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Idler pulley/Waterpump?

C

CLASSVT

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
737
Location
Fort Wayne, In
Noticed a sound coming from the passenger side of engine bay near the pulleys. Sounded like a metallic rattling of some sort, and after searching appears it could be either the idler pulley or possibly the waterpump. After driving for a second the noise went away, and hasn't come back. Is this something I should go ahead and have fixed, or should I wait to see if it comes back? I am all about taking stuff apart and working on my car, but I have zero education/know-how on how to actually do it. So with that being said, I will most likely end up taking this to a shop to have the work done. But should I keep driving it? What is the easiest way for me to tell whether it's the idler pulley or waterpump? Thanks in advance.
 
If we're talking about a 2.0 L Ztec, this sounds very much like the classic lower timing belt idler disintegration problem. The sound is somewhat like chains rattling.

I would first check for looseness of the water pump pulley.

Assuming the 2.o L Zetec:

If that is OK, and f the problem is repeatable I would say remove the serp belt and start the engine for a moment and see if the noise goes away ( belt is not the easiest to remove but necessary to do for this test). Make sure you mark the direction of the belt before removing it so it can be reinstalled in the same orientation.

If the noise goes away, I would initially eliminate the timing belt. If it remains, I would suspect an idler has disintegrated. It is best to check this immediately before the idler completely disintegrates and parts bet between the belt and the gear. You can check the upper tensioner and idler by removing the upper plastic cover (4 bolts and some bending and twisting was necessary on my '98 Mystique cover with VCT. Depending on the year of the engine and whether it is VCT, it may be easire on yours.)

If these look OK, you would need to remove the right front wheel and splash guard, then remove the crank pulley and the lower timing case plastic cover. You can then see the lower idler and check its condition. If you replace the idler, you should do the whole set as well as the timing belt and adjust the tension according to the factory service bulletin.

My lower idler went at 75K miles, well before the timing belt was due for replacement.
 
Both cars in my sig are duratecs, and this is for the svt. Although your diagnostic approach may work on either. On a side note, the noise hasn't come back yet. Not really sure what to think.:confused:
 
If it is the pump, I dont think it is anything you need to take it to a shop for. My water pump went out when I was out of town visiting a friend at college. We were able to change it in the dorm parking lot with what little tools a college kid has in their dorm. Take the battery out and you will enough room in there to get at everything
 
CLASSVT said:
Ok, but it hasn't done it again since it happened. Should I worry?:shrug:
Click to expand...
When was the last time the engine oil was change? Check the heat shield for the main cat converter. WP for Duratec is on the driver side. Is the metallic sound dull or of a higher pitch?
 
Oil was changed about a month ago. So I can rule out the waterpump, but what should I look for on the heat shield? Last time I was under the car, the heatshield was secure and tight. The noise was somewhat high-pitch, and sounded similar to a school bell. But like I said it hasn't done it since, I'm not sure whether or not to be worried.
 
CLASSVT said:
The noise was somewhat high-pitch, and sounded similar to a school bell.
Click to expand...

Been a long time since I've been in school. Are you hearing a squeal or a rattle? 2 different sounds = 2 different problems. A squeal is usually a bearing going bad. It's simple to check H2O pump idler. You should be able to push it (towards the rr of car) with a couple of fingers to release tension on the belt. If you can push it back, remove the belt and spin the pulley by hand. It should not free wheel and there s/b a bit of resitance. If you feel it spins loose or rough/uneven, replace it. If the tensioner spring is frozen (you can't release the tension on the belt), replace it.

You can spin the H2O pump also, but there will be resistance due to the coolant inside.

A rattle could be many, many things...
 
Thanks. I am going to assume it's not the waterpump, as Tony stated it sits on the driverside of the engine bay, and this definately came from the passenger side. Plus there was no squealing or rattling whatsoever. It really did sound like someone was ringing a school bell. Still wouldn't be a bad idea to check the waterpump as you described, just for good measure.
 
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