santiarias

Hi !

I few months ago I bought my first car, its an acura tl 2000 and I LOVE the car. I had the transmission rebuilt (ouch).

But there is this noise that bothers me and I dont know if its normal or is it something that I need to get checked ( I dont know much about chars , sorry).

I made a video so you can hear it, and maybe give me some advice.

Here is the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJY60...ature=youtu.be

Any help would be greatly appreciated it !

Thanks!

dreem1er

iTrader: (2)

thats either the belt, or a pulley.

also you might not be good with chars, but are you good with cars?

santiarias

hehe sorry for the typo !!

Thanks for the reply !! You think its a big issue ?

Or I can take it to the shop in a month or so ? (Trying to save some money)

victus1

It's hard to tell which belt or pulley the noise is coming from. Why don't you use the process of elimination.
Remove the alternator belt and start it up. Is the noise still there? If not, then it's probably the tensioner.
Remove both alternator and power steering belts and start it up. Noise still there? If not, then it could be the power steering pump. I yes, then it could be one of the timing pulleys, at which point you need to ask yourself when the timing belt, pulleys and tensioner were last changed.

santiarias

Awesome !! thank you so much !!

How urgent you think this issue is ? Can I drive like this for a while ?

Thanks!!!

jra8858

You need to isolate the sound using the given method. If you find out that the sound is coming from inside your timing cover and NOT any of your accessory belt, then you need to address the issue IMMEDIATELY if you value your car. Or at least park it until you have the money to fix yourself or bring to shop. I have a friend who was experiencing similar noise recently on his camry(yes i know different car, but same concept), and he ignored it and just kept driving it...... until his timing belt snapped that is. So my best advice is isolate the noise and then let us know where it is coming from so we can better assist you. Good luck

MilwaukeeDave

iTrader: (3)

The TL has what is called an interference engine meaning if timing belt breaks the valves and pistons will smash each other up. If its timing belt it's an urgent issue.

victus1

It's very easy to pop off the 2 belts (alternator + power steering pump)....maybe 5 or 10 min job. You can ask someone who is handy with cars to do it for you if you are not comfortable.
Then start the car. If you still hear this noise, then it's from the timing belt/pulley/water-pump area......and you should not drive the car until fixed.

If the noise is gone....then just check the 2 belts you took off. Turn them inside out and bend them to check for cracks/wear. Get new belts....they are very cheap....like $10 each for high quality Gates belts.
If the noise is still there after the new belts, then its either the belt tensioner or the power steering pump. You can get a new Gates belt tensioner for $55 (I installed one a few days ago, and this is the oem Acura part).

santiarias

Thank you so much everyone !

I ll change the alternator + power steering pump (I am gonna call a friend to give me a hand) and if the noise does not go away I ll take it to the shop.

The timing belt was replaced 10k ago, so I don't think that may be the issue. But I can't know for sure.

Again, thank you for giving me a hand with this issue. I hope that this thread will help someone else in future that may get that noise.

Cheers!!

thelastaspec

Get a mechanics stethoscope (think a stethoscope but a probe) - it will help you pinpoint the source of the problem without replacing everything.

another idea is to spray a lubricant (not sure what would be best here) maybe wd40 to pinpoint the problem then replace that problem part.


Example: you use the stethoscope to pinpoint the ps pump, spray the bearing, squeak goes away, replace that. saves you replacing everything trying to find the problem.

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

That doesn't seem to be a T-belt noise. Sounds like an idler/tensioner. Something is out of balance.

cmlteg

I would buy a can of belt conditioner and spray some into your accesories belt,
just a bit, see if the noise goes away, could be just as simple as a dryout belt.

santiarias

thanks !! yeah, actually the sound went away itself. I guess it only happens when the engine is cold.

I ll take it to the shop and let you know .

thanks everybody!