F***. I just changed my timing belt on my 2002 wrx 5spd. Everything was lined up right on the timing belt along with the cams and crank. I put everything back together and took it for a test drive last night, it ran fine and quite smooth I might add. This morning I go outside to tighten up the lower radiator hose because it was leaking a little coolant last night. Then I topped off the coolant again. Started the car to make sure everything is still good. Noticed a slight thump thump coming from about the crank, and notice a little piece of belt cover has been cut off and is pretty much sitting on the pulley. I shut the car off and pulled the little piece out. Started the car again and the thump is still there, and I stare at the pulley bolt and it is moving ever so slightly instead of just spinning in place. Then I get a slow tick come from one side, then the other, then back, like it was switching sides. It ticked about 5 times, long enough to determine side to side tick, and I shut it off. The car was not on for long at all, as soon as I heard sounds I would shut it off. Could this be the pulley being out of harmonic balance possibly from either braking the bolt loose or tightening it? Help is very much appreciated and please if you don't have a helpful comment don't post. I would like this to be clutter free to get rid of the problem quick.
I'm checking on Nasioc too. I believe it would be the crank pulley. I only hope that the crank and the insides aren't damaged. I would think that the very slow tick that only happened a couple times before shutting off would mean that nothing is seriously damaged...yet. And like I said, it ran very well last night until I shut it off.
I can help on a VW 1.8t and a kart/motorcycle motor. Other than those two I don't know what's inside enough to help. Sorry!!!
I was thinking, that it shouldn't be a timing belt problem since it ran fine the other night right? And it probably would be something to do with the pulley/bolt since it started in the middle then a slight tick on either side a couple times then I shut it off. And since a part of the belt cover, the raises in the middle on the right side (passenger) of the pulley got kinda shaved off. Could it be that the crank pulley bolt slightly loosened on the drive in between houses and that a tad less torque would throw it slightly out of balance? I would take a video if I felt comfortable starting it again, but I don't. Here are a couple pics before I take everything apart in case I don't need to. By the way, the tear on the sticker is from me wiping the cover off before I put it back on. Thanks for any help.
Oh I wasn't going to start it. Out of balance? Is it too late any serious damage? Do any of my theories sound anywhere near correct? Thanks.
just take it back apart. Looks like that pulley is loose or the belt was not on the pulley all the way. Either way, it has to come back apart.
I didn't have any problems lining it up or anything. I think it's just something to do with the crank pulley/bolt being maybe slightly loose. But to be positive, I'm going to take it apart again. It ran fine the other night after putting it together, making me believe that the pulley has become slightly loose. Oh well we will see.
the crank pulley needs to be super JDM tight. The idlers and stuff need to tighten to the point the the bolt *ALMOST* rips the threads out....*ALMOST*....but not quite.
so you can't go by the service manual? we put my crank pulley at 94 ft. lbs...hopefully that is enough. lsnaple, what was yours set at?
yeah, crank bolts are no joke. if i had known you only had it cranked down to 94 ft/lbs i woulda said something tonight. but like i said, a few things in the service manual are actually incorrect.
well i will be sure to retorque it. thanks for the heads up...any suggestions on any of the others that hold the timing belt or the idlers?
Whoa man no need to get snobby and insult me. I went by the manual. It ran great when I started it a few times that night and drove across the county to the other house. It ran better than before I took it apart and the old belt off. But just from getting one belt cover off I find out that the t-belt edge is now frayed. Oh joy. Now I get to get another belt. I decided to stop taking it back apart then and start drinking. There is a "strand" maybe an inch or two long coming off the side of the belt, maybe that was causing the slow tick side to side instead of ridiculous simultaneous ticking? At least it didn't snap. Well I get another trip to SOG for a belt tomorrow. I'll finish taking it apart either tomorrow or the next day and as soon as I do I'll take a picture of the belt.
I'm not being snobby and I am not meaning to insult you. This is me. However, something obviously went wrong during your install. In over 400 timing belt jobs that I have done, I have had zero failures. Something tells me that I know best in this situation.
No, not you. You have been very helpful. I was referring to the post saying can I not follow a service manual. I agree something went wrong, but I followed the manual. Something must have come loose is the only thing I can think of that happened.
what Sharpe said? he was refering to what the crank pulley sohudl be tq'd at. There are items in the FSM that are incorrect. if you look for the service manual corrections, some of the important items are corrected...like the front cam cap bolt tq specs. others...are not. Especially the crank pulley since i've never seen a tech actually follow that...they just do it to SUPER TIGHT and be done with it. I have had so many independent shops go in and do something, follow it to the letter and the first thing to happen is the crank pulley come off a few miles down the road...if it comes off/loose and and is caught immediately...no damage. however, if it comes loose and stays loose for a while, say 50~100 miles...it will ruin the crankshaft. oh and another ting i need to ride fhi for...the dtc trouble shooting charts are pretty useless. unless you already have an idea, they really make you run in circles.
Ok after going back through the thread I think I just read the post the wrong way, thinking it was directed at me. My bad.
So...I doubt it was the crank pulley now. Especially since it was snug, and that the belt started slipping off the idler left of the crank. That was slicing through the belt cover. The belt was riding fine across everything else, so maybe the problem was the idler. Anyway, now I have a bunch of tiny little shards of belt to clean up.