starting up in the cold

[ehsnils]

I live in colorado and my car does this as well in the cold. A quick 1 second squeal on startup, especially if it's been sitting for more than a day and under 15 degrees farenheit. Sounds like it's coming from the passenger side of the engine bay. I only run fully synthetic, normally mobil1 5w-30 and change it every 4000 miles.

 

In that case I suspect that it's the power steering pump/belt. And if it goes away quickly it's not a big deal.

 

Probably caused by the pump being a bit "stiff" in the beginning and the belt slipping due to some condensation on the belt.

 

It can also be the alternator belt.

[Fossil2k2]

My LGT is also a little quirky on cold mornings. I have a combination of strange noises, none of which I think are very serious, just annoying.

 

1) every once in a while (only 3 times since in the past 2 winters) when the car turns over the starter screeches, it sounds exactly like what happens when you turn the key when the engine is already running.

 

2) the power steering pump is very stiff. If I don't give it the chance to warm up a tad I have trouble pulling out of my parking spot.

 

ehsnils's diagnosis of the starter issue sounds like a logical one... I dono if it's worth tackling or not. Would it cause a problem down the road? I would think at most you'd just need to replace the starter.