I have a 92 accord with 185K. Recently I have noticed a weird screechy sound when I let off the gas. I shift it into neutral (auto trans)and rev it up and it goes away for a second...them comes right back. I left it running in park for 5 min and when I came back it was making the aweful sound again until I got in the car and revved it up some. People keep telling me its the belts but I know what belt noise is and this is not it. No ideas here...any help?

have you actually looked at the belts, or are you just assuming that it is something else?

have you actually looked at the belts, or are you just assuming that it is something else?


I have checked under the hood as many times as I could but the sound doesnt last long when its idling and doesnt happen often. I would love for it to be a simple belt replacement, etc. but I have no idea. The car doesnt feel as if its losing any power or hesitating when the noise comes and goes so I dont know how much meaning that has behind it...hope your guess is better than mine

Just spray some WD-40 (won't hurt it) on the belts and see if it goes away for a little while. If it does, you know what you got.

From what you described, that sounds very typical of a worn/glazed belt...

WD-40 - a petroleum product - on rubber? Hmm. I'd hardly say that "it won't hurt it" But it might not shorten the life of an old belt if he's reasonably careful not to use too much WD-40. Then again, since it's a lubricant, it might cut the noise but make the belt slip WORSE!

Doesn't sound like a belt to me. A slipping belt is more likely to screech when engine speed is increasing, not decreasing. So, it's more likely to happen during acceleration than during deceleration.

When you mention shifting into neutral, do you mean while the car is in motion, while you're driving, or do you mean while the car is standing still? If you're doing that while in motion, better be careful with your shifting.

My guess is your water pump might be causing the noise, although I think it's also more likely to make noise at higher RPM than low RPM. Do you have any coolant leaks?

WD-40 - a petroleum product - on rubber? Hmm. I'd hardly say that "it won't hurt it" But it might not shorten the life of an old belt if he's reasonably careful not to use too much WD-40. Then again, since it's a lubricant, it might cut the noise but make the belt slip WORSE!WD-40 is the brunt of more incorrect claims than about any other product.

It will not harm rubber. It is non-toxic. Used on rubber, it conditions and hydrates without causing cracking and seperation, like silicone or other petroleum based products will.

Once the initial slickness evaporates, you are left with a cleaner, softer belt that will grip BETTER than it did before.

However, I wasn't offering it as a cure, just for diagnostic purposes.

It readily removes oil residue and grime build-up from belts, and if sprayed while running, cleans out pulley grooves as well. You'll see a nice spray of black crud getting flushed from the belt and grooves as you do this.

I always used it in tire mounting for bead lubricant, it makes a tire slip onto a rim with ease, and totally prevents bead leaks due to corrosion along bead seal, unlike the water-based bead lube many shops use. The tire will come back off the rim without sticking and rust/corrosion free, and will still have a soft, pliable bead, not the rock hard crumbly rubber bead you usually find after a tire has been on a rim forever.

It works great for removing adhesives from bumper stickers and paint transfers from minor accidents, without harming the paint underneath.

It removes grease stains from upolstery or clothing easily, and leaves no residue after washing.

I spray my battery cables, starter terminals, coils and plug wires with it almost every time I get under the hood. I've never had a no-start from dirty connections or had a plug wire go bad from insulation degredation since doing this (for about 20 years now). I go to the car wash and BLAST the motor several times a year, and it has never even so much as stumbled from being wet.

Hell it doesn't even hurt when you spray it in your eyes. (don't ask how I know):lol2:

Anyway, you'd be very hard pressed to find any credible case of ANYTHING that ever got hurt with WD-40.


As far as the other thing, about belt noise not occuring under decel, it all depends on how the belt is worn, and if it is out of alignment.

When a belt is working, one run is under load, the other is slack. When you take your foot off the gas, the loads switch direction.

If a belt has been slightly loose for a while, the excess heat generated will cause the belt's rubber to deform and then harden. With reduced elasticity and a "one way" set in the surface of the gripping sides, it will easily slip when a sudden change in load direction "piles up" the slack run of the belt, allowing it to slide easily over the load pulley, and it'll screech like hell until the speed stabilizes.

A/C belts are particularly prone to this, as they usually carry a lot more load than other belts, and the compressor's centrifugal mass and refrigerant movement when rotating resists the sudden change in RPM, essentially the belt is being asked to slow the compressor down for a brief period. It is then that it'll really slip.

Misalignment of hard-mounted belt driven accessories will cause wind-down screeching too, especially in serp belts.

Some motors had well known issues with accessories or tensioner/idler pulley misalignment due to wear, when the pulley was under acceleration load, the load would pull it into alignment with the other pulleys. But when the load reversed, the pulley would suddenly tip in sharply, and the belt would SCREAM.

Usually (but not always) antifreeze leaking onto a belt will not cause screeching, but rather a rattle or random ticking sound, as the slightly lubricating antifreeze would cause the belt to slip suddenly over a pulley, then catch sharply as the coolant evaporates, this happening very fast. This sudden slowing and then catching up causes backlash chatter in the affected accessory, heard as the ticking or rattling sound characteristic of coolant contamination.

One more thing, decel belt noise is also common with belt sytems that use backside (flat side) contact idler pulleys when they start to loose lube and get stiff.

If you take the belt off and the pulley resists turning, or spins very freely with a gravelly feel, this could be the problem.

Flat side screeching sounds very different from groove side slipping.

For Codger:

I bet you did not know all these uses for WD-40 Thought that you might like to know more about this well-known product. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company.

Its name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their Atlas missile parts.

The workers were so pleased with the product, they began smuggling (also known as "shrinkage" or "stealing") it out to use at home. The in aerosol cans. The rest, as they say, is history. It is a carefully guarded recipe known only to four people. Only one of them is the "brew master." There are about 2.5 million gallons of the stuff manufactured each year. It gets its distinctive smell from a fragrance that is added to the brew. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.

Here are some of the uses:
When you read the "shower door" part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic,it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle!

Then try it on your stovetop...Voila! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed.
Protects silver from tarnishing.
Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery.
Keeps flies off cows. (Good to know)
Restores and cleans chalkboards.
Removes lipstick stains.
Loosens stubborn zippers.
Untangles jewelry chains.
Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
Removes tomato stains from clothing.
Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
Keeps scissors working smoothly.
Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
Gives a children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
Removes splattered grease on stove.
Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
Removes all traces of duct tape.
Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
Florida's favorite use is: "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers."
The favorite use in the state of New York--WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical-laced baits or lures for fishing is not allowed in some states.
Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately, and stops the itch.
WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash. Presto! Lipstick is gone!
If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
WD-40, long known for its ability to remove left-over tape mung (sticky label tape), is also a lovely perfume and air freshener! Sprayed liberally on every hinge in the house, it leaves that distinctive clean fresh scent for up to two days!
It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor!
Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40