loud spinning noise from engine

rustyr182 · Jan 7, 2009

my engine recently developed a loud spinning noise and im having trouble locating the noise its really loud but it comes and goes. i mostly here it in the morning its weird once i hit 3000 rpm it starts with the spinning noise and it will stay on at 3000 rpm and below but if it hits 3000rpm it goes away again. so when the noise comes on i rev the engine to 3000 rpm and it will go away i need advice i hope its not a bearing inside the engine.....

scotts90ranger · Jan 8, 2009

it's most likely the alternator, idler pulley for the serpentine system, water pump, or timing belt tensioner. that's about all that can make the bearing noise you are talking about

Mark_88 · Jan 8, 2009

Could be a number of things...mine developed a weird "ratcheting" sound just before it died...it would do it once in a while near the end of the engine life...then it simply would not start...never did figure out what it was...could have been a spun bearing on mine though...

I ended up swapping in the 2.3 short block at that point...

wally · Jan 8, 2009

Mine had more of a squeaking or chirping sound though, but It kind of had same symptoms.

Check your tensioner really good to make sure it snaps back good with no hang ups and doesn't lean out toward the radiator at all. I wound up just changing the whole tensioner assembly and idler pulley on mine. The tensioner assembly is like $44 and a idler pulley with bearing is like $19 at auto zone. You can get new bearings for the idler pulley and tensioner pulley for under $5 each at an auto value parts store. I had to change the belt too.

This took care of my problem, but may be some thing else. You could try taking the belt off and start it briefly to see if the noise goes away. Then you'll know if its one of the pulleys.

rustyr182 · Jan 9, 2009

is there a test that i can do to narrow it down like take off the serpintine belt for a quick moment or will i ruin something or can i grease up a couple pulleys. its kinda tight to stick my head in there and listen.

wally · Jan 9, 2009

If you take the belt off and start it for a little bit it won't hurt it. The major issue is the water pump won't be turning, so don't run it to long. If you don't hear the noise with the belt off you can narrow it down to one of the pulleys. Then you can shut the motor off and spin each one by hand and see if you can hear any grinding or sloppyness in any of them. Most likley it is going to be the tensioner or idler pulley if it is a pulley issue.

rustyr182 · Jan 9, 2009

thanks alot sounds like a good idea ill do that .....

fordboi415 · Jan 9, 2009

Don't grease anything, the bearings are sealed so the grease won't help and it will make your belt slip and sqeal like crazy, take some belt dressing and spary the belt, if the noise stops its your belt if gets worse its a pulley, it it doesn't get worse or go away its not the pulleys or belt

rustyr182 · Jan 10, 2009

well the belt is really worn down its all cracked up i need to replace it i guess ill start from there when i replace the belt ill turn on the engine to see if the pullys or the belt were the cause

frankorego · Jan 10, 2009

Does the noise sound like a giant fan? If it does you need to replace your fan clutch. When they get worn they slip and the fan will not spin at the same speed as the pulley and it sounds like a giant fan under your hood.

Its a real simple fix. Remove the belt and radiator shroud then remove the fan. Should have four bolts, then disassemble the clutch from the fan and repalce with the new one.

wally · Jan 11, 2009

Make sure to check your pulleys when you change your belt. I had to buy two belts. Bad pulleys ruined the first one.

Kenneth S · Jan 13, 2009

If you can't find it up front, (if your truck has a manual trans) depress the clutch pedal while it's making the noise and see if the sound changes or goes away, if it does it probably the throw out bearing.

fang619 · Jan 13, 2011

ive also heard the myth of touching a bar of soap to the belt in question and if it stops sqeaking its a bad belt, if the sound continues probably a bearing, im having the exact same problem so im in the process of narrowing it down

loud spinning noise from engine

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