older regal help! unknown noises!

my car is a 1993, i have had it for about a year and a half and i have gotten a new starter, new battery, and a new altinator put into it. it was running great for a couple weeks and i took a road trip that i have driven plenty of times before. and half way home it started making a loud squeak noise when i drive. and when i turn it on it makes a god awful noise.

please help me i know nothing about cars. and i dont want to take it to a mechanic because i am flat broke.

''it started making a loud squeak noise when i drive''.where do you hear it from & when turning stopping......???? ''and when i turn it on it makes a god awful noise.''when you are trying to start or after it starts???

i hear it all the time while driving. but it gets louder when i brake(but it has nothing to do with my brakes they are kind of new as well) and when i accelerate.

the god awful noise is right after it turns on. it usually goes away when i start driving.

it runs fine. just the noises.

both maybe be the same problem.take a look at fan/drive belts see if they're lose or dry rotting/glazed.

Check the coolant level and be sure the water pump is not dripping on the drive belts. If you turn off the A/C when you start the car, do you here the noise?

yeah i thought is might be something with the belts.

but yeah my coolant was like bone dry when i checked it so i filled it back up and it kind of went away. but it is still there. my a/c is always off because i like windows. ahha.

Find that leak! It is hard to see the water pump leak, it leaks from the bottom weap hole and drains down onto the balancer pulley.

What engine does this Regal have in it? This would help tremendously in diagnosis.

its got the 3.8L 3800 v6.

The first thing to check for the coolant loss is the plastic hose nipple that comes out of the intake behind the alternator. A very common issue on Vin-L 3800's and hard to see due to it's location. The second is the water pump as mentioned earlier, another common coolant loss and may also be the source of the noise.


As far as the noise, I agree that it's most likely a belt driven pulley/accessory (including the water pump mentioned above). Take the belt off and spin each pulley, feeling for grittiness or any side to side play. Look for metal shavings in the gap between the A/C compressor clutch and the pulley. That is a tell-tale sign of a compressor pulley bearing failure.

ahh thank you! i will check that later tonight when i have time after work.

i will repost something to let you know what i found or didnt find.


thank you so much all of you!

ok so i checked mainly for the a/c compresser because that is where the noise is coming from.

it has a thick black layer of gunk on it that is pretty moist. there is a part on there which looks like a pancake that seems loose and it moves around when the pulley is moving.

i have a feeling that this is where the noise is coming from which would be the problem considering the car works and runs fine, minus the noise.

my air hasnt been really working right lately? like it is cold for a second then not and stays that way, is this the problem for that aswell?

Yes, it sounds like the problem is the a/c compressor. The gunk could be caused by a failed compressor seal, allowing refrigerant and oil to leak out. It could also be the grease from the pulley bearing getting thrown around.

alright thanks a lot!

i will see more if that is the problem and repost something.

so is changing the a/c compresser a real project? because it seems like it.

or should i take it to the shop?

unless you have the tools & the no-how?? take it too a trust worthy shop!! you will thank yourself later.