Toyota car and truck forums

My 1992 Toy Previa has recently started making a chirping, multi-toned squealing sound , does not do it in park, idling or
reverse. Mainly in drive starting out, and especially when hitting the gas. may stop for a few minutes, then starts again
for approx. 30 seconds, happens intermittantly through length of drive. Does not seem to go away after car has been driven
awhile (heated up). Cold does not appear to be a factor. I was told my a couple of different people that belts may need to
be sprayed with a belt lubricant spray (have not done). Please advise

If you have not had the drivebelts replaced in the last 30K miles or 2 years or if they look at all shiny (glazed) or show an extreme number of tiny cracks over its length, then I would say it would most likely be a slipping drivebelt or bad pulley bearing. I would highly recommend against any belt lubricant spray. The sprays are a temporary solution at best, and some cases, will significantly weaken the belt.

You will need to isolate the sound - will be difficult, since the squealing seems to be load driven (vehicle in gear, accelerating from a stop). You can try and duplicate the sound by brake torqueing the vehicle and see if the noise starts up. Basically, you have someone view the drivebelts with the engine running, hood up - set parking brake and firmly hold down the brake pedal as you shift into drive - maintaining brake pedal pressure, depress the accelerator to raise the engine load - done relatively quickly, no harm will be done to the car - make sure to give the transaxle time to cool down. This will have the same effect as towing a trailer uphill.

You should note squealing right away - if it is a load driven issue. If you are able to - have a squirt bottle handy with some plain water inside. Liberally squirt the belts with water (may be easier to do this with the engine off), repeat the brake torque procedure and see if the noise persists, goes away, or changes frequency or tone. If the noise is still there - you probably have a heavily worn belt or a bearing is bad in one of the pullies (would include accessories, like the alternator pulley, A/C compressor pulley, P/S pulley, etc.)

Wow, thank you for all the information. I will check it out tomorrow. Thank you.

My initial thought as I started reading your post was that it was the wear indicators on the brake pads. I thought you implied it was most noticable as you started moving. The belt issue should be noticed at other times, other than just starting. Just my 2 cents.

no the brake pads brakes were done short time ago

thank you, I have been working aout of town, got back in over weekend. will read all thank you

The only engine was a 2.4-liter twin-cam 4-cylinder rated at 138 horsepower. A 5-speed manual transmission was standard; a 4-speed automatic optional. The Previa's engine was mounted below the front seats, but tilted to one side in order to provide a flat floor. Its accessible through a panel in the floor or from underneath the vehicle.
parking sensor