I replaced a bad Idler pulley and all was well for about a month. Then, this "sh sh sh/ch ch ch" sound came out of the blue. I replaced the belt and checked the pulleys, which all turned quietly by hand with no excess play. The speed of the sound is about 432 chirps per minute at 720 RPM and gets faster with acceleration. I re-torqued the exhaust manifold and, even though it needed it, there was no change in sound. Any ideas? Thanks.
What is this sound?
- Thread starter Jonas
- Start date
For starters I'd run it without the belt on to eliminate it coming from the motor if it's quiet.
What brand? OEM or Chinese aftermarket?
50/50 that it's made in China. A mechanics stethoscope would come in handy here to listen to each pulley as it runs. Otherwise I would do as suggested above and remove the belt and run the engine to isolate the noise and rule out the engine. Gives you a chance to turn pulleys again individually. Might want to use a drill with an eraser wheel to spin the pulley faster if you have access in the car.
Mine was made in Canada. I did notice the water pump has a tiny bit of side to side play in it. However, it spins freely and quietly like the other pulleys and I haven't lost any coolant. I'll try running the engine with the belt removed and report back.
So, I checked the water pump again and it moves side to side about half a centimeter and makes a faint clunk sound. Again, it spins freely and quietly and while running, it doesn't appear to move side to side much if at all. Should a water pump have slight play in it or should it be solid? This pump has about 30k miles on it.
There should not be any play in a water pump bearing, I’m surprised it hasn’t started leaking…
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