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Oil on Timing Belt & Loud Ticking Noise

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ChvyKc

15+ Year Contributor
651
13
Nov 5, 2003
Cayce, South_Carolina
I have been working on my AWD for about three months now and I finally got it to start up. The problem that I am having now is a very very loud ticking noise coming from, what it sounds like, the exhaust side lifters on the first cylinder. Another thing that I noticed is that the timing belt has oil on it. I know for a fact that it was dry when I put it on there. I noticed that the oil pressure will go down when the car is idling also. If I rev the motor up and hold it at or above 2,000 RPM's then the oil pressure gauge will go back up to the middle where it is suppose to be. I didn't know if that was normal or not. The only thing that I can think of that is wrong with the motor is that the oil pan is pretty bent up. I didn't know if that would keep the oil pick up from picking up enough oil and that could be making the lifters tick and the oil pressure to drop when the car is at idle.

I am also having a problem with the car idling proper. When I first start the car up, it doesn't want to idle right. After I get it to stay idling at about 800 then it is fine. At least until I drive it or rev it up, then it will idle back down or cut off. It sounds like a problem with the TPS, but I was just wanting to get some of ya'lls opinions on this before I start tearing into it again.

This is my first DSM. The only thing that I have extensive knowledge on is Starions, so any help will be appreciated. I am still learning these cars so I really need some help. :thumb: If you don't want to post on here, you can shot me an e-mail at [email protected]

Thanks,

David :talon:
 
Oil on Timing belt WILL lead to jumped Timing QUICK - Source of Oil leak MUST be fixed immediately or you will jump time & bend valves when Oil Soaked Timing Belt strips at Crank - PERIOD .

- Plan on stripping the entire Front Case off motor
- Replacing ALL Oil Seals
- Replacing Water Pump
- Replacing ALL Tensioner assemblies
- And deleting Rear Balance Shaft while you are in there...

Bent up Oil pan is from the dumbass who owned it previously & probably screwed up every single thing he ever did to the Motor.
The bent Oil Pan is NOT the source of your problems.

It's NORMAL for Oil Pressure to be below Low mark at Idle (especially 800 rpm idle) per the Manual.

Idle problem is the LEAST of your problems at this point - They will be quite easy to cure actually.

& Where are you at in S.C. dude?
 
I kind of figured that it was a pretty bad problem. I just got this car back running just yesterday and now I got to tear it down again. I sure don't want the timing belt to slip again though. I just purchased this head and I don't feel like going through that again.

I am located in Columbia, so you aren't to far away. Shoot me an e-mail sometime. [email protected] I could probably use your help, I am still learning these cars and it would be good to have someone that is close to help me out.

Thanks,

David
 
First off, the only true way to check oil pressure is with a manual gauge. Second, a dented oil pan can very easily block flow through the pickup tube and cause low oil pressure. Third, lifters can and will make noise depending on mileage, contaminents etc. If there is oil on the T-belt itself remove the covers and check the seals. Don't go pulling the front case if your oil pressure checks ok but you may want to retorque the front case bolts. By retorque I mean retorque not just tighten. Another thing you might check is the location where the engine mounting bracket and tensioner bolts go into the block. I have actually seen some small leakage in this location once. One good way to check for leaks is to have all timing covers off, reinstall the crank pulley then start the vehicle and let it run. Make sure you have the crank pulley on and tight or the belt will come off and we all know what that will do. Have a battery charger on the vehicle when doing this as the alt won't be charging.

By the way, I have 11 years Mitsu experiance in a dealership so I feel qualified to give tech advice. Hope this helps.

:thumb: :thumb:
 
One good way to check for leaks is to have all timing covers off, reinstall the crank pulley then start the vehicle and let it run. Make sure you have the crank pulley on and tight or the belt will come off and we all know what that will do. Have a battery charger on the vehicle when doing this as the alt won't be charging.

Excellent idea - & God bless anyone who can work on Mitsu's for a living for 11 years!
 
Another thing you might want to look at is the cam seals. Start there first. I had the same problem with my 90. And being that you have to pull the timing belt off the cam gear, you might as well do the water pump, tensioner, and associted belts at the same time. Good luck.
 
I will try to retorque the bolts first to see if that will fix the problem. I believe in factory technicians. I have a buddy that has been working for Mitsubishi for 18 years, but he is really hard to get ahold of. He knows these cars in and out though, I will give him that.

I guess that I have some work to do this weekend. Glad that my g/f has to work, makes it a little easier to get in the garage. :D

Thanks for all the help guys, I will shot you an e-mail if I run into any other problems. If you can think of anything else that I need to check while I am in there then please let me know. This will be the fourth time to pull the timing cover and belt off and I am really getting tired of doing it.

Thanks,

David
 
Hey i was just wondering if u ever found out where the oil and the tick was coming from? I am having the exact same problem, the ticking is soo loud and annoying and the oil is worrying the shit outa me because the tb only has like 4k on it.
 
I know this thread is pretty much dead but I've been experiencing the same problem as well...it started leaking around the same time I replaced the front case (and all seals/gaskets) and deleted the rear balance shaft. I also replaced the oil pan (but I checked an rechecked the oilpan gasket, everything is good) and I still cannot find the leak. A little while ago I also replaced the tensioner arm/engine mount thing but I DID NOT KNOW that oil could leak out through that area! Thanks for the guy who mentioned it above, I will be sure to check this area out.
 
I never figured out what my oil leak was, I found somebody to buy the car before I got a chance to really get into it. The ticking was just a bad lifter, but I never got around to fixing it either. I thought that this thread would be long dead by now. I sold my AWD like six months ago at least.

As far as the leak that you have devoloped, it is probably just something very very small that you have overlooked, but you need to figure it out as quick as possible because you don't want that timing belt to stretch or slip (everyone knows what that will do)

Thanks,

David
 
Same thing happened to me once. The bottom bolt that holds the Tbelt tensioner on is in an oil galley. I used a bolt with a washer on it, and it leaked through and dripped oil straight onto the tbelt.
 
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