”

I read this in the install instructions as well. What exactly is this referring to? 3 seconds in terms of time or angle? And how far do I rotate it in the clockwise direction and how? Sense the strut has a bolt in it, and in the metal part of the tensioner there is a bolt in it, I can’t really rotate the tensioner clockwise much. Sorry but I’m confused by what this is telling me to do.

How do you verify belt tension after installing it after it’s been running for five minutes? I know how to measure tension, so I go to measure it but what do I compare my measurement to, to verify proper tension?

Thanks I’ve been learning a lot.

28

I heard Toyota changed that belt for a 7PK1940…I got the the Contitech PK070763 AND I snapped the nut on the tensioner…Now I have to replace both…Just hope your sound is not from bearings or water pump…