Sqeual on cold start

Started the car this morning to an unpleasant sound. Upon startup it made a squeal (which sounded to me like a belt or pulley), but after warming up and driving a few blocks it went away. If I start it up overnight in approx 10+C conditions it's a faint sound that goes away, but if I leave it out in -5C conditions it's a rather loud sound, then goes away. Any ideas what this could possibly be or where to start troubleshooting? I'll try to get a clip of the sound, but it's weather dependent so it might be a few days. '00 C2, manual, 103k kms, no engine mods.

Same thing for me today... did you try pushnig the clutch in and out while it was making the noise... mine seemed to effect it a little? I didnt open the hood to look as it went away in about a minute? I was thinking - Idler pulley - alternator bearing - throw out bearing (clutch) - or a Rat had crawled up there and was suffering thru it's last moments of life... ???? mine sat 1 week, no temps below 45 F

Your first guess sounds right...either the belt is slipping or the bearing is failing on the tensioner or idler pulley. If you have someone else start the car, after it has been sitting overnight in the cold, you can try spraying lubricant directly on the center of the pulleys. If the sound immediately goes away, you have found the problem.

Only tried the clutch when I pulled away. Didn't notice a change. I'll try it tomorrow morning and see if it makes a difference. Hrm. If its the pulleys it looks like it's a trip to the dealership...

Or you are simply hearing the secondary air pump.

Here is a picture of where the pulleys are located. If it is a pulley, it is a fairly easy DIY project. Sunset Porsche in Oregon is hard to beat on the prices.

I dont even want to know why you have that picture..... Pulley should be a DIY (guess) ussually the belt pops off really easy and the pulley is 1 to 3 bolts....reverse and go to the race track (or grocery store)

When and why does the secondary air pump turn on/off? Mine will turn on randomly after I have been driving the car for more than 2 minutes (but usually not after 6 or 8 minutes). If I come to a stop it will turn on and off briefly. I've never had a car with a air pump act like this, usually the are only active during the first 30-60 seconds.

TIM ??? Do we have a file on Fission X... I cant seem to locate any photos of his car....

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The pump will come on when a specific temperature or lower is reported and will usually only run for 3 minutes or less. The pump shuts off if a certain rpm is reached, regardless of temperature.

Cool, thanks exactly what I was looking for.

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Don't forget old polyrib belt. If a belt glazes it can slip and squeal. Check the belt for cracks first.

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Any idea what that RPM is? If that's the case I could rev it up to see if in fact it is the air pump.

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I think it is 2800. Just unplug it before you start the car in the morning.

Going to have to play dumb here: I have no idea where it is to unplug it.

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squealing on cold start..... sounds like a personal problem the plug is local to the pump

Before you go pulling things off, check your power steering fluid for proper level. A low reservoir will make the car make noises like you describe, which go away when the car is warmed up.

Did some digging today. Bought a stethoscope, the whole 9 yards. The pulleys all sound fine. Lubed a few of the noisier ones. Power steering fluid is at the max line, coolant is topped up, no oil leaks, belt is in superb condition... Still squealing. Goes away after I hit operating temp, and won't do it again untill the car has been sitting for hours in the cold. While digging I found it odd that the noise was more prominent from the wheel wells than at the engine. I'm at a loss.

It is also possible that it is a bad coolant thermostat that is not closed all the way when cold. Have you run the engine cold with the belt off? This will eliminate all pulleys as welll as water pump. Did you unplug the secondary air pump as I previously suggested?

funny....my car just started making a squeal upon cold start as well...is basically less than a second long and goes away immediately...did your car start off that way? Any advice appreciated. thanks, J

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That's a good idea. Yeah I unplugged it, it's not the air pump. Nope, just started doing it. Yours sounds like it could be a starter issue. Had someone over here today looking at it with me. He suggested it may be the clutch release bearing. When I push the clutch in the noise does not reduce, but it does change in pitch/frequency. Any idea if that's a DIY replacement? Or does that require an engine drop to get to? Also, I found out that running the car with the MAF unplugged not only gets you a check engine light, but also disables PSM and ABS.

I had an Audi A6 2.7T that did the same thing on very cold mornings. The squeal was related to the power steering fluid and the very cold temps, but had nothing to do with the level of the fluid. The squeal would disappear in a few seconds. The dealer knew exactly waht is was when I described the symptoms and it seems it's common on those cars. Try turning the steering wheel when the squealing occurs to see if the pitch changes. If it does, you've found the source of the noise. Unfortunately, there was no cure for the Audi other than warmer temps.

Bad Air Oil Separator can also squeal like a dying whale at start-up - cavitation causes the noise and can also lead to aeration of the oil - which is a very very bad thing!

After some more monkeying around I'm really thinking it's the clutch release bearing. I got a quote from the dealer. $2500 for bearing, clutch, and both seals. An indy in the city quoted $2300 for bearing and clutch, and another $1300 if the flywheel is toast.

That is a way overpriced offer from your dealer and indy. The parts are about $400, and it takes less than 4 hours to do the whole R&R. Don't pay more than $800-$1000. If you simply have a noisy release bearing, and have not abused your car, all of the other drivetrain pieces are probably fine.

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So, have you positively eliminated the secondary air pump, pullies and the water pump as the source of the noise? If you haven't, don't go any further til you do. The throwout bearing will only make noise when the clutch is partially or fully engaged. If the noise is present when the clutch pedal is not depressed, it is not the bearing. Don't let some guy simply guess what the problem is and charge you an arm and leg to do work that may not fix the problem. The sound of a bad throwout bearing is easily identified by any good mechanic. However, many Porsxche Technicians only know what the book says and are not true mechanics. BTW, you can get a clutch kit installed which includes everything buy flywheel at many places for as little as $1200 including parts.

ouch, are those Canadian Dollars? WOW -

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They sure are. Shops here aren't cheap. Wait... nothing here's cheap.

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Sure did. Started with the air pump off, then again with the belt off. Still squealed. Thanks for the idea of taking the belt off and running the car. Way easier than the way I was going about it. It's certainly more pronounced when the clutch is being engaged. Occasionally it will go away with the clutch out, but it seems to be hit-and-miss. It is quieter with the clutch out though. Usually only goes away completely when the car is warm.

Try one more thing to eliminate it being a vacuum noise. Remove the oil cap and start the car and see if the noise remains or substantially changes.

Thanks - I'll go try that.

Mine squealed on cold start up for a few seconds. Turned out to be the starter. Apparently one of the bearings inside can dry up and start making terrible noises. Joost

Well, it's official. Had it in the shop yesterday. A new throwout bearing fixed the noise right up. Had them drop in a clutch while the car was apart. $1500 CDN all said and done. Can't say enough good things about Alpine Autowerks in Calgary. Great service. Thanks to everyone who replied to this thread to help troubleshoot!