I'm on a road trip back home to Michigan from Texas. I made it a little over half way to Sikeston, Missouri.

Just earlier tonight the car started making a strange noise under light load and low RPM. Sounds like a bag of marbles rolling around or something slapping around behind the accessory belt.

All the pulleys and the accessory belt itself are fine. They are moving smoothly. It's coming from behind that, towards the fire wall but close to the top of the engine. I looked up some videos of what a bad timing belt tensioner sounds like and it's basically the same noise, just not as bad as some of the vids.

The last time I stopped in Arkansas there was no noise at low RPM. So, the thing has been bad for some where between 80 and 400 ish miles. I couldn't tell anything was awry until I slowed down and had to speed back up.

I'll include a YouTube link to my motor from tonight though my video sucks. If anyone is around Sikeston, MO or knows mechanics or tow truck people around here let me know please lol. Is there anyway to tell if the internals of the engine have been damaged by this without paying some shop $1k to redo the timing, belt, water pump, ect?

My car has 262k miles on it. Timing belt, water pump job was done at 212k. There's a Mitsubishi sticker on it with the mileage/date it was done, so, hopefully that was the kit they used??? Will be taking it to a shop first thing in the morning God willing, however, not sure if I should drive it to said shop or call a tow truck. Showing up with a tow truck is always a bad look when you're 700 miles from home lololololol.

 

D'oh, if only you were in Springfield, Mo I'd lend a hand...