Help diagnosing engine noise - problem solved?

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Do you think it'd be easier to replace just the pulley itself, or is it too much of a hassle to do that? I'd imagine it just be easier to do the whole assembly at once since you don't have to worry about fucking something up with the pulley.

[MyNameIsThien]

I would replace the whole tensioner. You can replace the pulley itself, but a lot of times they sell the tensioner with the pulley already attached. You might as well get a whole new tensioner. That way you don't have to worry about the tensioner going bad down the road if you just replace the pulley.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Alright. I also sent an email to Ralco RZ telling them about what happened, and gave them the information for the correct size belt. Hopefully they won't be stubborn about it.

[timot_one]

I have an extra tensioner if you need one Jeff.  It's used, but it's a lot cheaper than a new one from Bernardi or Majestic.  It's pretty easy to replace.  From what I remember, you will need to remove your PS pump to get access to your tensioner.  It's very easy to do and shouldn't take longer than 15-20 minutes to replace if you take your time.

[striktlyaccord]

^ Yes Thien, the i4 will require that the power steering pump be moved out of the way before you can access the tensioner assembly.  This is not the case on the V6.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

I bought Tim's auto tensioner, so I'll let you know how it goes whenever i get it. Maybe that whining noise that I was getting in my ECM diagnosis wars thread was due to my auto tensioner? lol. We'll see. That'd be nice.

[striktlyaccord]

^ Yeh, let us know if the problem gets fixed once you replace the tensioner.  I still may need to replace mine since the slight squealing noise in my engine is still audible as the pulley rotates with the belt.  Or maybe it's something totally different... who knows.  Sounds are so hard to diagnose (i.e. like trying to figure out where my exhaust is knocking now... ::sigh:.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

I successfully replaced my auto tensioner assembly today. Man, what a difference. The old one made all kinds of noises if I held it up to my ear when I spun it. The one I got from Tim was dead silent. Plus, all the noises when idling went away. I'm so glad that it's all fixed now, lol.

Thanks for the help.

[timot_one]

Glad to hear my parts and advice helped.

[striktlyaccord]

Nice & good to know.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Son of a bitch. I drove my car around today and then got home tonight, and noticed that the noise came back when I parked my car. It never fucking fails. I still think that the auto tensioner was bad though, because it made noises when I spun it by hand.

I can hear it pretty loudly if I listen to the passenger front wheel well, louder than from above the engine bay. It only appears when the car has been warm for awhile too it seems. Could it just be the material of the Ralco pulleys that makes them louder than the OEM ones when spinning? That's all that I could think of. I think I need to blow up my car. I may ask my exhaust guy to check the torque of the crank pulley (if you can do that). I doubt it's loose though, because the last time I checked it (which was during the diagnosis wars thread), it didn't wobble or anything. Besides, that would have ended very badly if it did wobble, lol.

I'm about ready to just accept the fact that this noise is not going to go away, lol.

On the bright side I guess, I know for certain that it's not the auto tensioner anymore. Plus this one can't get messed up since I've got the right size belt. It's just so fucking weird though because I've changed the belt AND the auto tensioner, and I'm still getting the same noise as the OP.

I'll keep investigating.

[striktlyaccord]

It never fucking fails.

Tell me about it.  Sorry to hear that the issue wasn't fixed.  Based on where you're saying the noise is most audible, you might want to look into the crank pulley as a culprit.  However, noises are so damn illusive and hard to diagnose in cars that it could be coming from a totally different area altogether.  Also, I wouldn't necessarily say that a slightly incorrect sized belt would totally ruin an auto tensioner.  They're manufactured to "readjust" to changes for a reason... I think.  

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Well, I just got back from the shop and they re-torqued the crank pulley to 181ft-lbs. It's still making that noise. The noise hasn't gotten as loud as it used to be since I changed out the auto tensioner, though. I'll have to make a quick video or something. Could it have something to do with the A/C compressor? Nothing's been done to the A/C system since the car has been bought. Other than it being the A/C, I have no fucking clue. I'm about ready to just throw in the towel and say fuck it.

[timot_one]

My compressor made a ton of noise when it went.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Here's a quick video (it's still processing). Once again, the quality is shit so you can barely hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trl6VOnZ9DA