Help diagnosing engine noise - problem solved?

[striktlyaccord]

(Some of you on this board have already heard this noise in person and gave me some advice, buy I figured I'd make it public considering even my mechanic was stumped.)

Listen for the squeel ------------------>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf1WYNnwrR8

Okay, so this persistent squeeling noise when the a/c or defrosters are engaged started to show up within the last month.  The engine has had a minor squeeling noise (even with the a/c off) for a while, but now it's getting progressively worse and seems to get louder when the steering wheel gets turned.  Once the a/c fans kick on, this noise appears, regardless of if I'm idle or driving.  At first I thought it was the belt, but it can't be.  Some recommendations have pointed to the compressor unit crapping out, which seems to be a $400 part.  What do ya'll think?  Here's some current engine specs that might help out:

2003 Accord i4, automatic, daily driven, has the Unorthodox Racing underdrive pulleys for about 10k miles and a new oem belt installed at the same time (maybe I shoulda got the smaller Gates one, but the belt tensioner indicator arrow seems within spec, right??), only about 55k miles on the car.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[MyNameIsThien]

Bad tensioner. That will be $49.99 for me to diagnose it Dave. Haha. It seems like the tensioner is binding up right when the A/C engages. When the A/C compressor engages, it puts more inertia on the serpentine belt which then cause that noise. Did you use the right size belt? Having a wrong size belt can cause tensioner clap. Usually, a longer belt will cause a squeel on maunal adjusted drive belts, but auto adjuster belts have a little more slack. If the belt is even a tad bit off within that spec, it will cause a tensioner clap (as I call it). The tensioner clap is when the belt puts force on the tensioner to just to get it out of the specified range that it needs to be in.

Try a smaller belt to see if that helps. If the problem persist, replace the tensioner and hope the problem goes away. I hope that helps you out. I heard similar noises like the one you posted, and it came down to a bad tensioner.

[k24low20z]

hey im having the same noise problem...i just installed my UR underdrive pulleys and i been noticed the same kind of weird noises it seems to be stronger when the AC compressor turns on..i think the pulleys have something to do with it

[thisaznboi88]

did you get a new belt when you installed the UR? It might have screwed up your tensioner since you might have gotten the smaller size pulley one. Did you get stock diameter one or  underdrive?

[k24low20z]

this are the ones i have and they some times makes that noise when the engine is been running for a while and the motor is hot..They are under drive pulleys use the OEM belt since it is compensated witht he p/s.

[thisaznboi88]

i think even oem one makes noise too. Last time my friend p/s was whining like a supercharger. Shot some Dw40 and its gone. Then 1 week later it came back. lol

[ibcnunv]

I have that same noise and it started after the install of my Ralco Pulleys.

[NVA-AV6]

I also am having the same noise after just replacing my belt with a NEW dayco. You should get the reccomended legnth belt and while replacing it check the tensioner, to check it, first feel the pully it should spin freely and have no play or feel in any way "notchy". Next get a "beam" type tourqe wrench and check the pressure of the tensioner, I am not sure of the I4 spec".

[striktlyaccord]

Thien, how sure are you that it's the belt, or worse, the tensioner?  It seems like most people in this thread are reporting that after installing some kind of aftermarket pulleys, they're getting odd noises like this.  It's a shame, because back when the UR pulleys were released, a lot of people told me that the oem belt would be fine, so I grabbed a new one from Honda and called it a day.  This seems to be a false assumption now.  I can try to go out and find the properly sized Gates belt that UR recommended (for the RSX or TSX pulley kit... can't remember exactly at the moment), but I wanna be certain that it'll be a fix-all, unless you think that having the oem belt for the past year may have done permanent damage to the tensioner.

And Paul, I'm a little confused by what you explained in order to check the tensioner.  Which pulley needs to be checked, the crank?  And what do you mean by "notchy"?

[NVA-AV6]

The pully on the tensioner itself....

"Notchy", when rotating the pully by hand, feeling it not be completly smooth , like there is something wrong with the bearing.

[striktlyaccord]

^ Oh ok.  

My mechanic also asked if there were aftermarket harmonic dampeners (or balancers, forget the exact word) made for these pulleys, which I guess go on the inner part of the pulley that attaches to the engine and .  Anyone have any info on this?

[NVA-AV6]

^Nothing like that for us....

Replaced my tensiner this morning and life is good.....

[MyNameIsThien]

Looks like we got one confirmed fix with the tensioner. I almost positive its the tensioners for you guys. I have dealt with similiar problems. I had to figure out the noise using a mechanics stethoscope. It seems like after time, the bearings inside either the tensioner or pulley gets weak and starts to bind up. Dave, I would get both a new correct size belt and tensioner. This should cure your problems or anyone else who has this problem.

[k24low20z]

should we get a a lil shorter belt or bigger? how do we know what belt to use? the noise on my seems to get worse day by day

[MyNameIsThien]

Get a little shorter belt. Not to short but just a tad shorter then the OEM belt.