Harmonic balancer / crank pulley squealing???

[tsi1991awd]

What are the symptoms of a failing harmonic balancer? I have a squealing noise, intermittent and especially at startups when the engine is cold. Yesterday it sounded like it was coming from the turbo...checked for shaft play and there is absolutely zero shaft play side/side and in/out.

I looked at the harmonic balancer and it doesn't wobble but I did notice on the very outter edge there is a small nick in it...like a tiny "chunk" is taken out of the very outter rim.

 

[TunaTalon]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/pro...y-harmonic-dampener-just-time-pics-video.html

 

[tsi1991awd]

I can't figure out if it's from the clutch or from around the belt area. Because if I push the clutch sometimes it goes away....and if I listen near the passengers side right at the tranny, near the valve cover I can hear it....but if I listen under the car around the belts it's ####ing LOUD. It goes away and comes back intermittently.

 

[xezerax]

I had a high pitched almost like a pinging noise at cold startups a couple times right before my harmonic balancer took a dump on me. Since i changed it i havent heard the noise

 

[tsi1991awd]

Yea I'm going to order a new harmonic balancer from Mitsubishi...I was going to get a cheap Dorman one for like $50 on ebay but I decided I just want to do it once and be done with the shit. OEM all the way.

 

[RayBan GST]

change it now before its too late , change it only with original part from MITSUBISHI

you do not want it to break and get to your timning belt cover and BELT, then its a really big OUCH


change it and let us know

good luck

 

[99'EclipseGS]

i just recently went through a problem when something was squealing and it was extremely annoying. it didn't happen on cold start ups but would come after a while of me driving, and it would just get louder the higher rpm range i was in. my mechanic just thought it was my belt, so went through a shit load of them, and it wound up to be my alternator was seizing. so maybe check that out

 

[tsi1991awd]

Here's the deal, when I start it up say in the morning or when it has a cold motor, it will have this weird pitched squealing/whining noise and all of a sudden it'll tone down and then go away. Only goes away sometimes. After the car starts to warm up, it isn't present. Yesterday after it warmed up and I was driving, it was getting louder as the rpm went up. And then it stopped. After I got home from work I popped the hood and it was lightly squealing.

I do not have an A/C belt, so I know is not the tensioner. The alternator and power steering pump turn freely. The sound is coming from the belt area I think....if I get on the ground and listen near the belts, its very loud.

I'm thinking it could be the harmonic balancer, the thing is though this is my DD and if the dealer doesn't have one in stock then I'm screwed until they get one in. That weird pitched noise I was talking about has been going on for a couple months now on cold startups, and it just got worse yesterday.

I don't see any separation in the pulley, I'm not sure exactly what to look for. I saw one thread where they showed pictures of what the timing marks looked like or whatever but they were too blurry to make anything out clearly.

 

[gsxAWDdsm692]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/pro...y-harmonic-dampener-just-time-pics-video.html

Thanks for the link to my thread. I was going to do it

updated my post because I moved my pics

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/pro...ner-just-time-pics-video-2.html#post151424812

 

[welfle18]

I had terrible squeling noices on start up and one day I lost power steering and power. When I got home to check it out my belts were off and the harmonic balancer was broke. The inside that holds it to the crank was seperated from the outside where the belts attached. It was wierd and hard to explain but replaced it and no more squealing.

 

[99'EclipseGS]

i heard everyone saying to check my harmonic balancer when i had my squealing noise, and it wasn't that, just try checking out your alternator. this is a video of what my noise sounded like and yeah it got louder when i was under my car listening to it (not in the video though) coming from the belt area. (remember this is a gs 420a) so

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[No_Skillz]

Make 2 marks that line up on the inside and outside metal parts of your harmonic dampener. Drive around for a bit. If they are still lined up, it's not the problem.

Sounds more like loose belts to me. Pretty easy fix.

 

[tsi1991awd]

Make 2 marks that line up on the inside and outside metal parts of your harmonic dampener. Drive around for a bit. If they are still lined up, it's not the problem.

Sounds more like loose belts to me. Pretty easy fix.

The belts are in spec. It's not a belt squeal, it's a different squeal. Hard to explain....I had the camera when I first started it up, and I wanted to get the sound but it didn't do it! So.....I'm not sure. Haha.

 

[gsxAWDdsm692]

The belts are in spec. It's not a belt squeal, it's a different squeal. Hard to explain....I had the camera when I first started it up, and I wanted to get the sound but it didn't do it! So.....I'm not sure. Haha.

My car squealed on cold starts and got worse and worse till my timing belt snapped... so yea

 

[No_Skillz]

My car squealed on cold starts and got worse and worse till my timing belt snapped... so yea

Nice catch. Take timing belt cover off and check for damage.

 

[lost hybrid RF]

My harmonic balancer was the cause of my problems, the belts came off and I had no power steering or accessories. I replaced all my belts including timing belt, all pulleys and tensioners.

 

[gsxAWDdsm692]

Nice catch. Take timing belt cover off and check for damage.

Exactly.

My belt was shredding against the timing cover because my crank pulley separated and chewed up the timing cover into tearing up the belt. Eventually it made it weak enough to snap. It was pure ignorance on my part but thats what happen.

Go over your timing cover side of the motor very carefully.

i heard everyone saying to check my harmonic balancer when i had my squealing noise, and it wasn't that, just try checking out your alternator. this is a video of what my noise sounded like and yeah it got louder when i was under my car listening to it (not in the video though) coming from the belt area. (remember this is a gs 420a) so

I once had a RS and that sound for me was a loose belt. Could be alternator bearings though.

 

[No_Skillz]

Just another thought... are the power steering lines crushed/pinched/damaged at all?

 

[tsi1991awd]

Power steering lines are fine. I think it MAY be the pulley on the power steering pump itself...I don't know.

When the car is idling after warming up, if there is no whining noise that I was talking about, then I can hear a pop/click sound soming from the power steering pulley. Or a tap, rather. Tap/knock/click sound from the pulley. I don't know if that's the cause of my problem or not....most likely not, because the whining sound seems to be coming from down below or something.

Took the upper timing cover off and the timing belt looks fine....

 

[No_Skillz]

Do as I suggested earlier and make the marks on your crank pulley. It's the easiest way to find out if it is seperated.

 

[98DropTop]

Update?? I may be in the same boat as you.... I bought the cheaper Dorman harmonic balancer without even thinking after reading a few posts, just picked it up yesterday, but have not gone to change it yet. I always go for OEM, not sure why I chose cheaper....

 

[gsxAWDdsm692]

What's to update?

 

[Mr PopUps]

i heard everyone saying to check my harmonic balancer when i had my squealing noise, and it wasn't that, just try checking out your alternator. this is a video of what my noise sounded like and yeah it got louder when i was under my car listening to it (not in the video though) coming from the belt area. (remember this is a gs 420a) so

That sounds like the PS pump to me.

 

[DSMer541]

check the balance shaft belt.....when my front balance shaft bearing went out the belt was loose and it was making a horibly whining/vibration.....

edit: just realized this was an old thread...