Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet

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Sun 24 Dec 2023 13:36
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - Daniele Spider

Hello everyone, and merry Christmas Eve.

I'm having a problem with my car in the last couple of months. It's a Fiat Punto from 2007 with more than 92000km. The engine is the 1.2 FIRE 8v, unleaded petrol.

In this part of the season, it happens that in the morning some water appears on the car due to humidity. So, when I take the car in the morning, it's often wet. In this scenario, when it's morning and the car is wet, so it's the first time I turn the engine on on that day, it happens that, a few moments after starting the car, I hear a ticking/squeaking/clicking sound that lasts a moment.

It's hard to describe, so I also made a video when the problem occurs, I hope it's clear from the video. You can hear the sound when it says "*sound". Here's the link:

streamable.com/heoto1

The problem occurs only during the first start of the day of the car and if the car is wet. If the car is wet and I already used it in the morning, and I turn it on even hours later, during the afternoon for example, nothing happens.

Also, if it's raining, the problem occurs if it's the first start of the day, at any time (morning, afternoon, night).

Apart from this sound, during the use of the car, everything looks asbolutely fine, and there're no issues.

What can it be? Should I be concerned? Why is this problem happening systematically when the car is at its first start of the day and if it's wet?

Thank you very much for your help, and merry Christmas holidays!

Edited by Daniele Spider on 24/12/2023 at 13:44

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Sun 24 Dec 2023 14:15
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - elekie&a/c doctor
Possibly damp/water on the alternator drive belt . What country are you located , I see the car is left drive ?
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Sun 24 Dec 2023 17:07
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - Chris M

Sticking starter solenoid?

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Mon 25 Dec 2023 16:42
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - Andrew-T

Sticking starter solenoid?

I think I might go along with that idea. Starters are usually pre-engaged, so perhaps the noise is disengagement when the engine starts ? It's only momentary, and doesn't sound threatening to me. But it should cost very little to get the opinion of an experienced ear - provided you can get the car to make the noise when required .... :-)

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Sun 24 Dec 2023 17:55
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - Daniele Spider
Possibly damp/water on the alternator drive belt

Could it be a concerning problem? Or does it sound like a concerning problem to you, even if it's not the exact problem you said?

What country are you located , I see the car is left drive ?

I'm in the Southern Italy, yes our cars are left drive :)

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Sun 24 Dec 2023 18:36
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - elekie&a/c doctor
Could be the belt breaking up . Best to get it checked.
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Sun 24 Dec 2023 19:36
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - Daniele Spider
Could be the belt breaking up . Best to get it checked.

Oh boy, that look serious. How is it possible that the sound can be heard only during the first start of the day anyway?

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Mon 25 Dec 2023 01:39
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - edlithgow
Could be the belt breaking up . Best to get it checked.

Oh boy, that look serious. How is it possible that the sound can be heard only during the first start of the day anyway?

Not very serious, though of course auxilliary belt replacement, like everything else, will be more of a pain to fix on a newer car than it would be on an old one.

The suggestion is that your noise is caused by water condensed on the belt, hence it only happens on misty mornings,This would probably not apply if it was the belt breaking up.

You might be able to reproduce the noise by spraying water on it with one of those cheap plant sprayer things, which would tend to confirm that diagnosis.

It probably means the belt is worn, contaminated by oil, or just loose. If its loose it MIGHT just need tightened, but if it has an automatic belt tensioner that might be faulty.

On my last car the belt was manually adjusted, and I "tuned" the belt tension using the output of the alternator, to 14.2V if I remember correctly

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Mon 25 Dec 2023 10:50
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - Daniele Spider

The suggestion is that your noise is caused by water condensed on the belt, hence it only happens on misty mornings,This would probably not apply if it was the belt breaking up.

You might be able to reproduce the noise by spraying water on it with one of those cheap plant sprayer things, which would tend to confirm that diagnosis.

It probably means the belt is worn, contaminated by oil, or just loose. If its loose it MIGHT just need tightened, but if it has an automatic belt tensioner that might be faulty.

On my last car the belt was manually adjusted, and I "tuned" the belt tension using the output of the alternator, to 14.2V if I remember correctly

Thanks for the reply. It's nice to hear that it doesn't seem to be anything serious anyway. Honestly, I don't feel like putting my hands in the car, having practically zero manual skills. Could it be dangerous if I left it like this? Or do you recommend taking it to a mechanic?

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Mon 25 Dec 2023 11:02
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - elekie&a/c doctor
It’s a multi rib poly belt . If the ribs have deteriorated or broken up , then grip across the drive pulleys is lost . Adding moisture or dampness to the belt means it’s going to lose its grip even more . Get a mechanic to check it .
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Mon 25 Dec 2023 11:16
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - Daniele Spider
It’s a multi rib poly belt . If the ribs have deteriorated or broken up , then grip across the drive pulleys is lost . Adding moisture or dampness to the belt means it’s going to lose its grip even more . Get a mechanic to check it .

What could possibly happen if I kept like this? What are the risks?

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Mon 25 Dec 2023 15:20
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - skidpan
It’s a multi rib poly belt . If the ribs have deteriorated or broken up , then grip across the drive pulleys is lost . Adding moisture or dampness to the belt means it’s going to lose its grip even more . Get a mechanic to check it .

What could possibly happen if I kept like this? What are the risks?

It depends what is driven by the auxiliary belt. For starters the alternator (that is 100% certain) and the water pump plus depending on the kit the car has addition stuff such as Air Con, Power steering.

It used to be called the fan belt in my youth but all fans are now electric on all cars.

Without a working alternator the battery will not last too long and car will eventually stop (or not start the next time you want it). Without a working water pump the engine will overheat which will eventually lead to total failure if you carry on..

A colleague of mine had his auxiliary belt break up and bits of it found their way into the cam belt (god knows how, they are normally behind covers). That resulted in cam belt failure but luckily his was a non interference engine.

Main problem in this instance was he and family missed their flight to Barcelona.

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Tue 26 Dec 2023 01:26
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - edlithgow

The suggestion is that your noise is caused by water condensed on the belt, hence it only happens on misty mornings,This would probably not apply if it was the belt breaking up.

You might be able to reproduce the noise by spraying water on it with one of those cheap plant sprayer things, which would tend to confirm that diagnosis.

It probably means the belt is worn, contaminated by oil, or just loose. If its loose it MIGHT just need tightened, but if it has an automatic belt tensioner that might be faulty.

On my last car the belt was manually adjusted, and I "tuned" the belt tension using the output of the alternator, to 14.2V if I remember correctly

Thanks for the reply. It's nice to hear that it doesn't seem to be anything serious anyway. Honestly, I don't feel like putting my hands in the car, having practically zero manual skills. Could it be dangerous if I left it like this? Or do you recommend taking it to a mechanic?

Well, you dont actually have to touch anything, apart from opening and propping up the bonnet, (which you need to know how to do so you can check the oil, which you should, but that's another separate topic) and spraying water on it. Zero contact.

Dangerous? Very unlikely. Gradual deterioration, with the noise lasting longer and also starting to happen when the belt is dry would be my prediction, with perhaps some loss of charging efficiency eventually stranding you with a flat battery.

My experience is with the older style V belts, which slipped before they broke.

The newer multi-V's may be different (since they are newer I would expect them to be worse, but I have no experience with them) and perhaps more prone to sudden failure which COULD cause damage but will probably just strand you. UNLESS you continue to drive with a broken belt, which might wreck the engine.

I have never taken anything to a mechanic if I didn't absolutely have to (and sometimes not even then) but you probably should.

Edited by edlithgow on 26/12/2023 at 01:36

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Tue 26 Dec 2023 13:48
Fiat Punto Classic - Ticking/squeaking when starting the car if wet - Daniele Spider

The suggestion is that your noise is caused by water condensed on the belt, hence it only happens on misty mornings,This would probably not apply if it was the belt breaking up.

You might be able to reproduce the noise by spraying water on it with one of those cheap plant sprayer things, which would tend to confirm that diagnosis.

It probably means the belt is worn, contaminated by oil, or just loose. If its loose it MIGHT just need tightened, but if it has an automatic belt tensioner that might be faulty.

On my last car the belt was manually adjusted, and I "tuned" the belt tension using the output of the alternator, to 14.2V if I remember correctly

Thanks for the reply. It's nice to hear that it doesn't seem to be anything serious anyway. Honestly, I don't feel like putting my hands in the car, having practically zero manual skills. Could it be dangerous if I left it like this? Or do you recommend taking it to a mechanic?

Well, you dont actually have to touch anything, apart from opening and propping up the bonnet, (which you need to know how to do so you can check the oil, which you should, but that's another separate topic) and spraying water on it. Zero contact.

Dangerous? Very unlikely. Gradual deterioration, with the noise lasting longer and also starting to happen when the belt is dry would be my prediction, with perhaps some loss of charging efficiency eventually stranding you with a flat battery.

My experience is with the older style V belts, which slipped before they broke.

The newer multi-V's may be different (since they are newer I would expect them to be worse, but I have no experience with them) and perhaps more prone to sudden failure which COULD cause damage but will probably just strand you. UNLESS you continue to drive with a broken belt, which might wreck the engine.

I have never taken anything to a mechanic if I didn't absolutely have to (and sometimes not even then) but you probably should.

Ok, I see the point. I'll try to explain the problem to a mechanic these days, see what he says. It's incredible how behind such a small and brief noise there exists the possibility that there could even be serious problems.

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