Timing Belt Noise

[bolokid]

So I accidentally picked up an 89 Festiva LX carbie last week. I drove the car home (332 miles) and it ran like a champ. The following day I was to take off with it (another 300 mile commute for work) and heard a chirp-like squeal coming from under the hood. It was coming from the front of the engine so I assumed the alternator. I turned around and swapped for my red Festiva. This past weekend I pulled the fan belt and the noise continued; so now the alternator and water pump are eliminated as sources of the noise. Now the noise sounds like 2 pieces of metal rubbing making a squeal noise. So I went and bought a new timing belt tension wheel/pulley and replaced it. This did not remedy the problem. I pulled the valve cover to assure myself that the noise was not coming from under the cover, it is not.

I started the engine and while it was running I sprayed belt dressing on the timing belt. The noise immediately stopped but started again after about 60 seconds. I sprayed the timing belt again and the noise stopped for a short time then started again. The belt appears to be fairly new, no frays or cracks. Can anyone tell me what's up? Similar experience?

[ryanprins13]

Did you take both timing covers off? Could be something fell down in there and is rubbing against the lower pulley. The belt dressing would have acted as lubricant for a bit, then returned to metal on metal if theres a bolt down there or something.


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[bolokid]

Did you take both timing covers off? Could be something fell down in there and is rubbing against the lower pulley. The belt dressing would have acted as lubricant for a bit, then returned to metal on metal if theres a bolt down there or something.


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I pulled both covers off but that's a good idea. I will check tonight.

Stay tuned.

[zoe60]

Check your crank pulley torque. That's what it was on mine. My own mistake. That's all I have to say about that.

[bolokid]

I think I got it. The crank bolt was easily removed so it had not been torqued very tight, certainly not 80 ft-lbs. But the biggie I found was that the 2 phillips screws were screwed directly into the timing gear on the crank and the spacers were riding on top of the screw heads instead of having the screws go through them. I put it back together correctly and ran the engine for about 5 minutes. So far no squeaking. Thanks.

[ryanprins13]

Yes, should have been tighter than that. When i changed my timing belt last it took an hour and a half, but 45 minutes was spent on the stupid crank bolt. It was incredibly tight :/


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[WmWatt]

On mine ('89 carbutetted) the crank bolt doesn't need to be removed to replace the timing belt, just the pulley which is held on the the Philips head scews.

[bolokid]

On mine ('89 carbutetted) the crank bolt doesn't need to be removed to replace the timing belt, just the pulley which is held on the the Philips head screws.

Turns out that it is the same on this one. I pulled the large bolt only to find out that the 4-10 mm bolts were holding the pulley on.

[TominMO]

On mine ('89 carburetted) the crank bolt doesn't need to be removed to replace the timing belt, just the pulley which is held on with the Philips head screws.

Right; if there is an A/C pulley tho, removing the pulley screws won't let it come off, because it's too close to the frame to clear the crank bolt. Then the crank bolt needs to come off for sure. At least that's how it was on my Aspire; Festy is prob the same situation.

I think you mean 10mm-head screws. Kinda hard to get a screwdriver in there.

[ryanprins13]

Huh, must be different then, there is a flange on the sprocket/pulley that the timing belt runs on on the efi's that wont let the timing belt past so the pulley has to come off to get the belt off and thats held on by that big bolt. The 'fan' belt pulley is held on by 10mm bolts though i think.


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[fastivaca]

I think you mean 10mm-head screws. Kinda hard to get a screwdriver in there.

There are two phillips head screws and four 10mm little bolts. The screws go through the main pulley without the retainer ring. The four 10mm bolts then go through the retainer ring and the pulley. If there's an A/C pulley then the four 10mm bolts go through that as well. There a holes large enough to go over the two screw heads. I've not had to take the crank bolt out to change the timing belt on a small nosed crank setup. I think the large nose crank setup might be different though, I've never had one of those.

Ian

[TominMO]

Huh, must be different then, there is a flange on the sprocket/pulley that the timing belt runs on on the efi's that wont let the timing belt past so the pulley has to come off to get the belt off and thats held on by that big bolt. The 'fan' belt pulley is held on by 10mm bolts though i think.

Your saying that just jogged my memory. You are right about that; when I had to replace a timing belt, I was annoyed that I had to pull the sprocket to change it. Interesting that it's different for 88s and 89s. Or is it?

It's still true tho that I couldn't get the Aspire A/C pulley off without removing the crank bolt. I don't recall any philips screws, so maybe that's another 88-89 difference, or A/C vs. non-A/C difference, or Festiva vs. Aspire difference? The Aspire doesn't use phillips screws at all to hold the two pulleys together (if you have A/C), just the four 10mm screws. My Festy (with a gen2 B6) doesn't have A/C, so maybe that's why I don't remember any screws on it.

[WmWatt]

The pulley on my car won't drop out, the space between the block and the body is just a bit too tight. However by putting a pry bar into the top motor mount and giving it a shove shifts the block away from the body enough for the pulley to drop out. To get the pulley back in later it can be set in place above and the pry bar shove lets it drop back in between the block and body.

[TominMO]

The pulley on my car won't drop out, the space between the block and the body is just a bit too tight. However by putting a pry bar into the top motor mount and giving it a shove shifts the block away from the body enough for the pulley to drop out. To get the pulley back in later it can be set in place above and the pry bar shove lets it drop back in between the block and body.

Good tip, thanx!

[Eaglefreek]

I've got the same exact chirping noise with mine that I just installed a replacement engine in. I know for a fact the crank bolt is tight, Ill have to take the pulleys off and see if there is something else going on. I'm trying to make sense of this diagram that F3BZ posted in another thread of mine and figure out exactly how may spacers there are supposed to be in there.