Printable View
So, I just finished replacing the timing belt on my 91' Miata and it seems to run just as it should but now there's a fairly loud whirling sound that is constant at idle and gets louder as the engine revs. I imagine it could be the belt rubbing against one of its covers or something but I can't be sure and wanted to see if anyone had experienced this before or otherwise had any advice before I tear her all down again. Thanks y'all, in advance.
Belt too tight? Supercharger sound?
Did you change the idlers and/or water pump too?
After looking around on the internet it does sound like the belt is too tight. I guess I have to take it all apart again and try to figure out how to adjust it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jctattoos
Yep.Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
You can take the front cover off and let some pressure off the belt tensioner without undoing everything
I think I'm gonna try that. Is it just a matter of pulling the tensioner pulley back a bit?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jctattoos
Think you can loosen the bolt and let it self adjust. The spring pulls it into place ..just a little bit
Isn't there a set amount of belt ribs that should be between the 2 cam gears?
19?
From absolute TDC (cam and crank marks aligned with their respective marks) turn the crank something like 1 and 5/6th turns clockwise and now the cams should have their tension marks pointing to the alignment marks on sheetmetal. Loosen the tensioner and allow the spring to properly tension the belt. Then tighten the tensioner to proper torque.
You shouldn't have to count teeth or use any special tools. Mazda designed everything right there to do the job properly.
So, the first time, I hadn't turned the crank 1 and 5/6th turns before I let the spring apply tension to the belt like I was supposed to. Thanks to slowchildmiata for pointing that out. Later that day, I opened it all back up and did just that. Got 'er back together and still had the whirling sound. It was maybe not as loud but still there. I took a few days off from messing with it and came back at it today. I took it back apart and this time removed the belt altogether. Put the belt back on, positioned the crank and applied tension as per my Haynes manual's instructions and just as slowchildmiata explained. Got it back together once more and still had the sound. I'm not sure what else I can do. I guess what I'm wondering now is, is it bad for me to drive it like this or do I need to pay a professional to clean up my mess? I mean the sound is a little embarrassing but you can't hear it at all now under 2100 RPMs and at least stray dogs and deer and whatnot will hear me coming down the road! �� Other than the noise, the car seems to drive just fine. What do y'all think?