QuestionIn April '06 I had my timing belt and every other belt in my car replaced. When I start my engine something starts to squeal loud, and then a few seconds later stops. When I would slow down to make a turn it would squeal. When I would turn on my defroster something would squeal. Also making turns where I turn the steering wheel a lot causes it to squeal. I went to meineke and they checked all of my belts and said that all the belts looked fine and even lubed them up for me to stop the squealing. That didn't work. Now my engine light came on and won't go off. My brother knows absolutely nothing about cars, but mentioned something about I don't know what the problem is. Any info that you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Also, on a side note, what type of coolant should I put in my car? I don't want to put something I shouldn't? And what kind of oil goes in the car? When I used to go to the dealer they said it was a special oil and if it wasn't put in your car the warranty would become void. And where is the cap to drain the oil? I'm trying to do things on my own.
Thanks a lot,
Rita
AnswerHi, Rita. You should be commended for trying to do some work yourself.
Since the squealing started after the timing belt was replaced, I'd suspect that at least one of the drive belts is loose. On this car, the alternator belt is the usual culprit. To prevent squealing, it needs to be tighter than most people are familiar with. If you can flex the alternator belt up and down easily, it's too loose and likely to squeal. If you've loosened and tightened belts before, you can do this yourself pretty easily. If this would be the first time, you're probably better having someone coach you or having someone else do it. Learning how tight to set a belt is something that comes with experience, and I wouldn't want you to damage something. At least for this issue, I'd think the shop that replaced the timing belt would be happy to retension the belts for free (since they just installed them).
As far as the check engine lamp, the only way it would be related to the belt would be if the lubrication caused it to slip so much on the alternator that the system voltage got to be too low. You should have the trouble codes read so you know what type of problem it is. Places like AutoZone have advertised that they'll do this for free. Similarly, since the timing belt was just replaced, the shop that did it may be willing to check the code for free for you just as a way of checking to make sure whether it's related to the work they've done. Most reputable shops would do this.
Your car uses standard green coolant. You can purchase full strength coolant (ethylene glycol) and mix 50-50 with water for a proper mix for most climates.
Your owner's manual will specify the oil rating designation that's required for your car (something like SH). You'll want to use 5W-20, 10W-30, or 10W-40 in your car. If your oil cap has a preferred viscosity, it's probably best to use that. Otherwise, I'd recommend 5W-20 in cold climates, 10W-30 in moderate climates, and 10W-40 in hot climates. As long as you purchase a name brand oil in one of those viscosities, it should meet or exceed the specified rating. If you're not sure, you should be able to look at the seal on the bottle. If the required rating in the owner's manual was SH, for example, an oil with a rating which had a second letter that came later than H (SJ, for example) would meet or exceed the SH rating. If you don't understand, someone in the parts store should be able to help you with this.
To drain the oil from the engine, you simply need to remove the 17mm bolt from the bottom of the oil pan.
