I bought my XJ in March of this year. From the second I drove it out of the seller's driveway, when it idled, it made a really high-pitched squeal. So high-pitched that I would almost classify it as a whistle (kind of like a tea kettle.) It only happend at idle. As soon as i would give it even the smallest amount of throttle, it would go away entirely. As the weather got warmer, the sound went away. Now that it is cold again, the noise has returned. I know what a screeching belts sounds like and my sound is not that classic "cold, old car in the morning" sound. I would have already changed the belts if I thought it was that simple. The noise comes from the front of the engine bay. I am thinking that it may be the idler pulley, but that is just a wild guess. I am worried that this is symptomatic of something worse.

Any ideas?

Thanks, Guys!

 

its your belt, try tightening it up and if that doesnt work then you need to replace it. not that hard to do, only takes about 15 minutes.

-Kyle

 

how do I do the tightening?