Help diagnosing engine noise - problem solved?

[striktlyaccord]

Jeff, ideally the arrow should be more lined up with the longer rectangle and not the small square.  Mine was to the right of the square when it was making noise, so when it's within spec it should be more to the left (when referring to your pic).  Yours doesn't seem as far off as mine was, but it could get worse.  The underdriven aftermarket pulleys' overall diameter is smaller (for UR anyway, Ralco may be different) than the stock pulleys, so therefore, you should get a SHORTER belt than oem, not a longer one.  It'll tighten things up and pull that arrow back a bit.  That's why the 70" belt helped me.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Alright, thanks! I think I'll get the same belt as you. Where did you get it? I did a quick search yesterday, and found the belt on Amazon for not too bad of a price.

[thisaznboi88]

Jeff, ideally the arrow should be more lined up with the longer rectangle and not the small square.  Mine was to the right of the square when it was making noise, so when it's within spec it should be more to the left (when referring to your pic).  Yours doesn't seem as far off as mine was, but it could get worse.  The underdriven aftermarket pulleys' overall diameter is smaller (for UR anyway, Ralco may be different) than the stock pulleys, so therefore, you should get a SHORTER belt than oem, not a longer one.  It'll tighten things up and pull that arrow back a bit.  That's why the 70" belt helped me.

interesting do you have the SS one? because the ralco are stock belt layout but they are underdrive still. I think the UR SS are way smaller, but i could be wrong.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Gah, I wish I didn't lose the instruction sheet so I could do some comparing with the Gates belt it recommends.

[striktlyaccord]

^ Well Jeff, one thing you'll have to figure out before you go and buy a belt is the overall size of the Ralco pulley set as compared to stock.  I do indeed have the UR SS set, and the Ralco's may be different, so the 70" belt may or may not be ideal for you.  And I would't even bother with the fact that maybe the instructions recommended a "stock belt layout", because UR was in the same boat until I ran into issues, found a better belt, and then had to call them to have them update their instrcutions.  And I got my Gates belt from NAPA.  You can also look into Gatorback belts.

[thisaznboi88]

techinically the UR SS was based off the rsx-s motor. Not sure about the Ralco. I am pretty sure that the crank is the same size, the alternator is smaller, and the P/S is larger. I wish I had my old car I could probably measure them for you.

[striktlyaccord]

techinically the UR SS was based off the rsx-s motor.

You are correct, and this is why UR had the belt size recommendation for the Accord all wrong for a while.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Alright, thanks. I sent Ralco an email asking about the size, but have yet to receive a response. I may have to just call them sometime.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Shit... I just watched that youtube video again... and realized that my car is making that same exact noise, only when the compressor kicks on. I need to get a belt ASAP. Fucking Ralco still hasn't responded. I think I'm going to try whatever is the next size larger than the 70" belt, since the UR pulleys were a lot smaller than Ralco (judging from the auto tensioner indicator).

Edit: Whoops, looks like the next size up would be back at the OEM length, lol. I need something in between 70" and 70.75", which Gates doesn't even have, lol. What are some other brand belts that I can look up? I know there's the Gatorback belts, but I'm not sure what exactly I'm looking for. Would this be the right type? I looked through that list, and saw a 70.25" belt, part #4070695 (7 ribs, right?). I think that one may have a chance at working. If it's still too big, then I guess I'll try the 70" belt. If it's too small, then I'll look around elsewhere for a 70.5" belt.

[timot_one]

Try the GoodYear Gatorback belts.  They worked well for me on my SC before the manual tensioner set up made them jump and shred.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Alright, cool. I just went to Autozone and ordered the 70.25" belt (they didn't have any in stock but it'll be here this Thursday). If all goes well, I'll be returning it back to Autozone so I can order it on Amazon for half the price, lol. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Alright, I got the Gatorback belt installed, but the triangle is a little past the long rectangle. Do you guys think it'll stretch out over time and be fine?

[striktlyaccord]

Jeff, you have pm.  You'll notice that the noise is more noticable when the compressor comes on because it puts more load on the engine and thus the tensioner.  It's tough for me to recommend a correct belt size for you if what you say about the Ralco pulleys is true (that they are smaller than the UR ones).  But, just get one from any company and try the size, considering that I only bought a Gates one because that's the company that UR is buddy buddy with.  At this point, it'll be trial and error in regards to size, which is exactly what I had to go through.  You may want to take a better pic though because I can't really tell what side or angle your shot is from.  Good luck.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

I actually said that the UR pulleys are smaller than Ralco. There's no way I would've been able to fit a 70" belt on, which is why I tried the next size up, 70.25". I'll get you a better pic tomorrow. Hopefully once I get this all sorted out we'll have some actual numbers that people can use from now on when installing their new UR or Ralco pulleys.

Edit: Hmm, it looks like the belt stretched out a little already. Now it's a little bit in the long rectangle.



Looks to me like this belt is a nice fit!

[striktlyaccord]

Seems good.  Maybe coulda done a 70.50" as well.