Thread: Squeal during cold start-up

For the longest time my car has made a squealing sound when I start up the
car and the engine is cold. It only happens when I first start it then goes
away right away. I noticed that if the engine is cold and I start it then turn
on the A/C the squeal gets louder for a few seconds then goes away. Anyone
know what the cause could be ?! I replaced my starter a year ago so I'm pretty
sure it's not that. Could it be an old belt or something?

Its one of your belts. Possibly Alternator, Crank and A/C belt.

Try adjusting it to remove slack. At the same time, the same thing could be that it's overtightened. Take a peak, give it a tug, and adjust as you see fit.

Alright thanks for the quick response !

Are some belt brands better than others or are they all pretty much the same ?!
Just wondering.

No problem. Some are better than others, but they're so cheap at Courtesy Nissan there's no real reason to buy them anywhere else. However, if your belts are in good shape, just badly adjusted, I wouldn't bother doing anything other than tightening/loosening them. You'll need a 12mm socket, and probably a small 1/4 drive ratchet for the best adjustment. TIP: tap on the alternator downward with an extension when loosening it to get it to move. Same thing with the PS pump.

Pretty much the same.

I used to use the Gator racing belt for the WP PS and Crank. Didnt notice any difference. Probably has longer life and is stronger but I ended up deleting my WP and ripping out my power steering so I never really found out.

Starter squeal is a classic problem with the SR20. Search using "starter squeal" on the old forum.

When you talk about AC in describing your problem, however, it does lead one to suspect belts. The starter squeal lasts for a second or less and can be fixed by lubbing a certain part of the starter (requires dissassembly and preferably removal from car). If the belts don't fix the noise, check into starter squeal.

get some belt dressing and see if that goes away

Starter squeal like mentioned. Happens all the time.

My wife's B15 does the same thing. Just too lazy to fix it. It is for sure the a/c alt belt