# Squealing noise in 1996 mitsubishi galant!

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/squealing-noise-in-1996-mitsubishi-galant/37357>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** noises, galant, mitsubishi\
**Created:** [September 30, 2009, 8:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squealing-noise-in-1996-mitsubishi-galant/37357 "2009-09-30T08:07:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gaga2009](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@gaga2009](https://community.cartalk.com/u/gaga2009)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 8:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squealing-noise-in-1996-mitsubishi-galant/37357/1 "2009-09-30T08:07:08Z")

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My car tends to make this squealing noise everytime I turn it on. Before it used to be a short while and then it would go away. lately it gets longer and longer before it turns off. It as also begun to occur when ever I drive after having stopped at a red light. I previously had this issue and my mechanic said it was my belts which he replaced. The noise came back and he tightened the belts. this worked out for a couple of months but it is back and worse. My mechanic now suggestes that he would have to take the engine apart to figure it out. I am hoping someone may have an Idea of what it could be aside from the belt? Or can it only be associated with the belt? help please!

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**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squealing-noise-in-1996-mitsubishi-galant/37357/2 "2009-09-30T09:09:55Z")

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You need a new mechanic. Anyone who says they’d have to take the engine apart to figure out a belt squeal problem can’t be trusted. This mechanic is trying to make you go away.

So, go away.

You know it’s the belts because the noise stopped for a while (a couple of months). You’ve described a classic case of slipping accessory drive belts.

Take the car to a different mechanic.

There may be a mechanical problem with one of the driven accessories (alternator, power steering pump, AC compressor, etc) which is causing the belts to slip. Because they’ve been slipping, and squealing, for a while, the belts are shot, no matter how old they are, and definitely need to be replaced.

Tightening won’t stop the noise. You need new belts, and you need a mechanic who will check the driven accessories, check the alignment of all pulleys, and install and tighten the new belts correctly.

There is nothing inside the engine that makes a squealing noise, even under the worst of circumstances. Suggesting that the engine needs to be taken apart to find the source of the noise is ridiculous.

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**Author:** ![gaga2009](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@gaga2009](https://community.cartalk.com/u/gaga2009)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squealing-noise-in-1996-mitsubishi-galant/37357/3 "2009-09-30T17:06:55Z")

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Thanks so much. I will definitely go to a new mechanic and hopefully they can figure what is wrong.

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**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 10:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/squealing-noise-in-1996-mitsubishi-galant/37357/4 "2009-10-01T10:45:46Z")

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Most likely cause is a belt tensioner or idler pulley needs replacing.