Hello to everyone, I have a new Fit SPort and when I start it in the morning when it is cold 20o or so it makes a loud squeal, to me it sounds like belt slippage. I dont think it is the belt because it would do it all the time. when the car is warm it doesnt make the noise, and even when cold sometimes it doesnt squeal, Any ideas?

 

May have to leave it overnight at the dealer so the tech can observe it on cold start-up next morning.

 

hmmm, i thought i was the only one. keep me posted if you find out what that is because i hear it sometimes too in my GE which only about 2yr old and has 18k miles. more so lately when the weather has been around the 20's! I have noticed the sound to not happen when i shift a little slower, and also let my car warm up...

 

If the car is new have a dealer look at it. A weak serpentine belt tensioner could do that.

If the car is off warranty (IE, not a new car, but New to You) I'd try replacing the belt alone first...but be prepared to replace a tensioner (and the belt again) if the problem re-occurs.

PS: When a rubber belt starts to squeal (slip) it gets glazed and "loses traction"...that's why they need to be replaced once they start to squeal.

 

Doug, thank's for the reply, I am going to leave the car at the dealer next week, I just hope it makes the noise than. That's the problem, sometimes it does sometimes it doesn't

 

Buff, thank's for the reply, yes the car is new and I brought it to the dealer but they told me that they have to hear it for themselves so they can diagnose the problem. I would think the mechanic would look at the belt/tensioner which you suggested. The only problem is that when I leave it there I hope it makes that horrible noise, sometimes it does sometimes it doesn't. When I talked to the mechanic and asked him what he tought, he said he couldn't make a guess until he heard the noise, boy I am in for a long ordeal.

 

That is sound practice... what you call a "squeal" could be something else.

Good Luck (I know that it is hard when dealing with intermittent problems)

Any correlation between dampness (rainy days) and the sound?

 

A quick squeal on a cold start on the morning suggests incorrect belt tension or a worn belt. It only does it on cold starts because the belt is cold. When the belt is at operating temprature, it becomes stickier. An example would be usually when you have a consistant belt squeel, revving the engine usually makes it disappear because you are heating the belt up with engine revvs.

 

Kirk, thank's for the reply, I agree with your conclusion, I just wish the dealer would just look at the belt and make a termination what they intend to do, replace belt or adjust it.

 

Just got back from the dealer and the mechanic said that the squeal in the morning is normal and there is nothing to do to fix it. To me it doesn't sound right, what do you guys think? Here is a link to the squeal, any input would be appreciated. YouTube - honda fit squeal

 

I don't think you uploaded all of the video, or perhaps the wrong one.

Squeal in the morning is NEVER normal. If the belt squeals when it's cold, it's likely glazed enough to squeal when it's raining/snowing hard enough. That means stopped accessories and thus temporarily dimmed lights, and so on. Either a bad/loose tensioner depending on type or the car sat on the lot for 3 months before you bought it (this is really the most common cause for new belt squeal IMO).

 

I would go back to the dealer and have a sit down with the service manager. like polaski says, squealing belts are no way normal. Not sure of your video???

 

Polaski, Thank's for the reply. I agree with you that it is not normal for a new car with 2000 miles on it to have a belt squeal when it is cold and wet. I just didn't want to argue with the mechanic, so I will contact Honda and maybe go to another dealer. The stange thing about this is it dosen't squeal after the initial start no matter what the weather. Regards to all, as far as the video, if you lisen to it carefully you can hear the noise I am talking about

 

Hi I have a 2002 Fit 1.3 and the belt squeels sometimes but only when the AC is on. If I shut the AC off the squeeling goes away. Any suggestions on what to do ? I was going to tighten the belt but I do not have the special honda belt tool that gives the proper measurment. Any other way yo tell if the belt deflection is within specs? Thanks for your help.

 

You can do it without the special tool. You can look up your belt deflection here:

Click on manual

Honda Jazz 1.4 CVT Making Comfortable

 

an easy way to diagnose i've found on other cars is to test things that would be belt driven such as the power steering and a/c.

try turning the a/c off and the defroster and see if that does anything.

also turn the steering wheel side to side to see if it induces a squeal.

also it couldn't hurt to look under the hood and feel for loose belts.

obviously while the car is off

 

Well since I did not have the deflection tool I tightened it on a whim until the squeeling sound dissapeared. Thanks for the advice. 1 more issue crossed of the to do list!

 

AH dude the Fit has electronic assisted steering. Wiggling the steering wheel will have no effect on belt squeal as there is NO BELT DRIVEN power steering pump like on OLD cars.