RCpilot

A new gremlin has surfaced on my 99 TL. A strange noise that sounds like something rubbing. It manifests when the engine gets warm.


144k, unsure if the timing belt or water pump have ever been done, but they'll be done in the next week or two.

Any ideas what it could be?

Tosh

Better get that checked right away, as it's not going to keep until next week!

RCpilot

The more I check into it, the more it seems like the tension pulley. Deciding whether or not to tackle this myself or have the shop do it.

BAGII

sounds like timing belt chirp. i think there was a service bulletin about it. it has you install a small shim behind one of the idler pulleys for the timing belt and corrects the belt alignment issue. but yeah sounds like the belt might be rubbing on something like the cover or the block. do some research on the shim trick though.

SuperGreg

A mechanic's stethoscope really helps out for stuff like this. I just had a similar issue and it was the alternator belt tensioner. What a freakin PITA to replace. If you're doing the timing belt anyway you could remove both the external belts and run the engine and see if the noise goes away - or otherwise work your way in until you find where the noise was.

RCpilot

Would be great if it was something like the tensioner, but it really sounds like it's coming from the left side of the engine where the timing belt tensioner would be.

I found an old post from a member that exactly describes the problem as I've described it to others: Like a swarm of bees under the hood:----> https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-p.../#post11256394

Unfortunately, he's not an active member and that was his only post.

His was diagnosed as the P/S pump by the dealership, but he never followed up. Funny thing is, when I bought the car last month, the dealership mentioned that they replaced the power steering pump. The belt seems real tight on it.

Maybe I'll hit the alternator tension pulley with some WD-40 to see if the sound changes.

RCpilot

Well, Today I removed the Alternator/AC belt and the noise was still there. Then removed the P/S belt and once again I could still hear it.

I found a local Acura mechanic who agreed to do the TB/WaterPump/Pulley service at a great price, so I'm having the work done this weekend. Lets hope there aren't any surprises.

SuperGreg

Well that narrows it down. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

RCpilot

So I had the TB, pulleys, and water pump replaced. Looks like some of the work had been done before since the WP had sealant all over the seal, but it was an Aisin brand WP.

The pulleys don't look stock. They are stamped GMB.

Not sure about the belt, but it was in great condition.

The only thing the mechanic mentioned was the tensioner pulley has a bushing that needs to be transferred to the new part. On the old one there was a considerable amount of play. He sent me a grainy video of it before removing.

SuperGreg

Well, did that fix the noise?

RCpilot

Sorry, yes, it's no longer a beehive.

Black Tire

I had the same noise before my timing belt went thus causing me to get a new re-built engine.

RCpilot

Well, I don't see anything major on the old timing belt that would be cause for concern. The Contitech that came off of it wasn't the stock belt that's for sure, which leads me to believe someone used a cheaper Continental timing belt kit for the last job.

In any event, I can take some comfort knowing that it has OEM parts now and should be good for some time.