Engine Noise

[jekade]

There is anoise coming from under the hood only heard inside and is like a growling noise almost like a transmsion sound but the car shifts fine and the noise gets louder with acceleration and quieter when slowing down. There is some vibration in the steering when turning to the right so we replaced the wheel bearing on the drivers side but the problem is still there, I saw info on another site for a similar problem saing it was an Idler Pulley anyone have any ideas? the vibration in the steering wheel is similar to that of a power steering pump or belt problem the car is a 2000SE GP

[richtazz]

check for an unusual wear pattern on the serp belt, if you see uneven wear side to side, or if the belt looks metallic or shiny on the back side, your idler pulley or tensioner pully is going bad

[BLOWN6]

Mine did something like that and it was the tensioner.

[jekade]

replaced the tensioner pulley and it seems the sound has dampened a bit but still there, looked for an idler pulley but all I can find on the 3800 3.8L non super charged motor is a tensioner pulley

[kilroypr]

Get the pulleys new, they are not that expensive. If you can get replacement metal ones, better. Plastic, when the bearing is gone will break and will leave you stranded

[GTPWarrior]

did you check autozone? They have them or atleast they can order them.

[jekade]

we went to Autozone ( second shop ) and picked up a metal Dayco pulley but all the pulleys on the box said "Idler/tensioner pulley" my brother is an ASE certified tech for a dealer ( non Pontiac) and he was the one that brought it to my attention that there was only one replaceable pulley that he could find, which was the tensioner pulley so we replaced it and still he the same issue.

[richtazz]

have you checked the water pump? Take the tension off the serp belt and check for any sied play in the water pump puley. IF there is any play at all, the bearing is going out and it's just a mater of time before it fails. While you're at it, check all the pulleys for lateral play, as it could be any belt driven accessory causing the noise. You could try driving the car a VERY short distance with the belt removed, if the noise goes away, you know it's a belt driven accessory, then it's just a matter of figuring out which one. If the noise is still there, you need to look elsewhere in the drivetrain for your noise.