high pitched screeching at low rpm

Ultrastar

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:(

this problem just started a few days ago and is intermittent
basically at idle 7-800rpm or so there is this loud nasty very high pitched metallic noise coming from under the hood

as soon as i hit the pedal a bit and the engine goes above 800rpm the noise instantly disappears.

what could be causing this?
i fear this will cost me

at red lights i brake with my food on the gas to avoid the noise... :shifty:
 
A bad belt, or a bad belt tensioner can cause this. May also be a tensioner pulley's bearings going out. Pop the hood, take the belt off, and inspect it. Spin each accessory by hand. The guilty party will show itself quickly. Don't run the engine with the hood up, if something gives way it can sting pretty good.
 
im too much of a noob to do that! :runaway:

dammit i need to get to work tomorrrow
is it dangerous to ride it with that problem?

kind of sounds like this
Timing belt tensioner noise? 1.8T - YouTube

but more constant

are these expensive to fix?

thanks for your reply btw

So, just to be clear here, you are talking about an LS, and not the car in the video?

Not having a recording of your car, I can't say if it's something that can wait a few days, or needs to be taken care of ASAP.
 
There's no telling how long it'll run like that. If it's just a loose/worn out tensioner or a worn out belt it can potentially run like that for a long time but if it's a seizing bearing it can let go at any time. If yours sounds just like the car in the video it's most likely going to be the belt slipping against a pulley due to not enough tension, which points towards either a worn belt or a worn tensioner pulley.

If you have some silicone lubricant spray you can spray it on the belt while the engine is running and it will quiet the noise down temporarily but it won't fix the problem. Make sure it's silicone lube and not something like lithium grease. Using the silicone spray will also require that you clean all the pulleys when you get the problem fixed. You will still need to address the problem.

As to whether or not you can drive to work, I've been in that boat where you have to decide how long a repair can really wait so I know where you're coming from. In this case there are no guarantees. It might make it OK, it might strand you on the side of the road somewhere. If you decide to drive, keep the RPMs down as low as you can as a loose belt is more likely to give way with higher engine RPMs. When you do get this fixed I suggest replacing the belt, tensioner pulley and all idler pulleys (not sure how many an LS has).
 
Rockauto wants 25 bucks for a Gates belt, 55 for a Gates tensioner, and 16 for a Gates idler pulley. They have both cheaper and more expensive brands, but Gates has always made reliable parts. And, a member on another board I post to keeps us (over there) in 5 percent discount codes for them. The discount code normally covers the shipping cost.

Rock Auto 5% Discount Code:
97947148064329
Expires August 05, 2012
 
So, just to be clear here, you are talking about an LS, and not the car in the video?

Not having a recording of your car, I can't say if it's something that can wait a few days, or needs to be taken care of ASAP.

no its on my ls, the video was just to show the type of noise its doing
 
There's no telling how long it'll run like that. If it's just a loose/worn out tensioner or a worn out belt it can potentially run like that for a long time but if it's a seizing bearing it can let go at any time. If yours sounds just like the car in the video it's most likely going to be the belt slipping against a pulley due to not enough tension, which points towards either a worn belt or a worn tensioner pulley.

If you have some silicone lubricant spray you can spray it on the belt while the engine is running and it will quiet the noise down temporarily but it won't fix the problem. Make sure it's silicone lube and not something like lithium grease. Using the silicone spray will also require that you clean all the pulleys when you get the problem fixed. You will still need to address the problem.

As to whether or not you can drive to work, I've been in that boat where you have to decide how long a repair can really wait so I know where you're coming from. In this case there are no guarantees. It might make it OK, it might strand you on the side of the road somewhere. If you decide to drive, keep the RPMs down as low as you can as a loose belt is more likely to give way with higher engine RPMs. When you do get this fixed I suggest replacing the belt, tensioner pulley and all idler pulleys (not sure how many an LS has).

thanks a lot for the detailed reply
i think i will not risk it since i have to go on the highway to get to work

better be safe then sorry, i've already extended my luck already haha

ill have to do it this week so unfortunately i wont be able to order online, but I will keep that discount code in my books lol

ill let you guys know what ended up being the issue
ill book a vacation day to get this done
 
Seeing as you are from MTL, you sohuld check out RockAuto. Their final checkout price includes HST and duties, so what you pay is the to the door price. I order from them on a regular basis :)
 
Good deal. Incidentally, anyone who wants a discount code for Rock Auto just has to ask. The guy that keeps us up to date has been doing so for well over 2 years now.
 
Seeing as you are from MTL, you sohuld check out RockAuto. Their final checkout price includes HST and duties, so what you pay is the to the door price. I order from them on a regular basis :)

Nice! whats the average shipping time when u order?
 
Of course when i try the car this morning nothing happens.... Dont wanna bring it in while its working, i think i might end up ordering parts online... Anybody else experienced any similar issue with their ls ?
 
Of course when i try the car this morning nothing happens.... Dont wanna bring it in while its working, i think i might end up ordering parts online... Anybody else experienced any similar issue with their ls ?

My crankshaft pulley/damper is going bad. It's much worse on a cold day when the engine is cold than on a warm day or when the engine is warm.
 
Nice! whats the average shipping time when u order?

I live north of Toronto, and shipments take 3-7 business days (FedEx), normally on the earlier end of this spectrum. They are also quick to ship, usually within 24h of ordering, unless the part is listed as stocked in outlying warehouse/delayed shipping. Just be sure that the parts come from the same warehouse, otherwise shipping will get too expensive.
 
I live north of Toronto, and shipments take 3-7 business days (FedEx), normally on the earlier end of this spectrum. They are also quick to ship, usually within 24h of ordering, unless the part is listed as stocked in outlying warehouse/delayed shipping. Just be sure that the parts come from the same warehouse, otherwise shipping will get too expensive.

nice, if i can tough it out till end of week i think i might do that


so guys i know its hard to properly diagnose the problem but should I order all 3 parts that was listed? they are not too expensive so i dont mind
 
Joe do you have the same symptoms? or similar?

Similar sounds I suspect. The rubber in the damper pulley is loose, so the damper wobbles around a bit. This causes the tensioner to move back and forth a lot and wore it out so that it started squeaking a lot. I replaced the tensioner and the squeaks went away for several months. They're starting to come back now. The new one's wearing out, I guess.

Why don't I fix the real problem? I can't find a new damper pulley. I could take my chances with a used one, but you need a need damper pulley bolt to install it. (The bolt is a one time use bolt because it stretches when installed.) Apparently, the bolts aren't made anymore either...
 
Similar sounds I suspect. The rubber in the damper pulley is loose, so the damper wobbles around a bit. This causes the tensioner to move back and forth a lot and wore it out so that it started squeaking a lot. I replaced the tensioner and the squeaks went away for several months. They're starting to come back now. The new one's wearing out, I guess.

Why don't I fix the real problem? I can't find a new damper pulley. I could take my chances with a used one, but you need a need damper pulley bolt to install it. (The bolt is a one time use bolt because it stretches when installed.) Apparently, the bolts aren't made anymore either...

damn thats too bad, is your noise also only at low rpm?



update (little update lol):
i tried to check the belt and it seemed pretty tight
thats the most my rookie a$$ can do on my own :p
 

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