Harmonic Balancer gone bad...happen to anyone else? [MERGE]

[oldman]

If you have already tried new belts, belt dressing, different tensions...etc and the problem still persists, check the harmonic balancer/crank pulley/the biggest pulley on the bottom, for signs of separation.

 

[Alibi]

If the water pump pulley has a wobble to it chances are thats whats doing it. Get that thing replaced !

And as far as belts squealing when its cold, you might want to check for signs of cracks and wear possibly replace them.

 

[gurmanator]

my talon is starting to do it to but only for a few seconds....did I break a mirror at some point in life to get all this bad luck.If im not fixing my talon,Im fixing my galant...wtf

I NEED A PIT CREW!!!!!

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

If it does it only on startup, it's the alternator belt. Do not use oil, grease, vaseline, hair gel or anything on a multigroove belt. It will allow debris to build up in the grooves and exacerbate the condition. " My chiropractors term" Which means in lay terms, it makes it worse. Tighten the belt, and use brake kleen to help remove the gunk that has built up. If that does not do it then change the offending belt. Also like was previously posted, be sure to check your harmonic balancer. If that is going bad you will never get it tight enough that the bad balancer won't loosen. Vr-4 has the same engine.

Good Luck

 

[eclipseturbogst]

Take a look at all your pulleys before you blame it on your belt, it could be a loose pulley or a loose belt tensioner.

 

[steve-o_95_GST]

mine does that on start up, and i think its the alt belt as Old Mitsu Tech said b/c if i start the car with the hvac control on the belt squeals but stops instantly when i switch it off. does that sound right? i think ill get a new belt soon.

-steve

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

HVAC does 2 things. It draws power from the alternator to activate the clutch on the ac compressor. This will cause the alternator belt to squeal. It could also be that the ac belt is loose and needs tightened in conjunction with the alternator belt.

Good Luck

 

[Defiant]

how can I fix my belt squeel...everything is new and tight?

How old's that harmonic balancer?

 

[jp171]

Also, check for any fluid leaks near the accesory belts. I had this problem, and it was caused by power steering fluid slowly leaking on to the belt.

 

[undrboost]

how can I fix my belt squeel...everything is new and tight?

if that is the case check and make sure none of your pulleys are locking up (worst case scenerio)

 

[Boosted98gsx]

6-bolt 1g in a 2g swap. Which harmonic dampener pulley do i need to use? 1g or 2g?

 

[jdmjason]

use the 1g

 

[FORMONTOYA]

both use the same part number

MD338319

jim

 

[blackGSX2g]

Use your 2g one as it is probably newer than the one that came with your motor or off of an old 1g parts car.

 

[slowmotiongeniu]

My engine has recently been emitting a constant squeal/hum. It started this summer, at the time a little belt dressing would silence it for weeks. Now that it is colder, when I start up there is loud squeaking at idle that can be silenced by giving it a little gas and letting it return to idle (sometimes takes a few times to do this).

I recently had the car in the shop for some body work (tree fell on it, that sucked), and asked them to take a look to see what might be causing the sound. They said it might be the idler pulley and they tightened it up (they thought it'd be fixed after that). I got it back, still doing the hum/squeak.

The hum is constant, the idler pulley (same as harmonic balancer/crank pulley?) has been tightened and belt dressing doesn't silence the problem.

Any ideas what the problem could be?

 

[DSM90AWD]

It's likely one (or more) belt is old/worn/glazed due to age and possible mis-tension.
Why not just replace all your accessory belts

 

[boostinaintez]

Sounds like a belt issue for sure, are they cracked worn has it been replaced recently. Or is it running on the belt pulley evenly or is it riding on top of the crank pulley?

 

[slowmotiongeniu]

It hasn't been replaced too recently. It was done around 90k and i'm up around 117k now.


I can really only see the power steering pump pulley, and the belt appears in good shape as it rides over that.
What would I see if it were riding on top of any of the pulleys?

 

[Sleeper_DSM_817]

I've had this problem before. What I did was readjusted the belts and it happened to fix the problem. But you have a N/T so it might not be the same for you.

 

[slowmotiongeniu]

I could describe the squealing more in depth by saying it changes pitches. It's also not constant, it comes and goes and I could drive a few miles to work with no squealing (constant belt hum is always there). The squeal starts with one pitch, and then goes higher and lower randomly as I idle. Does this information help pinpoint the problem? Think it's just a noisy belt? I suspect a pulley to be involved to get the high pitched squealing that changes pitches that I'm getting. What do you all think?

I had the belts inspected and adjusted when I had the car in for body work.

Two accessory belts right? Should I get any pulleys replaced? Should I have the crank pulley replaced?

It's way too cold to mess with this myself right now, and I gotta get it done before there's a worse problem.

Any idea what I could estimate for a cost for this work? Belts + whatever pulleys you guys think could need to go?

 

[JDP AWD 1g]

im having the same problem here.

the problem started when i blew my stock (14b) turbo, i get a very loud whining sound from the timing side of the motor. the sound increases with rpm's and now it sounds like there is marbles in my valve cover....any ideas?

 

[slowmotiongeniu]

My car's NA, so the turbo issue doesn't really apply.

Anyone have any ideas for my previous post? Costs? How I should proceed?

Anyone else have engines that sing to them?

 

[DSM90AWD]

The belts could be good (for now) but the tensioners may not be set correctly allowing excessive belt deflection.

Pick up a Chilton's manual and under "Routine Engine Maintenance" there is a section on checking/replacing accessory belts. This is something that any novice DSM mechanic should be able to do with a basic tool kit (10mm, 12mm and 14mm sockets).

If this checks out ok, then post again and can move on to different possibilities

 

[Boost95]

My car still squeels at start up, its very annoying and embarassing When I fire the car up 1st thing in the morning it squeels extremely loud for about 1 minute and then it stops suddenly. Once the car is warmed up and I restart the car sometimes it will have a quick squeel and other times it wont squeel at all.

As of now I have replaced every belt on the motor. Adjusted the tensions. Cleaned off the pullys. I also looked at the crank pully and it doesn't wobble and seems fine. I was told by a respectable DSmer that it may be my alternator belt? I have a new one on there but he said an OEM may fix it. I just got one from my local parts store. Just looking for other things to check out. Thanks in advance


-Mike-

 

[Doug99RS]

With the engine running check the belt alignment as well. All of the belts should be running in a straight line right to the next pulley on the system. It almost sounds like there's a belt that just isn't quite tight enough. Normally you'll want about 1/2 of an inch deflection in the belt. If you pluck it like a guitar string it shouldn't sound like one.

Turn on your air conditioning and see if the noise comes back.

Finally, just start removing the belts one by one. You'll have to find it that way. I wouldn't rule out the crank pulley either. This has bitten people too frequently so I'd double check that one again.

Pictures would also be good. We can see what you're seeing.
Doug