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Zetec strange engine noise: video inside

hi, sounds like bearing noise to me, pull the drive belt and check the accessory pulleys, if they all seem check good, start it up with belt off (don't let run for too long obviously u don't want to overheat) see if noise is still there. if so then dive into the timing belt area. there are two pulleys and a tensioner in there that could be making the noise. i have two zetecs and had two different probs that sounded just like yours. one was at 163k one of the timing belt pulleys was growling. then the other the a/c compressor was making the noise, it was making the noise when i bought it and i figured i would need to put the timing belt and pulleys on it and here i just by passed the a/c compressor for winter and its good.
 
bad bearing, or failed tensioner/idler, pull the timing belt cover and check the belt tension, it should have a very small amount of slack. I would suggest, if your timing belt is original, time for a replacement anyways at 81K miles.

If its not on the timing belt, remove the serpentine belt and start turning pulleys, all of the pulleys back there should turn nice and smooth and glide quietly, if any of those pulleys make a weird grinding noise, there is your culprit right there.

What mike said too is a similar way to diagnose, probably a little smarter too.
 
What's the trick to getting the timing belt cover all the way off? I took the four bolts off but I won't pull up, it feels like the center of the bottom is stuck on something, and I don't want to break anything.

From the looks of it, the passenger side of the timing belt is torn up...probably where the noise is coming from. Is replacing this a job I could tackle myself? I have a good set of tools and I'm mechanically-minded, I just haven't done anything with this car.
 
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I have a ~10 minute drive to work every day. Is it safe to keep doing this until I can get it fixed? The car's been making this noise for the past month or so. I don't want to screw up this engine too.
 
PurpleMystique said:
I have a ~10 minute drive to work every day. Is it safe to keep doing this until I can get it fixed? The car's been making this noise for the past month or so. I don't want to screw up this engine too.
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Its a non-interference engine so if it does break you wont have to worry about bending valves or doing any damage to the engine. youll just have to spend the time to retime the engine.
 
striker2 said:
Its a non-interference engine so if it does break you wont have to worry about bending valves or doing any damage to the engine. youll just have to spend the time to retime the engine.
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I've read things that say differently, and I've read about people experiencing damage to valves and heads when a timing belt went. What's your source?

I let the car idle with the cover off, and the noise was still there, it sounds like it might be coming from the serpentine belt area.
 
PurpleMystique said:
I've read things that say differently, and I've read about people experiencing damage to valves and heads when a timing belt went. What's your source?

I let the car idle with the cover off, and the noise was still there, it sounds like it might be coming from the serpentine belt area.
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my source? how about the fact that i built the engine in my car? i have spun the crank around without the timing belt on many times. if they were interference engines i would not be able to do that. the zetec is not an interference engine. every book/website that says so is wrong. there are lots of people on this forum that will agree with me.
 
85 mph belt break and no problem

85 mph belt break and no problem

I shredded my belt at 85. Spent alot of time checking for bent valves found none. It is a NON interference engine.

The real hassle with a broken belt is the hitchhiking and tow fee.
 
striker2 said:
my source? how about the fact that i built the engine in my car? i have spun the crank around without the timing belt on many times. if they were interference engines i would not be able to do that. the zetec is not an interference engine. every book/website that says so is wrong. there are lots of people on this forum that will agree with me.
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Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like an ass, I just wanted to be sure. I just moved to a new town and I have no idea where I can go to get this done besides the Ford dealership. I guess I'll ask around at work tomorrow and see if there are any recommendations.
 
I called it!

that belt has probably 40-50 miles left, the bearings in your tensioner are failing.
 
Well, the noise is NOT coming from the timing belt, that was just a lucky find. And how could you possibly accurately estimate 40-50 miles left? I've driven it for 1000 like this.
 
Your belt has started walking, as you can see the rubber marks farther outside than where the timing belt now sits. It is obvious one of the pulleys is failing. I suggest purchasing the GATES Timing Belt kit. Can be had at www.rockauto.com and it comes with everything you will need (except the tools to fix it, duh :))
 
zorrex said:
Your belt has started walking, as you can see the rubber marks farther outside than where the timing belt now sits. It is obvious one of the pulleys is failing. I suggest purchasing the GATES Timing Belt kit. Can be had at www.rockauto.com and it comes with everything you will need (except the tools to fix it, duh :))
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you can also get the cam timing tools for about 20-25$ as well. between the gates timing kit and the caming timing tools you can easily replace the timing belt at home. you also might want to consider replacing the waterpump while your in there.
 
Gah! Time and time again I see problems when people bring these cars to shops. Almost every week there is a new post about how someone's engine is dead after the belt snapped :rolleyes:. Just make sure to keep a good eye on the car when they're fixing it, and make sure you have a nice long talk with the mechanic or else we're gonna see another one of those posts :p
 
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