lexicondevil

ok i was just wondering if anyone had any info they could give me on a problem i'm recently experiencing with my 1999 chevy malibu 4 cylender. When it has been damp out as of recent, there has been a sort of constant, possibly cyclical grinding/pinging noise (as in possibly from something spinning or being looped, so my guess is a belt or fan of some sort but i dont know crap about cars). It usually went away pretty quick, and it's only done it a small handful of times. Ive been trying to save money to get some work done to it but my job just doesnt cut it. Tonight on the way to visit a friend it started. It wasnt happening bad enough to notice earlier, when it was really wet out, but tonight when it was just sort of humid, it was really bad. On the way home it was even worse. I opened the hood and it was really loud, and i had trouble figuring out where just due to sheer volume. Sounded like it was more to the passenger side than the driver, as far as i can tell. This car has given me little grief over the last 6 months of having it, and I am just hoping this isnt a big deal and I'm hoping someone may know a bit of something to help me get an idea of what's wrong so i can see what i may have to pay to get it fixed. I like my malibu, it's the 3rd car i've owned, and so far the best. I would like to keep it running...

suzuki-guy

sounds like a bad idler pulley maybe? hard to tell does it get faster when you rev it up?

lexicondevil

hm, sorta but it also kinda gets less noticeable when the motor is going at a higher RPM. And I dont know anything about cars, so bare with me if i seem a bit ignorant. I love the things but i just dont know how to work on them or a whole lot about them. It did, this morning, act really touchy when i first turned it on, like it had more oomph than usual. I barely had to touch the gas and the thing wanted to gogogo

OnDaGround

Your discription is kind of vague. It's hard to describe things when you don't know what you're looking at. Perhaps a video of the noise would be most helpful. There are tons of things that can cause a noise like that. As ^^^ he said, one of the pulleys.... it could be a number of things. If recording a video or sound clip of it is possible it might be best.

Mud_Truckin

Is the noise there all the time when it is wet out, or only when there is a "Load" on the engine, such as driving it? If you have it while it is at idle a good old school trick is to have a small stick of wood, small in diameter and about 2-3 feet long, please have some one that knows what they are doing because you could get hurt, but take that stick and place near a pully that is you think may be making the noise and place the other end toward your ear..... Sounds dumb and really is not safe but it works, you will hear that sound you here outside the car but amplified, Just be careful.... Then you will have a good idea at where to start.

OnDaGround

Don't use a stick. Use a long screw driver. That's a old trick. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But yes, be careful.

lexicondevil

UPDATE:

Ok i didnt get any of your messages until now but i did go out and look at the car now that daylight has broken. The noise seems to be coming from around the area with the belt, so i'm almost certain you guys are right about it being a pulley. I can try to find my audio recorder and go out there but no guarantees i can get you a sound clip so easily. if i do, i'll host it somewhere so you guys can download it and hear what it is. it's almost definitely something grinding on something. I can't get any video footage but i think i saw some dust or debris around the belt area, but nothing noticeable and no sparks (thankfully), so I will try to get you that audio asap. Any idea what the pulley would cost at a mechanic to replace, or if it's easy enough to do myself, and how much the part would cost for a home job?

lexicondevil

also yes it's more noticeable in idle than any time, but it does get faster while the RPM increases, but also less noticeable. Is the idler pulley going to be a big problem if left in this condition for a few weeks?

also ive had the car for 6 months almost, it had 2-3 small problems when i got it, and this is the first real problem it's had, so woo hoo for my malibu.

OnDaGround

The issue is that it could be any pulley. Water pump, Power Steering pump, tensioner, idler.... you catch my drift. You are going to have to pin point which one it is. Hopefully it's just an idler or tensioner pulley. Try looking for the pulley at www.rockauto.com. They are a cheap reliable source. I know tons of people who have purchased stuff from them.

Having a bad pulley is not a serious problem. These car's are very reliable if taken care of properly. Are you positive it's not the belt. While the car is running spray a little bit of water on it. If the noise goes away for a brief second then the belt needs to be replaced. You could try using a lubricant like Power Lube on the pulley to see if it goes away. You could be alright, but if the pulley siezes due to bad bearings it's going to shred your serpantine belt instantly. Which could possibly cause over heating if you don't catch it. Keep in mind your alternator is on the same belt. You shouldn't drive it without a belt. If the belt does break you will begin to over heat if you don't shut it off right away. Second, if the belt breaks your battery light will come on immediately because the alternator will no longer be spinning. So that's a fair indication, if you don't smell the burning belt....

lexicondevil

http://depositfiles.com/files/nl57ncptu

ok so i opened the hood, set the recording device as close as i could to the pulleys and started the car, then i went over and put the device as close as i could get it to the pulleys by hand, and went around that area with it. Then i set it back down, and revved the engine a few times. When it first gets really loud, that's when i was moving it by hand. I believe the whining that gets really loud was when i revved it.