Timing Whirring/whining Noise?

[GTR_STEALTH]

Hello Hello

I ran a search and had a look at some of the threads regarding a "whirring" or "whining" noise after the timing belt has been changed. Found it helpfull but my question is a lil more specific regarding RB26.

The noise only seems to be apparent when the car is warm/hot....and sounds normal when initially started. Would it still be the idler tension bearings as stated in many threads? ...or just the belt itself? If it is the bearings, is there any chance of seizing?

...the timing belt was done not too long ago.

Also, how much would i be up for if i got someone to replace it for me as its a lil embarrasing driving a nice GTR making weird noises

Edited November 20, 2006 by R33_STEALTH

[gozirra]

If you used a Gates timing belt when you changed it this is very common. The Gates belts seems to be a bit on the noisy side. I just got used to it and now I don't even notice it's making the noise unless I'm listening for it.

There's plenty of info in the forums on this topic. I think it can also be a sign that the belt may be tensioned too tight. But have bit more of a search, there's heaps.

[bumble_bee]

i have the same problem..

from what ive read..

people are sayin if the belt is too tight, after a while a few k's it will loosen and problem solve..

it seem's to be that problem..becoz

ur old belt did around 100k's correct?

then that belt would have stretched over a period of timing..

so wen a new belt was fitted it would be really tight..

causing the noise that u can hear..

well thats wat they reckon..

i'll try an find out

got mine done yesterday at a nissan dealer ship that i work at..

and my mechanic mate did the job too..

and i watched him do it. he did it just over 2 hrs with the radiator still in place =)

and i used a genuine nissan belt too...

so yeah

gates belt wine..so ive heard...

but could be the timing pre-tensioner going..lik in the nissan rb25det workshop manual, it recommend u replace the spring inside the tensioner at every timing belt service/change.... so it could be this aswell...wear and tear...

[mattyg1943]

Hi Guys

Never get a Gates timing belt!!! i just had the full kit installed and it is shocking.

It is like having your wife next to you 24/7 when your driving, constant whining!

It really is very loud and annoying

[(B1) MR_fanny]

mine whines too with an original belt. i might get it fixed when i get it tuned at the same time. $250 for labour though just to loosen it up...argghh

[Fry_33]

A lot of people say that a Gates timing belt is noisy. As far as I know the standard Nissan belt is made by Gates too, I will try and confirm that though. The Gates racing belt (T1040R) has different tensile cords and a tougher tooth covering compared to the standard Nissan one. These tensile cords are less prone to stretch so the tension might need to be more accurate than the standard Nissan item. Every time I hear that a Gates Racing timing belt is noisy a few posts later it is fixed by correcting the tension. I'll admit I thought I had an issue with my Gates racing belt as other pepople did but it turned out to be not even the belt being a problem.

Gates have only had 1 or 2 complaints of noisy racing T1040R belts in all of the ones that they have sold.

There is another Gates option to choose, which is equivalent to the standard Nissan one which is a T1040. This is the belt I am running now and it's fine. As mentioned previously by others, you should replace the tensioner and idlers at the same time as the belt. You will void any warranty associated with the belt if you don't. This means that if you don't change the idler and it seizes the belt heats up and snaps, valves hit pistons and you're left with a large bill, this wouldn't be covered.

If your cam pulleys are very worn then that could also cause the belt to be noisy.

If you read the tutorials and give it a crack it is fairly easy, just time consuming. You basically just need to get the covers off so you can loosen the tensioner, rotate the engine 2-3 times and the tighten the tensioner.

[Ben R31]

well just got my belt replaced only..

and it wasn't making any noises like it was before..

and I'm definite it's the timing belt!!

either too tight or loose...im unsure on that..

but sounds like a churping sound..

don't think i notice it wen car is cold either...

any ideas?

[mattyg1943]

A lot of people say that a Gates timing belt is noisy. As far as I know the standard Nissan belt is made by Gates too, I will try and confirm that though. The Gates racing belt (T1040R) has different tensile cords and a tougher tooth covering compared to the standard Nissan one. These tensile cords are less prone to stretch so the tension might need to be more accurate than the standard Nissan item. Every time I hear that a Gates Racing timing belt is noisy a few posts later it is fixed by correcting the tension. I'll admit I thought I had an issue with my Gates racing belt as other pepople did but it turned out to be not even the belt being a problem.

Gates have only had 1 or 2 complaints of noisy racing T1040R belts in all of the ones that they have sold.

There is another Gates option to choose, which is equivalent to the standard Nissan one which is a T1040. This is the belt I am running now and it's fine. As mentioned previously by others, you should replace the tensioner and idlers at the same time as the belt. You will void any warranty associated with the belt if you don't. This means that if you don't change the idler and it seizes the belt heats up and snaps, valves hit pistons and you're left with a large bill, this wouldn't be covered.

If your cam pulleys are very worn then that could also cause the belt to be noisy.

If you read the tutorials and give it a crack it is fairly easy, just time consuming. You basically just need to get the covers off so you can loosen the tensioner, rotate the engine 2-3 times and the tighten the tensioner.

Hey Fry

Do you think it will cause any problems having the belt too tight? can it handle more power if its tighter?

I am going to leave it whining for a couple of weeks and see if it streches a bit and gets better, if not i will loosen it off a bit and let you know how it goes. Fyi i had the black gates belt put on, dont know what model number it is.

Anyway thanks for your feedback

[roy33]

the timing belt will only whine if its been tensioned to tightly, installed a gates on mine recently can't hear a thing, you really don't have to tension the belt that much, all i did was rotate the belt and then simutaneously tighten the tensioner. spot on, no noise at all, and its never going to slip, no way.

[bumble_bee]

yeah, that sounds rit...

some people reckon that havin the belt to tight, after a while the sound goes away...

can somebody verify this??

i mite take the top timing cover off, just to make sure that is the problem..

because i dont want the belt just coming off wen drivin..u no..lol

could be ur belt is too loose aswel??

so the only real way to tell is take the cover off and have a look..

and if its too tight, or too loose, i believe it would may too different types off noises too..

but ive only notice my sound wen the engine is warm(normal eninge temperature)

not wen car is dead cold..

any more ideas???

[NA_Goodness]

I havent done a timing belt before, nor have I had much experience with it, but I'm a 1st year mechanics apprentice. I was talking to one of the mechanics at work, and he was saying that all timing belts make a noise, before they are automaticly tensioned, which makes them too tight. You cant adjust it without taking the whole belt off, and it goes away after a while. Most timing belts are the same, so you'll get it no matter what you do. Just live with it, make your exhaust louder (like mine, i cant hear the engine ), or turn up the stereo!

Btw, a tight timing belt doesnt not affect power what-so-ever

[unique1]

yes having the gates belt too tight (dont have it tight like a banjo string) will make it whire like crazy, i have installed mine again about 10-15 times during maintainence since the first time i did it tight and i made it a touch looser and its silent, make sure its not too loose, but not soo tight it wont move and it will be fine.

a gates timing belt should NOT be noisy, people saying they all do it, is wrong, u just gotta install it properly.

Edited April 19, 2008 by unique1

[bumble_bee]

i notice my alternator/fan belt is may a bit a bit tighter than normal..

so it actually mit not b my timing belt..

because if it was the timing belt wouldnt i hear it winning cold to hot(normal operatering temp)

but i only hear it, wen the car is warm/hot.

so yeah??

im thinkin fan belt...??

i notice on the alternator that theres a bolt on it that seems to pre-tensioner adjustment for this belt..

so which bolt actually looses the belt...???

theres too bolts above the alt.

i think one holds it in place the other adjusts...

is this correct?

any other forums or details on this would be great..thanks

[Fry_33]

There is an adjustment bolt on the alternator that points to the drivers side wheel. There is a locking bolt on the back of the metal block that the adjustment bolt runs though. You ned to loosen the locking nut and then adjust the belt tension using the adjustment bolt. Then tighten the locking nut. The power steering belt is fairly similar. The air conditioners adjuster is on the small idler right at the bottom. The adjustment bolt is underneath and the locking nut is on the back.

I'm sure I've got the R33 manual with the tensioning info in it, I'll try and post up the details. Once you have these tensioning figures you can get a Krikit tension tester for micro-v belts, Gates part number is 91132, there's other brands too I just don't know them. This is a small item that you can use to check the tension of a micro-v belt. These wouldn't really be needed too much on new cars as they have auto tensioners controlled by springs.

Having the timing belt too loose is very bad as the teeth of the belt may not stay in mesh with the sprockets. If a belt tooth get loose enough to skip a tooth on the cam gear then the cams timing is changed, this is very bad. This lack of tension and lead to the teeth being sheared off, also extremely bad. Having it too tight will probably make it noisy, if it's only slightly tight then it may calm down and become quiet. Synchronous belts though don't stretch very much over their life compared to a micro-v belt or V-belt. Since they don't stretch much the tension needs to be quite accurate.

If you have a noise when the engine is hot and at idle just check it's not you turbo bearing. This can cause an intermittent whirring noise too.

[bumble_bee]

oh ok..thanks heaps..

but its definitely not the turbo..

as from what ive bein listing too..it one of the belts...

is the clutch fan ever meant to turn off on a rb25det?

or does it stay on all the time while the engine is running..

coz its running off the alternator belt aswel...

is the belt adjust the same as on the power steering and air-con belt???

but if anyone else has had the same problem..

wen their car reaches normal operating temperature and hears a squealing/squeaky sound

can u please inform of how u fixed this...

thanks

[Fry_33]

If you think the squealing/squeaky noise is from one of the auxilary belts then you can just remove them one by one and see if the noise goes away. Make sure these auxilary belts are tight enough too as Micro-V and V-belts work via friction so they will slip if they're too loose.

[proRB88]

Hey Guys

Just reading this thread my problem is the same as your mine doesn’t whinne at all when cold but once it worms up that’s when the annoying noise begins. The car is at the mechanics (Trojen MotorSports) now and he will be changing the tensioner, and idler bearings over plus changing the water pump, and gates racing belt with a new one. My mechanic told me its a good idea to change the water pump at the same time as the belts and bearings. The reason for this is that to get to the water pump the radiator has to come out and the belts too so you might as well pay for a new water pump and know its done, and will last you another 100k. Anyway I’ll let you guys know what my mechanic say…about the belts maybe it can help with your problem.

Regards Vlad

[mattyg1943]

oh ok..thanks heaps..

but its definitely not the turbo..

as from what ive bein listing too..it one of the belts...

is the clutch fan ever meant to turn off on a rb25det?

or does it stay on all the time while the engine is running..

coz its running off the alternator belt aswel...

is the belt adjust the same as on the power steering and air-con belt???

but if anyone else has had the same problem..

wen their car reaches normal operating temperature and hears a squealing/squeaky sound

can u please inform of how u fixed this...

thanks

I think i have exactly the same problem as you bumble bee!

It only happens once it gets to its normal operating temp and prettty much only at idle, its not just one tone either it changes up and down.

I got my belt installed by a professional mechanic that has done heaps of belts before so i doubt these guys would tighten all our belts to tight, but im going back to get him to loosen it anyway so i will let you know how it all goes.

If the noise sounded like a supercharger or something it would be ok but it sounds like its dying or very sick.

[ZENNON]

but could be the timing pre-tensioner going..lik in the nissan rb25det workshop manual, it recommend u replace the spring inside the tensioner at every timing belt service/change.... so it could be this aswell...wear and tear...

replaced the belt on my rb20det and DIDNT do the bearings - worst mistake ever - noisy as hell now

s00pid bearingz

[bumble_bee]

so guys...did u fine or solve the problem???