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I noticed an annoying squeal has developed and i'm trying to get some help, determining what needs my attention.
It is mostly heard from a stopped position, starting when you give it gas up to about 40-50km. Turning the wheel while accelerating, like at a stop sign, seems to make the sound louder.

With the car stopped i can't reproduce the sound by turning the wheel and i have power steering fluid.

The AC On/Off has no impact.

Revving does not reproduce the squeal

What can i check next?
2001 civic 127000 km
Thanks,

 
Rep Power: 367

power steering pump belt need change or tightening...

 
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Check your belts, most likely power steering but you'll probably find you need to tighten the AC belt as well

 
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Where would your ears lead you?

WWSWD?
Front brake pad wear indicator squeal

 
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I'm no expert but my car would squeal when it was stopped. Going faster seemed to help sometimes but noise wasn't really speed dependent as I could have it at idle. I'm wondering if it's ball bearings going. For me it was my AC compressor bearings.

 
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Thanks everyone for your input.
I tightened the adjusting bolt 3 revolutions and tested.. And did this 3x for a total of 9 revolutions Pretty tight about 1/4 inch play.
The annoying sound has reduced about 75 percent.

Im wondering if a new belt would address the remaining 25 percent ? Or tighten the current one up more? It's dark so I had to stop

I also sprayed some silicoln spray on the belt before this which made no difference when driving.

 
Rep Power: 518

You're not done yet. Tighten it some more.

A new belt will squeal if it's not tight enough too.

Inspect the belt that's on there now. Is it cracking or anything that would warrant replacement?

Don't do that, it promotes belt slippage which is the opposite of what a belt needs.

 
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Thanks ezone, I'll tighten it some more in the morning. Are there any indicators if I tighten it too much ? I read it can damage the bearings

 
Rep Power: 518

It still needs to be tight enough to stop the noise. Give it a few more cranks and try it. If it's still noisy tomorrow, tighten a little more..


You would have to go waaaay beyond that to damage bearings.
The bearing in the compressor pulley wears out without overtightening the belt.

 
Rep Power: 367

so you found where 75% is coming from.
Are the other belts OK or do you need to tighten them as well?

 
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Tightened it 5 more revolutions, sound is 100 percent gone!

Thanks everyone

 
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The sound has gradually returned.
Some days it's quiet and some days it really squeals, and turning becomes a bit stiffer when it squeals. Im starting to notice a trend where its worse when its damp outside.
I noticed the power steering fluid, although it has a couple inches in the 'reservoir' it is just under the 'lower level' indicator.

What steps would you recommend next ?

 
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you may need to tighten the belts again, sometimes they stretch after a while, especially if you used aftermarket belts, and top up your fluid

 
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So tighten JUST the power steering belt a little bit

 
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ain't it time to get new belts? how old are they?

 
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2001 civic and i assume they are stock belts.
I'll try tightening again.

 
Rep Power: 222

Well if they're original you should change them, they're cheap