Hey Acurazine, I need your help. Long story short, I installed a UR stock sized pulley last year and now I'm getting noise when I turn my AC on, I replaced the belt and it went away for about 10k miles but came back. My mechanic thinks it MIGHT be the pulley affecting the belt. I'm now trying to figure out if it's the pulley or not. Here is the noise I'm getting


Please reply with
1. What kind of pulley do you have and how many miles? (Stock sized or under drive)
2. What kind of belt are you using? (Gates, OEM, etc.)
3. Are you getting the same noise I am with the AC on?

I'll start
1. Stock sized UR Pulley for about 20k miles
2. OEM belt
3. yes getting the noise

*Edit the tensioner was replaced about 10k miles ago

 

UGH!! No offense, but I hope this isn't related to the UR pulley. I just ordered one last week, but haven't had it put on yet. In to see if someone knows the solution for your issue...

 

I hope it's not the pulley either, I don't want to have to remove it. I just ordered a Gatorback belt, hopefully this fixes it (long term).

 

i had the underdrive pulley for about 6 months, gates belt, no noise.
now i'm using the stock size UR pulley (installed december), also with a gates belt and no noise

 

1. UR pulley stock size
2. OEM belt (55k )
3. no noise like that and i've had this installed for over a year



ever think it's not the pulley and maybe something else?

 

That's what I'm trying to figure out. The last time I had the noise they replaced the tensioner and the noise continued. They replaced the belt and it went away for about 10k miles and now it's back. It gets really bad in hotter weather. I'm hoping just buying a Goodyear belt rather than an OEM one will fix it, otherwise I'm going back to my OEM pulley.

 

Could it be the AC compressor?


I have the UR underdrive pulley for 4 years now, with no problems. Gates belt installed from day one.

 

1. Stock sized UR Pulley for about 2k miles
2. OEM belt
3. Sort of. My belt is old and needs replacing. It occasionally makes a noise similar to the video but if I spray some WD40 or belt conditioner on the belt, the noise stops for about 500 miles. Pretty sure I just need a new belt. You should try this. If the noise goes away, then it's likely the belt, not the compressor or pulley.

 

I had the belt replaced with an OEM one less than 10k miles and the noise came back.

 

In that case, I'll probably try the gates.

 

That's not the pulley making that noise. Perhaps it's the serp belt tensioner.

 

The tensioner was replaced about 10k miles ago when the noise first started, it did not go away after it was replaced. It went away after replacing the belt.

My mechanic said it's possible that when heated up the metal used in the pulley reacts differently than an OEM one would which could be causing the belt to damage prematurely, of course the only way to test this is to replace the belt again, which I plan to do but with a Goodyear one rather than an OEM one.

 

UR actually recommends Gates belts.

 

Labor to swap out the pulley should be fairly low. Have the mech swap it out and see if that stops it.

 

My motor began doing the exact same thing and progressively got louder from day one. Im using the underdrive pulley and swapped both belts with Gates brand. My suspicions were always targeted towards the compressor but since the tensioner was easiest, I exchanged that first but to no improvement. Mind you I was using a hollow tube to identify where the sound was loudest at couldn't ever determine if it was the tensioner or compressor but thought it was one of the two. After about a month or so went by, I finally got around to replacing my compressor and for two whole days the sound completely vanished but now it's back and louder than ever. Mine also only is present when the compressor is engaged. Otherwise no sound at all. My next task is to remove my serpentine belt and reinspect all pulleys and components...especially the UR pulley. I think perhaps the guy who installed mine didn't torque it down properly. That will be here within the next day or two so I'll post my results upon further inspection. Just found it to be funny how you were sharing a similar experience and also had the UR crank pulley.

Btw, I only exchanged the crank pulley. All others were untouched...

 

Hmm thanks for the insight, my new belt is coming in today. I'm going to pick up a torque wrench and check the torque on it.

 

Did they replace the bolts when the tensioner was replaced? I was getting a similar noise and it was due to this bolt issue.

http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/SB/B10-035.pdf

 

This is what they replaced.

 

Also check the torque on the Altenator mount bolts. I had a similar noise (CL-S6) that, for the life of me, could not isolate. I tightened the altenator mount bolts and it went away. #16 and 20 for your car on the link below:

http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/...All&vinsrch=no

Good Luck.

 

Quick update, I installed a new belt (Goodyear Gatorback) and the noise is gone. To the people that install new belts without taking off your passenger wheel, my hat goes off to you.

As for the service bulletin, I listened to the sound and it's not the same sound I was having so I decided not to try the bolts. I'll report back in about one year to update if the sound is gone or not.

 

Glad to hear the noise is gone. Hopefully your issue is finally resolved for good!

 

Well this is what happened last time, except the belt was replaced with an OEM one and the sound went away for a while. Hopefully using a Gatorback will remove the sound permanently.

 

My last post on this thread was me mentioning I would recheck the torque on my pulley bolt. Just to follow up, it was loosened and then retightened to factory specs with no avail. OP, any luck with the remedy or solution?

 

I have a stock crank pulley and was getting a noice that sound like bottom end.

I replaced my drive belt with an oem one just for maintenance reasons (stock had 33k miles on it) and the noise I had went away.

I did not remove pass wheel and didn't think it was too bad. 15 minute job and thats with inspecting everything.

Glad you found your problem with a cheap solution.

 

Mine just started to make that sound

1. Stock size lightweight pully
2. OEM belt that has about 5k miles on it since the B14 service
3. and yes getting the noise when I crank the A/C on. Gates belt here I come

 

mine just started making the sound today as well, noticed it while going through the drive-thru today.

1. Underdrive pulley
2. Gates
3. Only noise when A/C on

None of the places around me had the Gates belt I needed, so I got the Dayco Poly-W belt instead. The Gates belt I was using was on the car for a little over 10k and there was noticeable wear on the top (flat) side of the belt.

It took me only 10 minutes to swap out the old belt for the new belt. Did it all through the top of the engine bay, no need to go through the passenger wheel. No noise after changing to the Dayco belt.

 

Noise came back with a gatorback belt, I'm just going to remove the UR pulley and install the factory one back on.

 

1. stock size light weight pulley
2. 50k miles on the car, belt has never been replaced. Less than 300 miles on XLR8 pulley
3. I am getting that noise but the AC does not have to be on for me.

I had my XLR8 lightweight stock size crank pulley installed about 3 weeks ago. Today I noticed a sound very much like the sound in the video here. It looks to me that my timing belt may have slipped a tooth on the XLR8 pulley, and it's pretty scary considering if it comes off while driving my engine could be seriously damaged. Thinking about taking it into acura tomorrow morning to see if they will try to realign the belt. They will probably end up telling me I need a whole new belt. FAck

 

^^ this. UR Underdrive pulley was one of my first mods on my '05 TL back in 2008. I then swapped it over to my type-s in 2011. Never had any problems and using a Gates belt.

 

I wonder if there could be a difference between the UR pulleys and the XLR8 UR pulleys? The guys not having the noise issues, do you know if you have the original batch of UR pulleys or the XLR8 UR second batch?

 

the XLR8 pulleys are made by UR for XLR8, as UR stopped selling them, giving exclusive rights to XLR8, so they're the same.

 

Yes, I understand that but the XLR8 batch could have been made at a different facility, slightly different materials, etc. after giving the rights to XLR8.

Anyway, that's why I'm asking, for the guys not having problems are you using an original UR pulley or is it an XLR8 batch?

 

^mine is an original UR pulley. i bought it off of the black market here, NEW. the previous owner bought it and never installed it. said it was sitting for like a year. guess i got lucky

 

UR makes them for us. We don't make them. We just buy them from UR and market them as XLR8 pulleys because we have exclusivity on them. Nothing has changed and Shawn, the owner of UR, still inspects every pulley. And he will throw out any pulley that he finds an issue with.

All pulleys should be installed with a new Gates belt. If it's a stock diameter pulley then use GATES K060840. If the belt isn't tensioning properly then check your belt tensioner. Also check to make sure the pulley has seated properly on the crank and that you have torqued the bolt to the correct spec (offhand I believe it is 182 ft lbs of tq).

 

I have an original UR pulley, stock size, gates belt.
50K miles on pulley & belt, no noise

 

I have a UR UDP with some cheap belt and have had no problems.

 

So the noise that I was hearing yesterday... I got it fixed, Acura told me it was from something to do with the power steering, not the XLR8 pulley/belt. BUT my belt WAS slipping off of my crank pulley like I was thinking, so they took care of the power steering "problem" and re-aligned my belt and now everything is running great...hopefully the belt doesn't continue to slip, I will have to keep an eye on it.

FWIW my pulley from XLR8 looks exactly like the picture of the XLR8 light weight stock size pulley on heeltoeauto.com. 6 large holes and 6 small holes....

I have seen pictures on here of an older lightweight UR pulley that looks completely different. for example check out the pictures of the pulley on https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-performance-parts-modifications-112/swooshs-build-thread-high-protein-diet-updated-pics-page-74-7-12-15-a-849957/ which is swoosh's build thread. This one has 10 medium sized holes and is clearly different.

 

I have original UR stock size changed it myself along time ago ( torqued to 181lb ) yrs?...never changed my oem belt not even then... No problems 05 base 3.2 A/T... Good luck and hope this thread will be a solution thread if it ever happens to anyone else in the future...power steering is possible check your fluid or a leak...

Maybe post in problems/fixes section...

 

From the video you posted, it sounds more like a chatter than a squeak. Am I right? My 2006 Was making a noise like that a while back. I put a new belt on it, new idler pulley, and tensioner pulley. Nothing made a difference. What it turned out to be was a heat shield on the rear of the engine, that protects the CV joint from heat. The metal bushings had worn out, and when the car was idling, and the AC came on, it would cause it to vibrate, and make that embarrassing noise. I took the shiel off, and BAM, no more noise.

part #19

 

I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the pulley, when I first got this noise I took it to Acura and they checked everything out, replaced the tensioner, noise was still there, replaced the belt (OEM) and the noise went away for a few months. After the noise came back I replaced the belt myself with a Goodyear Gatorback belt and the noise went away, but sure enough a few months later it comes back. At this point I'm going to leave the Gatorback which is making noise right now, reinstall my OEM pulley and see what happens for a few weeks, if the noise is gone then it's probably the pulley. I'll report back either way.