Weird sound from belt/pulley area after engine reassembly - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

PatrickGSR94 · 11-21-2010, 09:58 PM

Just completed a full weekend of work on the Corolla 7A-FE. As I posted in another thread, this is the work I did and parts replaced:

- Replace radiator & heater hoses (brand new radiator)
- Replace timing belt
- Replace water pump & water neck hose ($14 for a 1 ft. length of Gates 1 3/8" hose that I cut down to 3" long!)
- Replace front main oil seal
- Clean off and replace liquid sealant on both oil pan and block reinforcement section
- Replace fuel filter
- Replace spark plugs
- Replace valve cover gasket, plug tube gaskets, and bolt grommets
- Replace coolant bypass hose
- Repair broken TVV vac hose port

Now after I got everything back together, I'm hearing an odd sound from the timing belt end of the engine. At first I thought the A/C belt was rubbing on the timing belt cover, so I removed the belts, removed the A/C tensioner pulley and made sure all the washers and spacers were correct, and put it back together again. Still making the sound. It doesn't really look like anything is rubbing, but I cannot figure out what's making this sound.

You can hear it very plainly in this video, but you can't see much due to crappy iPhone video.

You Tube

Bitter · 11-21-2010, 10:13 PM

timing belt rubbing something? did you replace the idler/tension pulley too?

PatrickGSR94 · 11-21-2010, 10:18 PM

Did not replace timing belt tensioner pulley. I properly tensioned the belt and it seemed to be good and tight before putting the covers back on. Spring still felt strong.

Before this weekend there were no sounds at all like this.

PatrickGSR94 · 11-21-2010, 10:23 PM

crap i accidentally deleted my youtube account

*edit* video working again

PatrickGSR94 · 11-22-2010, 10:42 PM

Well for some reason the sound seems MUCH less noticeable today than it did last night after initial startup. Last night I could hear the sound from inside the car with stereo off. Today my wife and her dad both reported they could NOT make out the sound from inside the car with the stereo off.

So I dunno... I'd rather not have to drop $50+ on a new tensioner pulley if I don't have to.

Bitter · 11-23-2010, 07:32 AM

pull the timing cover and check nothing is rubbing and find the source of the noise. $50 for a part is less than a tow if the belt breaks isn't it? hell it could just be the edge of the belt or side of a pulley rubbing the cover. I've had that before on cars I've done belts on.