Cold start screeching noise

[yinjiefu06]

I too have experienced the same issue and my car has been in the dealership twice. They still cannot determine the cause. Very disappointing and frustrating! I hope they can figure it out for you.

What year is yours? I don't know whether this is an issue or not... I got a Nissan Kicks as a rental a few weeks ago, it behaved pretty much the same. I will try to record a video.

 

[Senator20]

This is normal.

 

[yinjiefu06]

OK, here comes the video, and of course, you can hear the noise…

 

[Senator20]

The rpm is normal. Every computer controlled vehicle does this.

______________________________

 

[yinjiefu06]

The rpm is normal. Every computer controlled vehicle does this.

Thank you.

 

[Tellyluver]

What year is yours? I don't know whether this is an issue or not... I got a Nissan Kicks as a rental a few weeks ago, it behaved pretty much the same. I will try to record a video

 

[Tellyluver]

I had a 2020 never had an issue. Now my 2021 has had this issue for 2 winters now. I've sent them videos and taken it to the dealership several times. The problem is once it's warmed up it will not make the sound and it has to be below 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[Cal]

I had a 2020 never had an issue. Now my 2021 has had this issue for 2 winters now. I've sent them videos and taken it to the dealership several times. The problem is once it's warmed up it will not make the sound and it has to be below 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Realistically, the only thing you can do is to have them:
a) inspect the drive belt (serpentine) for wear of damage... replace if worn/damaged
b) inspect pulleys for alignment and/or damage... adjust or replace if required
c) re-tension drive belt to manufacturer's spec... neither too tight nor too loose... tighten to spec.

According to the mechanic's service manual, the belt and pulley system is to be inspected every 30,000 km (20,000 miles).

Regarding the last item (c), the challenge is that our engines use an auto-tensioning pulley to maintain proper spec. The service manual notes the following spec for the bolts themselves:

Drive belt System N·m kgf·m lb·ft lb·
Drive belt idler bolt 53.9 - 57.9 5.5 - 5.9 39.8 - 42.7
Drive belt auto tensioner bolt (M12) 81.4 - 85.3 8.3 - 8.7 60.0 - 62.9
Drive belt auto tensioner bolt (M8) 17.7 - 21.6 1.8 - 2.2 13.0 - 15.9

The following is from the trouble shooting section of the mechanic's service manual - note all that's mentioned regarding drive belts assembly (the last item in the list):

Upper engine noise, regardless of engine speed.
Low oil pressure. - Repair or replace as required.
Broken valve spring. - Replace the valve spring.
Worn or dirty valve lifters. - Replace the valve lifters.
Stretched or broken timing chain and/or damaged sprocket teeth. - Replace the timing chain and sprockets.
Worn timing chain tensioner, if applicable. - Replace the timing chain tensioner as required.
Worn camshaft lobes. • Inspect the camshaft lobes. - Replace the timing camshaft and valve lifters as required.
Worn valve guides or valve stems. - Inspect the valves and valve guides, then repair as required.
Stuck valves. Carbon on the valve stem or valve seat may cause the valve to stay open. - Inspect the valves and valve guides, then repair as required.
Worn drive belt, idler, tensioner and bearing. - Replace as required.

The challenge is that the noise will only occur for a short period of time when the vehicle is extremely cold. So for the dealership to hear this, you would need to leave the vehicle with them overnight on a very cold night, and then have the mechanic do the engine start first thing when the open the following morning. In most cases, the belt will be stiff when the vehicle is first started, and due to that it's going to slip until it warms up and becomes more flexible. All you can reasonably expect to do is check for belt damage and alignment, along with belt tension. The faster the engine and engine bay warms up, the sooner the squealing will cease. So if you don't have a heated garage, the next best thing is to use the block heater during cold weather as that will allow the engine bay to heat up faster.

______________________________

 

[Telly2Me]

If this is about the belt, can it cause some sort of damage to the engine? I ask because i had the noise for two years and as of recent an engine overheat (per the indicator only, as no code registered). The dealer replaced the intake manifold. The belt noise is less (but still there) and no repeat of overheating. I want to take care of items while i have the warranty on my 21SX. Thank you!

 

[G-119084]

Realistically, the only thing you can do is to have them:
a) inspect the drive belt (serpentine) for wear of damage... replace if worn/damaged
b) inspect pulleys for alignment and/or damage... adjust or replace if required
c) re-tension drive belt to manufacturer's spec... neither too tight nor too loose... tighten to spec.

According to the mechanic's service manual, the belt and pulley system is to be inspected every 30,000 km (20,000 miles).

Regarding the last item (c), the challenge is that our engines use an auto-tensioning pulley to maintain proper spec. The service manual notes the following spec for the bolts themselves:

Drive belt System N·m kgf·m lb·ft lb·
Drive belt idler bolt 53.9 - 57.9 5.5 - 5.9 39.8 - 42.7
Drive belt auto tensioner bolt (M12) 81.4 - 85.3 8.3 - 8.7 60.0 - 62.9
Drive belt auto tensioner bolt (M8) 17.7 - 21.6 1.8 - 2.2 13.0 - 15.9

The following is from the trouble shooting section of the mechanic's service manual - note all that's mentioned regarding drive belts assembly (the last item in the list):

Upper engine noise, regardless of engine speed.
Low oil pressure. - Repair or replace as required.
Broken valve spring. - Replace the valve spring.
Worn or dirty valve lifters. - Replace the valve lifters.
Stretched or broken timing chain and/or damaged sprocket teeth. - Replace the timing chain and sprockets.
Worn timing chain tensioner, if applicable. - Replace the timing chain tensioner as required.
Worn camshaft lobes. • Inspect the camshaft lobes. - Replace the timing camshaft and valve lifters as required.
Worn valve guides or valve stems. - Inspect the valves and valve guides, then repair as required.
Stuck valves. Carbon on the valve stem or valve seat may cause the valve to stay open. - Inspect the valves and valve guides, then repair as required.
Worn drive belt, idler, tensioner and bearing. - Replace as required.

The challenge is that the noise will only occur for a short period of time when the vehicle is extremely cold. So for the dealership to hear this, you would need to leave the vehicle with them overnight on a very cold night, and then have the mechanic do the engine start first thing when the open the following morning. In most cases, the belt will be stiff when the vehicle is first started, and due to that it's going to slip until it warms up and becomes more flexible. All you can reasonably expect to do is check for belt damage and alignment, along with belt tension. The faster the engine and engine bay warms up, the sooner the squealing will cease. So if you don't have a heated garage, the next best thing is to use the block heater during cold weather as that will allow the engine bay to heat up faster.

This is super helpful and very detailed. I have been dealing with this every winter! Never an issue in warm temps, thank you! Your info will go a long way to helping me out!

 

[Cal]

If this is about the belt, can it cause some sort of damage to the engine? I ask because i had the noise for two years and as of recent an engine overheat (per the indicator only, as no code registered). The dealer replaced the intake manifold. The belt noise is less (but still there) and no repeat of overheating. I want to take care of items while i have the warranty on my 21SX. Thank you!

I'm not a mechanic. However, I do know enough to be dangerous. lol

The serpentine belt runs a few different components, including the water pump (and possibly alternator... I'd have to go back to the service manual to check on that specifically). So long as you're not showing any other problems like low voltage or high temperature warnings, I would believe that you really don't have a need for concern. When you were getting high temp alerts, those can be spawned by a variety of things. The drive belt is only one of them, and in that specific case, it's indicative of the belt slipping on the water pump, and thus the water pump not functioning properly. But it could be tied to other components beside the drive belt.... such as the intake system. . Rampant speculation on my part, but I suspect that your over-heating issue wasn't related to belt slippage on the water pump, since when the dealer replaced your intake manifold the overheating issue went away.

Drive belts squealing for a short while during really cold weather starts is actually pretty common on many vehicles. But so long as the belt isn't damaged and the alerts have ceased it seems like the risk to your engine has been addressed. If the water pump wasn't running properly, you'd still be getting high temp alerts. Years ago I had a Suzuki Sidekick JLX that squealed like a banshee in cold weather starts. With it, I literally used a pry bar to pull back on the pulley arm and re-tighten the bolt securing it. Move forward over thirty years, and vehicles use auto-tensioners... and that's what's in our Telluride. The auto-tensioner is supposed to consistently apply enough tension to the belt for it to operate properlly... which when it's warm, it does well. When it's really cold, your drive belt is experiencing it's variation of frozen tire syndrome. You know when you drive a vehicle on a really cold morning, and for the first couple of minutes you get that thump thump thump as the frozen flat spot on the tires whack the pavement until the rubber warms up and they regain their normal shape. It's the same with a frozen drive belt. It's not going to be as pliable as a warm belt and until it warms up, the inconcsistency in contact with the various pulleys is going to result in slippage and that resutls in squealing.

My recommendation is to make sure you make your service department know you're still having a squealing issue during cold weather starts. Try to record the sound during a cold weather start so you can share it with your dealer's service department. Make sure the ongoing squealing issue is entered in your vehicle's records in their service record system. Keep your own record of the conversation in case you need it for service or warranty work in the future. The way I do that personally is as follows: I have the conversation with the service manager and/or check in desk attendant. Outline your issue(s) in detail, and make note of their response on how they're going to address your issue(s). I make note of both the date, time and name of those I spoke with. When I get home, I send an email to the service manager, cc'd to the general service email account recapping the conversation... what was discussed, who was present, and date and time. Put a read receipt on your email (there's no guarantee you'll see a read confirmation, as the end user has the ability to turn off automatic read receipt replies, but at least you tried). This is really a CYA process in case you need future service work to be covered under warranty.

I hope this helps.

 

[BraydonF31]

I joined the club Alberta Canada , vehicle is in shop rn and they are completely lost 2022 pallisade …. I personally think there’s something going on on throttle body or intake . That whistle is a sound of air being sucked in and creating a whistle as it enters a valley or something !

______________________________

 

[BraydonF31]

I also wonder if you put a heat gun or hair dryer on low temp and heat up around the intake manifold / open the throttle body and heat it if it’ll make that noise ! Imma try this over weekend when it’s -40 and comment back

 

[Cal]

I joined the club Alberta Canada , vehicle is in shop rn and they are completely lost 2022 pallisade …. I personally think there’s something going on on throttle body or intake . That whistle is a sound of air being sucked in and creating a whistle as it enters a valley or something !

What you're describing isn't what we're discussing in this thread. If you had belt slippage, you wouldn't be hearing that as a whistling sound. It's a high pitched screech. Trust me, you wouldn't describe it as a whistling sound. That said, I'd be very leery of using a hairdryer or heat gun to attempt warming over any extensive period of time. That's a fire risk if it's done unattended. I'm in Calgary, so I know the cold you're talking about. Theoretically tonight, with windchill, we're supposed to get down to the -50c range... which is insane.

I still caution you about the use of a heat gun or hair dryer if you're not physically holding it while you try to warm up the assembly area you're talking about. But if you're looking for assistance with the whistling noise you're getting, I'd suggest creating a new thread... and perhaps on a Hyundai forum. Yes, Hyundai and KIA are sister companies with many common components, but I honestly don't know if the air intake system is identical between our vehicles. Maybe they are. Maybe they aren't.

 

[BraydonF31]

What you're describing isn't what we're discussing in this thread. If you had belt slippage, you wouldn't be hearing that as a whistling sound. It's a high pitched screech. Trust me, you wouldn't describe it as a whistling sound. That said, I'd be very leery of using a hairdryer or heat gun to attempt warming over any extensive period of time. That's a fire risk if it's done unattended. I'm in Calgary, so I know the cold you're talking about. Theoretically tonight, with windchill, we're supposed to get down to the -50c range... which is insane.

I still caution you about the use of a heat gun or hair dryer if you're not physically holding it while you try to warm up the assembly area you're talking about. But if you're looking for assistance with the whistling noise you're getting, I'd suggest creating a new thread... and perhaps on a Hyundai forum. Yes, Hyundai and KIA are sister companies with many common components, but I honestly don't know if the air intake system is identical between our vehicles. Maybe they are. Maybe they aren't.

The engine and driveline is 100% match they use all the same components . And yes I listened to every video in forum and the noise is the excact same noise on cold start up , screech or whistle whatever it is it’s the same sound ….

If this is the noise if is engine related so Hyundai or Kia won’t matter as they share the same Atkinson cycle engine down to every bolt ….

That being said dealer took a look and said the crankshaft seal was leaking onto alternator creating that noise ( highly doubt it ) as I believe it’s internal on the intake and the frost or moisture from cold temp is creating a “whistling “ sound as it enters the intake …

As for hair dryer I’d like to just take that small amount of moisture off the intake or throttle body (2 mins tops ) and see if that stops the sound would never leave it unattended..

 

[Courtneycooper123]

OK so my Telluride has been in dealership the 2nd time, they just told me the noise is not long enough to diagnose, technician suspects it's from engine intake manifold or around it but cannot find the point, so in this way Kia won't reimburse any parts/labor. I also called the Kia customer support and it has no help, simply said if dealership cannot find the source of the problem, they have nothing to do. Both side are telling me to live with a problem that is related with engine, until it get worse or break down. Totally disappointed.

Wow that’s exact noise from my telluride as well !! Cannot figure it out and I swear it has somthjng to do with the oil I completely ran out and they did testing and said everything was fine 2nd time takin it back and they said my oil is lower than what it should of been for my oil change so I hav to wait to do more testing on that I bet they are related did you ever figure out the noise problem I have a feeling it’s related

______________________________

 

[tpgh]

Not engine related but the beep sound that starts when the car is running and the key is taken out is noticeably different, almost screeching, when it’s below 10-15 degrees. First time it alarmed me until I realized what it was.

 

[bbtelluride37]

OK, here comes the video, and of course, you can hear the noise…

Our 2020 Telluride does the same thing. I have checked everything, it seems fine. Believe it or not, we had a 2017 Subaru Legacy before this that we owned since new. It did the exact same thing only on EXTREME COLD start ups after a long night of sitting.

It has done this since we owned it, now at 79k miles.

I honestly have no answer. It does sound like a belt thing but it could be a number of components causing it. I don't think it's anything of concern though.

 

[yinjiefu06]

Our 2020 Telluride does the same thing. I have checked everything, it seems fine. Believe it or not, we had a 2017 Subaru Legacy before this that we owned since new. It did the exact same thing only on EXTREME COLD start ups after a long night of sitting.

It has done this since we owned it, now at 79k miles.

I honestly have no answer. It does sound like a belt thing but it could be a number of components causing it. I don't think it's anything of concern though.

Well I might confuse people, I uploaded the video to show the fluctuating rpm on a cold start. The noise has been a known issue since 2020. Thanks though!

 

[Senator20]

Just a thought. What if your coolant level is a tad low and the noise is your water pump, and once it is primed the noise goes away?