Q: Serpentine belt and radiator issues...

asked by on January 13, 2017

Hey my name as well is Joshua. I have a Chevy impala 2005. I've recently noticed there is an almost sludge looking stuff in the radiator resivor and the cerpentine belt will make the squeaky once it's warmed up and it randomly do it and sometimes when it does my lights dim. I've noticed a black build up of something around the pillows and where the belt goes. What should I do? And can u flush your coolant with out the flush stuff couldn't u use water or something

My car has 200000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

Get an instant quote for your car

Our certified mechanics come to you ・Backed by 12-month, 12,000-mile guarantee・Fair and transparent pricing


Experienced Mechanic?

Earn up to $70/hr

What others are asking

Vehicle won't pass emissions test
Emissions tests analyze three main exhaust gas components: hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2). In some places, they also look at oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Excessive CO is the result of a rich fuel mixture and can only...
Red fluid leaking from car
The transmission cooler and cooler lines are in the front of your car, and may have developed a leak. There are no common problems known, but red fluid could be your transmission fluid. You should not drive the car until...
When slowing down to 30 mph, van starts to vibrate
A few different faults can cause a vibration while braking. The most common would be a warped brake disc (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/brake-rotor-disc-replacement), faulty brake pads (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/brake-pads-replacement), or the brake calipers (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/brake-caliper-replacement). Excessive vibration when braking is not a normal operation of the...
hot air blows out driver side vents but only cold air out passenger side vents?
Hello, thanks for writing in about your Toyota 4Runner. Your A/C has separate temperature control actuators on the A/C evaporator case and the passenger side one may be stuck in cold position. Replace the actuator and it should fix the...
Gear slipping 1st 2nd
Hello there, thank you for asking about your 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. The first thing to check would be the transmission fluid level. A low transmission fluid level from a leak can cause symptoms where the engine speed rises without...
Clutch pedal down Reservoir full recently replaced master
If the fluid is full but the system will not build up pressure then you may need to replace the master cylinder and flush all the dirty old muddy fluid out of the system. The dirty fluid has caused the...
Cut door trigger wire, reconnected it, and now the anti-theft is on and the car won't crank
Hello, thanks for writing in. If that was the only wire cut, the butt connector may not be sufficient to attach the wires together and they may have to be soldered. Some systems watch resistance readings through the circuit and...
my car has no power and won't start
Hi Jayden. Thanks for contacting us today. It's quite possible that you have a dead battery or bad battery cables. You can try to jumpstart the car, but make sure to pay careful attention to ensuring you connect the cables...

Related articles

The Best Used Cars to Buy If You're a Personal Assistant
As As a personal assistant, you have a lot of demands placed on your time. Often it’s important that you be able to get around town quickly, running a ton of errands, picking things up here, dropping them off there,...
Symptoms of a Bad or Failing Radiator
Common signs include leaking coolant, vehicle overheating, sludge, and low coolant.
How Long Does a Cooling Fan Resistor Last?
The The purpose of the cooling fan resistor is to remove heat from the engine’s coolant and from the A/C refrigerant. The resistor does this by drawing air through the radiator and air conditioning condenser. A belt drive fan is...