Help diagnosing engine noise - problem solved?

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Fuck. Well, I could try a 70" belt... it wouldn't hurt anything to try. It may be hard as shit to put on though, lol. Other than that, it looks like it's either do nothing or have the compressor clutch replaced.

Edit: I officially hate unidentifiable noises. I sprayed some lubricant on the P/S pulley, and the sound immediately went away, but I don't fully trust this yet. I want to see this happen a few more times. Sometimes the noise can't even be heard if I haven't gone on the highway for a bit. This makes absolutely no fucking sense, because I sprayed lubricant on the pulley before, and it didn't do shit. I also noticed that my power steering fluid is a hair below the lower level mark. Could this be a coincidence with the P/S pulley maybe? I doubt it.

I'll post back when I have to go pick up my sister from school later today. I noticed that on my previous drive home from school today, the sound came back. If it does come back when I get home, I'm going to spray more lubricant on the P/S pulley. If the noise doesn't come back, then that should mean the lubricant is still working.

I fucking hate how elusive this noise has been! It makes me think it's one thing, then next thing you know it, it's something else, but not really, so now I'm back to square one. But wait, if I tried what I already did before, it goes away, but it comes back!  

[striktlyaccord]

Dave, did you say you're still getting this same noise as well? I know you said that when you changed belts it mostly went away... Does your car sound anywhere like mine right now? Or is it all gone for you?

I still have a faint squealing noise that I can hear as one of the pulleys rotates around.  It's probably the tensioner pulley, but I'm not positive on this.  The belt change helped out a lot, but it wasn't a complete fix.  I don't seem to hear a ticking noise though.  

Ahh, the joys of elusive noises.  Such fun.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

I may be using the wrong description of the noise. It would be more of a squealing rather than ticking. So we could be in the same boat right now, lol.

Edit: Just got back from school, and the noise hasn't come back. I figured out where I can slightly hear it though. If I stand in front of the engine bay, directly in the middle, I think I can hear the P/S making that noise. Whether or not it's actually the P/S pulley, that's a whole different story. Do you think I could tighten it with the belt still on so that the crank keeps it held down, that way I don't have to secure the pulley by other means while I tighten it? Tightening it probably won't even do anything though. I am going to keep a close eye on it, and if the noise does come back when the compressor kicks on, I'm going to spray down the P/S pulley again to see if the noise will go away.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

New video:

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

It looks pretty convincing. I'm going to take the bolt off then re-tighten it, and I'm also going to send an email to Ralco to see if they have any suggestions.

Edit: I took the bolt off then put it back on and re-tightened it.

[striktlyaccord]

I'm not too sure on what tightening the p/s pulley bolt more will do, but what you wrote above jogged my memory more (and good video too).  Sounds are a pita, and it probably sounds louder with the hood closed because the engine bay than becomes a hollowed-out sound chamber and the noise gets amplified.  But anyway, the noise you have is the same exact noise I had!  From what I remember, the noise was pretty faint at idle, and when the a/c compressor would kick on, it would get louder.  However, add to that the fact that when I'd turn the steering wheel and the p/s would have to engage as well, the sound would get even worse... almost like a screech!  So, it could very well be a p/s pulley issue.  However, I still think it might come down to the tensioner or belt more, with the a/c compressor and p/s just amplifying the noise because both items put more load on the engine.  I could be very wrong, but after changing my belt to a smaller size (and giving UR the RIGHT belt info), my squealing noise became very faint, even with all those other devices engaged simultaneously.  When they're all on and the noise is real bad, also try looking at the arrow on the auto tensioner and see if it's moving a bit back and forth rapidly like mine used to do.  If all else fails, have a mechanic take a stethescope to that bitch and see what they think.  Let's fix this noise and end your headaches bud!

P.S. - Where the hell did you get a black engine valve cover??

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Haha, it's a black painted RSX-S valve cover that I got from Jeremy.

I didn't think about turning the wheels to engage the P/S. Does it stay engaged if I keep the wheels turned? I can't turn the wheels and watch the auto tensioner at the same time lol. I'll try it though when I get home today. If the auto tensioner indicator is shaking, does that mean that the belt is too loose? I've noticed that the belt has stretched out a shitload, and now it's a tad past the long skinny rectangle. That'll be a waste of 25 bucks if I have to get a shorter belt. It was a bitch to fit on the 70.25" belt anyways; I don't think I could get a 70" one on.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Made a third video today of the same thing. This time I kept the camera stationary so you can hear it better, but of course, the quality has to be shit on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXwEKOwKvu8

[striktlyaccord]

Haha, it's a black painted RSX-S valve cover that I got from Jeremy.

I didn't think about turning the wheels to engage the P/S. Does it stay engaged if I keep the wheels turned? I can't turn the wheels and watch the auto tensioner at the same time lol. I'll try it though when I get home today. If the auto tensioner indicator is shaking, does that mean that the belt is too loose? I've noticed that the belt has stretched out a shitload, and now it's a tad past the long skinny rectangle. That'll be a waste of 25 bucks if I have to get a shorter belt. It was a bitch to fit on the 70.25" belt anyways; I don't think I could get a 70" one on.

For now, I think you can chill with the videos because the sound reproduction when you upload them isn't the best.  Try running the car again, wait until the compressor comes on, and then see if you can have someone else slowly turn your steering wheel back and forth so that the p/s engages.  If the sound gets way worse and the tensioner indicator seems to "beat" back and forth, you know that you've either got a belt, auto tensioner, or p/s pulley issue.  The tensioner movement might not necessarily mean that the belt it too loose, but it's def. a sign that the tensioner is working overtime.  All belts will stretch after just a few 100 miles, but they shouldn't stretch too much, and besides, it still sounds like your arrow is within spec.  I know that my belt is 70", so that size is doable.  However, you have Ralco pulleys I believe, which are bigger than my UR ones, so 70.25" might be the smallest you can get.  Keep us posted, and if you narrow it down to the p/s pulley, I might be outside soon spraying lubricant on my p/s bolt rather than on my tensioner pulley bolt.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

I had my sister turn the steering wheel while I was looking at the auto tensioner; the indicator didn't shake at all, and the noise didn't get any louder. The only thing I could hear was the audible of the car's RPMs dropping slightly then going back to normal. I'm thinking about trying it a second time so that I'm more certain about it. Edit: Just tested it again. It doesn't change the sound, just like what I previously said.

I'm also thinking about putting the stock P/S pulley back on and see how that goes. If the noise goes away, then that pretty much makes it obvious. If not, then god damnit, lol. What if I put some oil on the inside of the pulley before putting it back on?

Do you want me to take a pic of the auto-tensioner indicator now that it's stretched more? You said yours is inside of the long skinny rectangle, right? Mine's finally stretched passed that a little.

[striktlyaccord]

I'm also thinking about putting the stock P/S pulley back on and see how that goes. If the noise goes away, then that pretty much makes it obvious. If not, then god damnit, lol. What if I put some oil on the inside of the pulley before putting it back on?

Do you want me to take a pic of the auto-tensioner indicator now that it's stretched more? You said yours is inside of the long skinny rectangle, right? Mine's finally stretched passed that a little.

You can try reinstalling the stock pulley, but remember that it might cause some complications with fitment if it's a different size since you have the new belt now.  I don't know if putting on oil will do anything or not.  Don't worry about taking a pic of the tensioner indicator though; mine is also on the cusp of being passed the long rectangle, but it's been staying put for months.  Wouldn't it suck if after all of this, the noise was found to be more of an internal problem, and these aftermarket pulleys were to blame?  Oh boy.  

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

You can try reinstalling the stock pulley, but remember that it might cause some complications with fitment if it's a different size since you have the new belt now.  I don't know if putting on oil will do anything or not.  Don't worry about taking a pic of the tensioner indicator though; mine is also on the cusp of being passed the long rectangle, but it's been staying put for months.  Wouldn't it suck if after all of this, the noise was found to be more of an internal problem, and these aftermarket pulleys were to blame?  Oh boy.   :evil:

Edit: I put the OEM pulley back on, but I was wrong with my judgement about the size difference. It threw the auto tensioner way out of spec. I'm going to clean the shit off of the Ralco P/S pulley before I put it back on though, and I'm also going to lube up the P/S shaft and the inside of the pulley itself.

[striktlyaccord]

^ I'll try to hold back from  saying "I told you so" lol.  Now that the pulley is off, do you see any shards of metal anywhere?  If you do, that could be a sign of a problem because something's rubbing and wearing out.  Also, if I remember correctly, lubing things up is a good idea because I think it's been recommended that all the pulleys get lubricated somehow before installation.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

No shavings or anything. There was some crusty stuff in the threads (not metal), which I thought was the anti-seize that the shop put on before putting the pulley on. I cleaned everything off, cleaned the pulley back to a shine, put some oil on the shaft, pulley, and bolt, then put it back on and tightened it. I just got back from a test drive, and no dice. Still making the noise.

I guess if I look at the bright side of things, the noise isn't nearly as loud as before when I even started doing any of this stuff. Back when I had just the pulleys and OEM belt, it was so loud that I could hear it inside my cabin, windows up, and music at low volume. Now I can't even hear it unless I get out of the car and stand in front of the engine or at the passenger side wheel well.

I'm all out of ideas barring putting all the stock pulleys back on. Then all of this would've been a waste of my time and money. I'd rather waste my time and money on something worthwhile, haha.

[striktlyaccord]

Let's just blame it 70% on the belt size, and 30% on the auto tensioner, which is what I did.  Loose belt = noisy, tight belt = less noisy.  Then cross our fingers that it doesn't get worse again.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Alrighty then, problem solved! haha. I may go over to Autozone one of these days and pick up a 70" belt just to see if it does anything. If I can't get it on, no biggie. If I can, and the noise doesn't go away, then I'll use belt to strangle someone with.