byfordjr wrote:
At an idle my timing belt "clatters". It's hitting the top of the cover, when I remove the cover I can see the belt moving up and down with the engine running. The belt is due to be changed (100k miles) but it looks to be in good shape. Could this be a loose tensioner problem? ? It's a '97 with a 2.0 4 cylinder.
  My '96 Mystique had exactly the same condition when I bought it.  Turned out that two of the tensioner pulleys needed to be replaced as well as the belt.  I think it was the pulleys, rather than the belt, that were causing this problem.

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Moonlight Blue 1996 Mercury Mystique GS , Zetec engine, ATX.  No mods. (Well, OK, one mod.  Before I got rid of my previous car, a 1994 Tempo, I swapped radios.  I liked the Tempo's radio better.  That counts as a mod, doesn't it?  I also kept one of my Tempo's wheels to use as a spare.  I hate those stupid ?compact? spares that come with modern cars.  Does this count as a mod?  If so, I guess I have two mods.  Replaced burned/melted blower switch and connector on 19 February 2002 with a 1P3T toggle switch from Marvac and a Molex connector from Rat Shack; I guess this now makes three mods.)