[GoldHawg]

When I first start the Impala in the a.m., when its a bit cooler outside, the car squeals when I turn the wheels. After you get going, it doesn't do this anymore. Is the the power steering pump going bad? Or could this be the tensioner?

thx!

 

[cletus284]

Belt and/or tensioner. Also, check for coolant at the water pump weep hole on the bottom. It could be leaking on the belt. If it's leaking, you need a new water pump.

 

[GoldHawg]

I can understand the tensioner (I think), as if its not putting the pressure on the belt keeping it tight it would squeal when the PS pump puts more drag to build up hydraulic pressure. But the belt I'm not sure what the issue might be--do they stretch over time? And if its stretched, wouldn't it make noise all the time? Why only cold?

So how does one tell if it is a bad tensioner or the belt? Just remove and replace and hope that's it, or is there a check one can do? The belt is about 45k miles old, the tensioner has never been replaced (154k total miles).

Thx!