Timing Belt

[Brookes65]

Alright.. I have heard these sounds and experienced these symptoms with my VW which the timing belt broke on about 2 days after they began. The truck runs rough with terrible idle which eventually dies. If my foot is not on the gas the RPM's will spike then drop all while feeling very sticky along the way. There is a loud whining coming from behind the serp belt. In fact I thought it was perhaps the power steering pump at first, then when the hood was up I could hear the rough whine coming from behind the belt... I scratched my head and thought how could that sound be coming from inside the engine itself...also when I turned the engine off it seemed to rock the engine itself. Like the hesitation was from inside the engine and when the engine turned off the excessive force caused a drag or something... anyhow..

Then my ah haha moment was my experience with the VW. SO... I don't want to let this one break...

My question is what the hell is the tensionor pulley? and can I change the timing belt by removing crap from the top of the engine.. the Hayns manual says to freakin take the oil pan off and crap!!!!!!! This requires removing the whole dang engine....

I would love is someone could give some reference photo's... I'm good with mechanics.. just need more of a visual reference

 

[Masterd]

The 4.0 uses a timing CHAIN not a timing BELT, for starters.

If the chain does break, which is unlikely, (since they're usually good for the life of the motor), its not an interference motor, so you wont bend any valves.

 

[MrShorty]

I think the Haynes manual is right on this: changing the timing chain requires complete disassembly of the front of the engine. As noted, timing chains usually outlast the engine, so vast majority of the time, you are replacing the timing chain as part of an engine overhaul.

I would probably start with some more basic diagnostics and look for other, more likely causes of your symptoms before blaming the chain. I would probably pull codes from the computer to see if the computer can see the fault in the engine management system. Check fuel pressure to make sure fuel delivery is up to par. and so on.

 

[Brookes65]

so does this mean

.. How about this.. when I have the accessory belt off should each of the pulleys be easy to rotate by hand? If I pull on the belt by hand with a little bit of force should I be able to rotate the pulley's ? ...

when I replaced the water pump I had never really noticed the tension of the belt previously so that after i put it back on I noticed that it was very tight and I could not pull on it to get anything to rotate manually..

I have driven it for some time though maybe a month or so .. camping ..long distances .. and it hasn't given me any trouble...

I did clean the intake with some intake cleaner seemed to run great afterward... any advice??

 

[Spdrcer34]

The noise is coming from either the Belt Tensioner, or the Idler Pulley.

Both are easy to change out, and relatively cheap. 45 min TOPS to get it done, for a newbie under the hood. I have done it a few times, and I can do it in less than 20.

Ryan

 

[Brookes65]

what else would cause the whining sound??? and it's not airy whine its like a screech whine or a throaty whine if that is at all an understandable way of describing it...

 

[Brookes65]

I don't know what could cause the whine sound and cause it to die when idling after the rpms jump up and down with a sticky motion.... Don't get me wrong.. I love working on my cars/trucks.. it is just this is a very much needed car... it cant be out of commission too long.. This sucks...

 

[Masterd]

Remove the serpentine belt and run it for a bit, and see if the symptoms disappear.

That's an easy way to start.

If removing the belt cures it, its gotta be a pulley. Tensioner, AC comp, power steering, water pump etc.

 

[Spdrcer34]

...just don't run the motor for more than a minute...

Ryan

 

[Masterd]

Yeah, what Spdrcer said.

 

[Brookes65]

RIGHT ON... Thanks you guy's really... I wish my dad was as helpful as you!!! I feel silly that I didn't know that the truck could even run without the belt on... Doing the work today.. I'll let you know!

 

[Brookes65]

The idler pulley bracket is what is screwed up... when you put a ratchet on the nut and rotate counterclockwise the idler pulley swings up to loosen the tension on the belt for easy belt removal. The bracket has a seal or something on the front... this is what is broken ... this is what I thought was the confirmation of a broken or nearly broken idler pulley.

Then I rotated the other pulleys.. power steering pulley pushes in and out about 1/4 inch and power steering has sounded like crap and felt like crap for a while...

My husband dropped a piece of broken plastic from the cap that was on it into the actual fluid reservoir so I will be removing the PS pump and puting new seals in it while I have it off fishing out the broken part... (was pretty big piece)

Can the idler pulley bracket remain with the broken seal or must I replace that??? I can't even find it in any parts store.. I've got to try to find it at pick and pull!!!!!