[eastwest]

Hello,

I searched and could not find any threads that described my problem - I recently bought an Accord and it has been great.

I would really appreciate your help in diagnosing a problem that recently just crept up on me. As the seasons are changing I've noticed my car doesn't act the same as it did earlier hotter vs colder climate (live in Canada:notworthy).

Twice now when I went to start the car, it makes a weird screeching noise. I stop switching the ignition to ON and then I retry it and it will work. The sound is annoying and because of my actions (stopping and retrying) doesn't last that long.

Thoughts...

Thanks in advance.

 

[jimijam]

Belt?

 

[RickBlaine]

You live in Canada but you are posting in miles? How dare you!

Yeah, sounds like the serpentine belt. They sometimes screech at first start up while the belt is "cold". After a few minutes they may have warmed up enough to be more flexible and stretch a little, so no more sound.

You have low miles BUT the belt is 7 years old. I suppose with Canada's harsh winters it may be time to get a new serpentine belt. They are $22 -$35 and take about 3 minutes to replace. Very easy.

Do you have a 4 or 6 cylinder?

Does the sound always stay the same or does it change in pitch and tempo as you give your car gas?

 

[eastwest]

The sound is usually the same - very short duration but it screeches loudly. As soon as I hear it, I disengage and retry it and it works - no sound. Funny enough this morning I tried cold starting and turning the ignition on so quickly that I did not hear the sound. I looked at the belt and did not see any cracks or tears; even had a good tension to it. But you're right - it might be time for a new belt.

I have a I4 06 with 69XXX KM

 

[SteelyJoe]

+1 on the belt. Screeching happens when the pulleys and the belt slip in relation to one another. The fact that it happens when the car is in park rules out anything in the drivetrain. You haven't reported that any of your systems have shown issues (A/C, alternator, or power steering), which indicates that the pulleys probably are not the issue. The fact that it's getting colder means the rubber in the belt is stiffening, and slipping.

There's only one belt on these engines, at I thought it was as easy as an oil change to DIY. You can either get the special tool from an auto parts shop, or nest the 14mm wrench inside a 17mm wrench to get more torque. Search this technique for pictures - it worked for me.