Bad squealing I think metal on metal.

[yoshimitsuspeed]

I was driving my car today, taking it very easy in city driving. When I pulled up to a stop light I heard a squealing sound, very much like metal on metal. I pulled over and checked my belts, They were tight plus it didn't sound like belts. When I started it back up the sound sounded like it was coming form the timing belt area. The whole time engine temp and oil pressure are fine. When I got home I left it for a while then started it and pulled it into the driveway, there was no discernable sound. I removed my timing belt cover and started it again to see if I could hear more closly where the sound was coming from. This time the sound was awful very loud and still sounded like it was coming from the timing belt area. I then disconected my belts hoping the sound was possibly a belt, or bad alternator / power steering / water pump bearing. When I started it there was no discernable sound, I thought maybe I found the problem. A few minutes later I startd it again and although the sound was not nearly as bad it had come back. I also put some silacone for belts (not an adhesive but a lubercant that is supposed to be good for belts) on my timing belt. I don't know if this or removing the tension of the other belts made it quieter or if it's just random chance since it sounds different evey time I start it. I recently replaced my balance shaft belt, timing belt, tensioner, and all pullies, I wouldn't think a pully bearing would die this soon but that is one of my next thoughts. I am really hoping it's not internal. I just replaced the motor, I was told it's a 97 with I think something like 50,000 miles. I guess I will go get a Stethascope before I start taking stuff apart, but any help would be much appreciated.

 

[jaktheripper]

My car did this same thing, and it ended up being the waterpump scraping against itself. I'm not sure if you meant you already checked that or not, but that's what it was for me.

 

[yoshimitsuspeed]

I noticed a little scraping sound when I spun the water pump pully, but when I started it without the belts on I am pretty sure the squealing was still there though much quieter. I will go double check.

 

[jaktheripper]

I'd take the waterpump itself out and check it. With mine, the bearing was broke and the blade things were scraping against the sides of the waterpump, and you could see that pieces of it had been scraped off.

 

[yoshimitsuspeed]

Nope I got the squealing to come back bad with no belts hooked up. I don't know what could be wrong to make it fade in and out. 3 times I have started it the sound has been almost inaudiable 1 time I thought It was going to blow up, and the last time it started quiet and grew louder untill I turned it off. I guess the next step is to take the lower timing belt covers off and hope I find something suspicious.

 

[WhiteCloud]

That sounds like your next best plan in this case....hopefully it is not your crank scraping your block . Very few 97s crankwalk, as far as I have been able to tell...

 

[yoshimitsuspeed]

Problem found and fixed.
The pully coming off the crank is two pieces, there is an inner piece which bolts to the crank, and an outer piece which is the pully, these two pieces are held together with a rubber ring that sits between the two. The rubber ring became unseated allowing the pully to wobble, and grind against the timing belt cover and whatever piece of metal it eventually wore through to. I never knew the main pully was two pieces of steel held together by a rubber ring, so I thought I would let anybody else know who may have been unaware of this. If your car starts screaching real bad this is something you might check. Fortunatly I had an extra pully from my old motor so it was an easy fix.

 

[gsxtacy]

Us guys call that a Harmonic Balancer.

good job!

gsxtacy

 

[Defiant]

I also put some silacone for belts (not an adhesive but a lubercant that is supposed to be good for belts) on my timing belt.

Welp, replace that ASAP.

Not a good belt to be putting lube on.

 

[luv2rallye]

Listen to Defiant or soon you won't have the need to listen to anyone. The TB should never have any lube on it. Get a new one on there ASAP.