1st post for me.. Strange noise (good description) Can you help?
 

I'm in the middle of some pm down time and trying to figure out why my timing belt is rubbing against the back cover and making a noise?

I have about 3/16" exposed on the front of the cam, waterpump roller, adjuster etc. because they are wider than the timing belt. The belt looks like its riding in the same place on all the idlers, tensioners etc. nothing looks out of line.

Where should the belt be riding? front, middle or back?

It's got about 400 mi. since a dealer retension and started to make a "belt tooth hitting a piece of plastic that was cut away because someone updated the waterpump and/or the timing belt is just too far back" kinda noise.

Either that, or its' a "is the waterpump pulley suppose to wiggle up and down about a 1/16th. inch" kinda noise combine with the fist noise"

pure speculation on the noise description.....

Do they "creep" or did the tech just "didn't care"


Can I just loosen the belt and slide it forward and retension it to where it is? (using Haynes paint on tensioner, drill bit method and my own belt deflection measurement

Possible water pump shaft bearings.

I had a "ticking", noise from the timing belt cover, mech inspected replaced water pump and timing belt. Problem solved.

db951- thanx but I think I'm immediately more concerned about the belt/plastic dust and the "grooves in the back of the cover.

The waterpump doesn't leak (yet) although I know this might be down the line

I'd still like to know the position where the belt should be, can I put it back, and then see if it creeps

The tension pulley for the timing belt may be the wrong one. Supposed to have it's single guide flange on the back toward the engine. The balance belt tension pulley has it's flange on the front side away from the engine.

If the back cover was cut to accept the newer pump then yes it could be the cover.

Also the stud for the tensioner may be pulling out of the block. Or breaking off.


Either way you had better fix it. A hundred or so to get it straightened out is much less than the cost of replacing the valves in the head IF/WHEN the timing belt breaks.

SOCAL- thanks for the reply I was hoping I wouldn't be the new kid in school no one would talk to.

I've read many of your posts and don't won't to join the "order of the bent valve" and realize the importance of the belts

Both the timing and balance flanges face the correct way, and it looks to me like someone "hacked" a hole for the waterpump. (I don't have anything to compare it to, but it looks like an "unprofessional opening")

What I'm trying to do is: Since the belts are "fresh" and the tension just set, either loosen the cam belt and slide it out to clear the back cover. That is if the belt is in the wrong position on the pulleys. The Hayes manual doesn't give a good piture on the cam pulley and I'd like to know: should the belt be even with the outside of the cam pulley?, centered in the middle? or riding all the way towards the engine side?

If it should be all the way towards the engine, then I need to hack some more off the back cover.

In either case, I'm just trying to diagnose the prob and realize I'm in for a belt and roller job since my luck sucks

Belt tracking depends on the pulleys with the guide flanges. If these are out of alignment the belt tracks out of alignment.

I've also received a belt that was cut crooked off of the tube they are made from. Would track from side to side. Would make a noise every third or fifth revolution.

I would make sure that the tension pulley stud is not bent or pulling out.