Hi all! i frequent this website more than id like to. This time around, my 2005 prius has started squealing. I live in illinois and we are now reaching sub 0 temps and as soon as it got below 30 my car started acting weird. slower, taking longer to accelerate but thats not completely unlike my car so i ignored it. Well this morning i drove on the highway for around 40 minutes, got off and the second i hit a light and had to brake for the first time a VERY LOUD squealing sound came from the front side of the car and didnt stop until i pulled over and turned the car off. turned it back on to no noise. then i kept driving around 5 minutes down the road, braking normally with no noise until i reach another light and here comes the noise again. i turn off the car and the noise stops when i turn it back on. im at work now and havent driven my car so unsure of what will happen on my drive home. (keep in mind the weirdness didnt start until the cold weather really hit about two weeks ago, not sure if that has anything to do with it)
do you know how i would check that? would that pop up as a code or would i have to physically check in the car?
Have someone drive your car and repeat the noise while you walk or run along next to passenger side front wheel... The belt is behind that wheel on that side of the engine... Propping up the hood might help. I have some doubts that's the problem but it would be a good place to start.
small update, turned the car on to warm up before i leave, no noise. hoping the cold air just got to it and that all is well ( but i doubt it ). this car has made this same noise ONCE before and it was late summer, right before i got an oil change. after getting the change it has never made the sound again til now. wondering if that could have something to do with it ?
yet another update! on my drive home i heard the same noise but this time about 50 times quieter. very faint, could definitely miss it if music were turned up. so i drive with the music off for my 30 minute ride home, and continue hearing the noise whether or not im braking or accelerating, it stops and starts sporadically. well i decide to turn off the air conditioning to be able to hear the sound even better, AND THE NOISE STOPS. not once did it squeak or squeal again. is there something to do about this????? does this mean something??? help!!
It could be the fan for the heater/AC inside the car. The bearings for the motor probably need lubricated.
The OP should either check the one belt this car has, or have a mechanic do it. Freezing weather can push a marginal belt over the edge, and the Prius could be damaged if it falls off, taking the mechanical water pump out of action.
You're talking about a 21 year old car... Of course its going to make weird noises! And yeah... an old Prius AC can get noisy and why you'd be using the AC in the middle of winter in Chicago makes no sense to me. Ignore the noises... Enjoy your old car and don't spend any money on it until something actually breaks!
Since the OP is asking us, "how to check" the ONLY belt on the car - I'd be inclined to tell them to take it to a professional; before something falls off and causes some major damage. It could be something as simple as the warning tabs on the brake pads. Dumping a bunch of coincidental things into the mix, doesn't help matters. We all know staring and playing where's Waldo isn't going to fix this. Someone with basic troubleshooting skills needs to look at this. There's also ignoring it and hope for the best..... just my two cents....
OP here- telling me to take it to a professional is a very valid response LOL. Considering ive discovered it stops when i turn the ac/heat off, im going to ignore and pray! thanks for the response!
When people hear a weird noise on their 20 year old car and ask about it we suck at being useful and most noise descriptions are even worse than that. More to the point hearing your old car make a noise and thinking you need to "take it to a professional; before something falls off" is so irrational that's its like rolling into a repair shop with a blinking sign over your head saying "I'm gullible, drain my bank account of as much as you want." We all gotta be smarter about car noises than that!
