2000 ZX2 Engine Whining Sound

[jcantu1982]

Hey everyone. Great forum!

I have a 2000 ZX2. Son burned up original motor (busted hose-water leaked out), so we replaced the motor with one from a 2002 ZX2, which now has 56K miles. Ever since we replaced it 10K miles ago, it has been making a whining sound around the pulleys. Can hear it while idleing and it gets louder when you accelerate. Doesn't make a difference if in or out of gear, still loud whining, annoying sound.

I have replaced the belt, water pump, AND alternator...still no fix! Arggggggh!!!

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Jose'

[jeffcoslacker]

Timing belt too tight will howl. Did you start the motor with the serp belt off, and see if it was causing it?

[jcantu1982]

Nope, I never thought about trying that. I'll give it a shot this evening and let you know.

Appreciated it!
Jose'

[pre98zetec]

all zetec's have a whine, some louder than others. It's normal.

[jcantu1982]

Hey, I took the belt off and it was nice and quiet. I really enjoyed hearing that engine humming without that annoying howling sound.

While the belt was off, I went on ahead and replaced idler pulley ($15) top dead center since it felt a little sluggish. Had to unbolt motor mount and jack up motor to get to it.

But NOPE, that didn't fix it. CRAP!

Any other ideas? It's a DOHC 2.0L. I just knew it was that pulley...still sounds like it's coming from that area.

Thanks!
Hosed Up Jose'

[pre98zetec]

you ran the motor without a timing belt on??

[jcantu1982]

ha... No, Jeff asked me to run it without the serpentine belt to see it the howling would go away and it did (just purring). I have replaced alternator, water pump, serpentine belt, and now idler pulley (top center)...and still no fix!

Let me know if you have any other ideas. If not, I appreciate you and Jeff throwing in your two cents worth.

Later,
Jose'

[pre98zetec]

ahh I missunderstood you. Is the belt name a Gatorback? I've heard those give off a whine sound almost like a supercharger. Possibly its just the belt. Don't run it too long without a serpentine belt, that powers the waterpump.

[jeffcoslacker]

Serp belts are most prone to whistling and whining noises when something is not aligned properly. Since all the accessories are hard-mounted with a serp system, the arm of the tensioner is usually the cause. Bushing goes bad, and the arm will "tip-in" slightly, creating just enough misalignment to produce a whistle, as the flat side of the belt is moving slightly diagonally across the tensioner pulley. Usually the flat side of the belt and the tensioner pulley will be unusually warm after just a few seconds of running when started cold if this is happening. If you can get a bar or something down against the arm, and lever it slightly away from or towards the motor, and the sound goes away or changes, that's your problem. You can also touch the belt's flatside with a grease pen or something similar while it's running, and if it stops making the noise momentarily, you know it has to be a flatside pulley creating the problem.

[jcantu1982]

Hey, this sounds great Jeff and Josh. I'll check it out tonight and let you know. Appreciate it!
Jose'

[jcantu1982]

Hey, I looked at the belt and it doesn't have any markings on it to determine whether it's a gatorback belt or not...got it from Autozone. But the noise was there even before this current serp belt. Changing it did not make a difference.

I looked at the belt tensioner from up above and it does not look properly lined up. It does look like it's bent forward so that may be it. I did try moving it with a pry bar while the engine was running but couldn't get it to change the noise.

So, unless anyone has any other ideas, I think I'll bite the bullet and replace the belt tensioner. We'll see!

Thanks,
Jose'

[jcantu1982]

fyi...I replaced the tensioner pulley; still no fix...argggh.

But, I then got some WD-40 and sprayed the heck out of all the pulleys (soaked them), even the timing belt pulleys. I probably should not have sprayed them so much especially the timing pulleys, but I was just so frustrated with the super loud whining sound. Driving me crazy!!!

And it worked...whining went away!!! It's been about 30 days now. I know it'll come back after the WD-40 wears out...and next time I spray the pulleys ONE at a time to figure out which was the culprit.

Later,
Jose'

[darkradar]

One way to determine the noisey bearing is to get a long screwdriver and pace the tip on different accessories while the engine is running. Put the handle end in your ear. You will know which one has the bad bearing.

[jcantu1982]

Yeah, I tried that and even bought an automotive stethoscope...but didn't have any luck pin-pointing it.

Appreicate the info.

[Timtickle]

Im not sure what brand my belt is but i changed my timming and serpentine belt in the same day and my car has been whinning since then. I have gotten used to it. Please post your fix

Tim