Automotive FAQ

FAQ - Belts & Hoses

How Do I Stop Fan Belt Squealing?

Auto Doctors knows that nothing can be more embarrassing than driving around the streets of the greater Overland Park area with a squeaky fan belt under the hood of a car. Aside from being embarrassing, a squeaky fan belt can be mildly if not terribly bothersome when listening to it squeal for extended periods of time. Sometimes a belt will squeal upon starting a vehicle and will disappear shortly thereafter. Other times though the squealing belt problem will last for the duration of the time the car engine is running. Auto Doctors is happy to offer the following free automotive repair advice to our customers in the Overland Park area who have a problem with a squeaking fan belt.

Belt dressing is a product available at most auto repair supply stores and can work wonders when the instructions on the package are followed correctly. Belt dressing has the ability to work wonders for stopping a belt from squealing and prevent the squealing from returning for quite some after applied.

If a squealing belt problem happens when it is not possible to purchase belt dressing or it is more desirable to save on expenses there is an “old-fashioned” way to stop a belt from squealing — bar soap! That's right, ordinary bar soap can usually stop the squealing when rubbed on a fan belt. Just a few rubs on the belt with bar soap can solve the bar squealing problem for quite some time and save money in the process.

Auto Doctors always stresses to our customers in the Overland Park area with a squealing fan belt that it is always important to be safe when working around an engine and turning off the engine is the best bet when applying either belt dressing or bar soap to a fan belt to solve a squealing belt problem.