I took some video of my car idling after my rebuild... obnoxious noise!

[ohmygahitsjosh]

So Ive been skimming thru some posts on here regarding noises at idle after a rebuild/timing belt job and stuff... ive come up with a couple possible explanations that seem like they could fit the bill, but I figured taking some video of it and posting it up on here could maybe get me a better opinion..

There is a moderately loud noise coming from the timing belt side of the engine bay.
I cant pin point it exactly.

The video is pretty self explanatory, and I do my best to make a ridiculous fool of myself attempting to explain things during it ;]

YouTube - SDC12998.AVI

Anyways, any input is greatly appreciated.
From a couple other threads ive read Im thinking it might be my auto-tensioner? But it seemed to be in spec when I took it off to do the belt so I just reinstalled it. I made sure and triple sure that after the belt tension was set it was 5/32 drill bit distance from the casing of it to the tensioner bracket arm... And I measured it after turning the crank by hand thru 3 complete cycles (18 times around) and then I let it sit for 45 min or so and checked it and then let it sit overnight and checked again and it was still in spec... just barely could fit the dril bit between them.

The other thing that was mentioned was possibly lifters that were collapsed? But the noise doesnt seem to really be coming from the head so I have my doubts...

And also the smoke Im thinking may just be burnoff from the rebuild... im not positive but I havent really run the car except yesterday For probably 1 minute and then today for 3 or 4 minutes to make this video, the noise makes me nervous to keep the engine running long enough TO burn off anything that might just be burn off

 

[monster4g63tawd]

that does not sound like you have a lifter tick and as for the smoke i wouldnt worry about it 2 much at this point unless it continues for a little while. if it continues then i would check to see if your oil lines are leaking like from the turbo and burning. sorry i cant tell you what the noise is as this is the first time i have heard this.

 

[my4ATEurV8]

i think i know what your problem is. check your private messages. i sent you my number. call me

 

[TsiDan]

hey man i have the same exact sound coming from my car.. just got done building it.. let me know what it is when you find out.. thanks dude

 

[ohmygahitsjosh]

Ill do my best man Im hoping someone else on here will have had this problem also and can point me in the right direction!

 

[derrickeclipse]

OK man just a trouble shoot idea. have you tried taking all the belts off ( besides timing belt) and starting the car. my car was making a noise kinda like that. on my car it was the power steering pump making the noise. also when you rebuilt the car did you replace all timing components. meaning every little gear the timing belt touches.. just trying to help.

 

[ohmygahitsjosh]

Yes.
Well with the exception of the crank sprocket oil pump sprocket and cams...

I replaced the a and b belts the b tensioner pulley the a tensioner pulley, the tensioner arm bracket thing that the A tens. pulley mounts to and the idler pulley. I reinstaled the old hyrdaulic tensioner because that seemed to be in spec

I just went and picked up a new one from the mitsu dealer ($73! long story but I managed to get them to sell it to me for wholesale price ha) So i took off all the accessory pulleys and belts last night and Im going to install the new tensioner today.

The one thing that blows my mind is, the tensioner is STILL perfectly fitting a 5/32 drill bit between the casing and the tensioner arm :/ I figured this would have been messed up had the issue been with the tensioner ... but I guess we shall see...

iAlso everything is STILL perfectly in time with all the marks Balance shaft, oil pump, crank and both cam gears lined up exactly to their marks...

when I turn the crank by hand it turns fairly easy the entire trip around... but there is a point where it gets a LITTLE bit more resistance to turning... Is this normal? I figured it was normal so I didnt bother worrying about it before but I figure Id ask someone to see if thats odd.

so to kinda narrow things down a bit can I just hook the alternator assembly back up and turn the car over and start it up like that without the other belts and such hooked up and without putting the timing cover back on? the cars sitting on jack stands and I wont be trying to drive it around exposed like that just want to be able to SEE more of what could be making that noise

k the issue is NOT with any of the accessory belts or anything... im only running the alternator at the moment and it is STILL making that god awful noise...

Might be coming from the bottom end.. im not sure
Im leaking a bit of fuel tho I noticed so I need to address that first...

It seems like if this noise happened to at least me and another guy that just finished a rebuild that its probably happened to other people as well throughout the years so PLEASE if someone could have a listen and give me some tips itd help out a lot of people Im sure...

Also it is not the tensioner as I have just replaced it with a brand new one... hooray for wasting $$! haha

 

[TsiDan]

the resistance you're feeling is normal. people are telling me the knock kind of sounds like piston slap
seriously doubt that one though. it definitely sounds like a knock.. nice and steady. doesnt change with a rise in rpms too.. i just dont get it.

 

[ohmygahitsjosh]

well inorder to debunk that one I made sure and to check the TDC of the #1 piston to make sure that it was at TDC when the marks were pined up on the cams perfectly and it checked out to be set fine. At TDC on piston 1 (closest to the timing belt) My crank mark was lined up to where I had set it while doing the timing belt and also my cams were PERFECTLY aligned... and when I say perfectly I mean I slid the Jay Racing plastic thingy in without ANY force I wasnt even pinching a little...
this is blowing my mind...

The timing belt from the intake cam to the oil pump sprocket side... it seem to be slightly more slack then the other side of the belt... is this normal?

And by slack I dont mean its NOT tight... I just mean that I can twist the belt more easily then I can between the cam or between the exhaust cam and the tensioner pulley...

Please is any of you DSM gurus can come help us out thatd be amazing and a TIME saver im sure...
I just got done dropping the oil pan again just to take a look inside... which sucks because it I wasnt leaking ANY oil after my initial install of everything and I was super excited about that and now Putting everything back together will give a chance for something more to go wrong :/ haha

 

[psx]

maybe the belt is rubbing on something

 

[TsiDan]

well whenever i timed my motor i had slack on that side as well. once you swing the pulley the auto tensioner pushes on the belt tightens up... im going to give it another go this weekend but idk what it could be.

 

[ohmygahitsjosh]

i tightened mine the 2nd time by using the "put tension til you can wiggle the pin in the tensioner freely then set the pulley and then pull the pin" method. Both ways gave me the same result If anything I may even have the belt a tad looser then it was before im not positive... but the holes on the tensioner pulley are at 7 and 4 now.. before they were a little bit closer to 3 and 6

does anyone know if by some strange crazy reason maybe the oil pump caught some debris? would it make that noise? would it still show normal oil pressure?
Is it even possible with the screen in place?

Just some random thoughts Im throwing around... Im completely stumped by this. And at a total stand still at the moment

 

[ohmygahitsjosh]

Seriously NO one has ever run into this before? With all the people on here that are capable of some pretty crazy stuff when it comes to these cars it seems like this one would be a no brainer for someone who has a lot of experience with them haha *bangs head*

 

[TsiDan]

alright well i figured out my problem.. turns out i do have piston slap.. not only are my clearances off because of the shitty machining job but my dowel pins dont allow enough side to side movement of the rods.. effing machinists.. there goes a perfectly good set of forged pistons..

 

[ohmygahitsjosh]

damn, I didnt touch my bottom end :/ So i dont think I could be having the same issue... hmmm

Gah this is blowing my minddd haha

Does anyone know if an oil pump is capable of this noise? Like if it got clogged or seized from sitting for 3 months?

Im just about getting to the point of just putting the wheels on it and saying eff it and taking it for a drive... at least that should make it more obvious WHAT the problem is when is causes a crapload of damage thats noticeable :/ sad

 

[DSM_ThuNDeR]

I think it would help diagnose the problem better if you turned the car
on without your lower timing cover.

 

[donniekak]

Has your balance shaft belt ever broke? You could have a spun balance shaft bearing. When people have timing belt failures because of a broken balance shaft belt, the balance shaft bearings are usually shot.

 

[BIRDCLAWTSi]

Something is rubbing, Check the flywheel bolts, Take off the accesory drive belts and see if it still does it. If it does, Remove the lower timing cover and look at everything. Did you set the auto tensioner properly? It could be the auto tensioner is no good and the tensioner arm is bouncing off the auto tensioner, Had this happen to my 1g n/t. Also check the balance shaft belt as stated above. Did you set the balance shaft in phase? Check the water pump too, See if the pully has play. Did you leave something inside the valve cover? I t could be alot of things, I wouldnt drive the car or run it until you find it. I read somewhere about a oil pump bolt backing out and hitting a timing belt pully or something in the cover. Good luck.

 

[ohmygahitsjosh]

Thanks dudes for your input

After that video was taken I had stripped everything down to just the a and b timing belts and cranked it over with no acessories or plastic.. same noise. Tensioner was replaced. Same noise. Redid the timing belt and retensioned everything 2 or 3 times same noise.

Today I got down under the car and what would you know but my FLYWHEEL was rubbing somehow on that little thin metal plate that goes between it and the oil pan/transfer case...

I basically just stuck a flathead screwdriver up in there and pryed it back out slightly... and what do ya know.. noise is gone!

Now im just dealing with smoke out my exahust and a little bit from the engine bay... as well as somehow there is a straight coupler in my boost line going from my MBC to my turbo actuator thing.. and its hissing up a storm.. not sure why but Ill probably just replace it. Im sure most of the smoke is still burn off but I was able to take the car for a drive for the first time in 3 months today! The thing I hate most about these cars is their ability to make you legit loath them sometimes when theyre broken and then the instant you take it for a spin... gah fall right back in love with it ha

But anyways, I tried to get some logs w/ evoscan but it just kept freezing after it said initializing completed... Looks like the next couple days will be researching wtf could be wrong with that whole setup haha

Evo 3 16g turbo in!
Cast SS mani in!
Stainless tubular o2 housing in!
new timing belts in!
new idler and tenion pulleys (3) in!
New hydro tensioner in!
New fuel rail bolts in!
New bottom injector seals in!
New AEM Uego wb in!
New open port 2.0 w/ mitsu reflash in!
New ARP head studs in!
New composite HG in!
New stainless Exhaust studs in!

Evo 560's in the mail!
Evo ix fuel pump in the mail!

Probably have missed some things, but that pretty much sums up my last 2 months or so.
Next on the agenda... upgrade the sidemount.. not sure if i want to go fmic or supra sidemount or something... or run meth injection? buttt im not sure how much of a PITA itll be to run meth on a daily driver and always be refilling that 1 gal tank arghh

Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed advice and info to all my random issues ive been having. It helps a ton. Tho I def have some kinks to work out... I am considering myself to now be part of the 'working dsm' club and it feels amazing.

 

[Jt_4g63]

just red ## post i was going to tell u i had the same prob and it was a plate on the way but u got it

 

[ohmygahitsjosh]

thanks anyways man