Guys,

Last Tuesday I had occasion to drive my car on a one-lane dirt road that was puddled and wet.

Later that day, I noticed an low-pitched squeal from the engine compartment. It only did so when the engine was under load, i.e. car in gear and moving.

I thought it was probably the tensioner for the serpentine belt; the car has 143K on it and it'* probably due. Checked the trans fluid, too, full to the top and doesn't smell burnt.

However, it has now gone away. Today I had my lady put the car in gear, hold the brake, and give it a little gas as I stood to the side-nothing. An exam with my mechanic'* stethoscope under the same conditions fails to reveal any untoward sounds from the tensioner or alternator.

So, about how often do they fail? And is this the likely cause of the noise, or did the serpentine belt just get wet and squeal until it dried out?

Thanks to all.

Has the car been driven fairly often? When mine sat for a couple weeks the first time out it had a squealing noise, but the mechanic said it was normal after sitting.

How does the serpentine belt look? A visual inspection can usually show you if it'* time to replace or not.

No, it'* a daily driver, perhaps 150 miles on it since then.

Belt is fairly new and looks fine.

I have had a similar issue when driving through water, I would say the belt tensioner maybe got some water in it and it dried out thats why it doesnt make the noise anymore.