[bayareaody]

I have this noise in my 2005 that is slowly getting worse. At first I thought maybe it was the belt coming loose but it is totally inaudible from under the hood. It changes with brake pressure and engine RPM. Any advice you could give would be wonderful; I just can't figure this one out.

I have had to share the video on a Google Drive link because the forum doesn't allow me to post the video. Here's the sound. You'll hear it change when I shift the car into gear and also when I vary the engine RPM.

Van Noise 2022-04-21.mp4

drive.google.com

Again, thanks for any help

~ dan ~

 

[Juggawut]

That sounded like glass coke bottles clinking together.

 

[PostalTech]

At that age, has the harmonic balancer (crank pulley) been changed? Mine separated and the outer ring was slipping on the inner ring with the rubber in between. I thought I had a belt slipping too.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[bayareaody]

At that age, has the harmonic balancer (crank pulley) been changed? Mine separated and the outer ring was slipping on the inner ring with the rubber in between. I thought I had a belt slipping too.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

Hi, thanks for the suggestion - I don't believe it has. The previous owners were very big on keeping the exterior and interior clean, but let a lot of the maintenance lapse. Mechanical things I've already done in the ~3k miles I've had it:

New engine air filter
New tires and alignment
New brakes
New motor and trans mounts
New front axles and intermediate shaft
Recharge A/C
Flush coolant
Oil and filter change

Next things I think I'll have to get to:
Major trans service
Timing belt service (I don't have records; believe it was supposed to be done by 100k, and I bet it wasn't)

Not to mention I have to find the offending airbag PCB and fix it (it randomly throws up 'check airbag sensor' warnings, which I believe are due to a circuit board that needs physical repair)

It's at 160k miles now.

Do you think the harmonic balancer has a high likelihood of being easier to hear from inside the cabin than under the hood? That's part of what's tripping me out here.

Much appreciated!

 

[PostalTech]

The sound got worse when the a/c kicked on from what I remember.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[Juggawut]

I've never heard a harmonic balancer, but they are easy to see when they're bad. Also, don't delay another minute on that timing belt. It should have been the first thing to do on your list. What is a major trans service?

 

[hpark21]

does delaminating harmonic balancer really make noise?
I would think until catastrophic failure point, I don't know why it would make such noise. Just wondering.
It just sounds like tired serpentine belt possibly which should be replaced when doing timing belt work.

 

[bayareaody]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone.

Firstly, I decided to buy a CarFax report on the van, and I'm glad I did. First good news is, the timing belt was replaced at 110k (we're at 170k now).

Secondly, I took it to a local shop who did a free diagnostic on the sound and they found the problem to be specific to the rear electric motor mount, which they said suggests the motor mounts I had put in (professionally, no less) were cheap knockoffs rather than the OEM real deal.

I'm going to see if I can get the first shop to replace it with a quality part. Unfortunately, that shop is under new ownership and has been price gouging (which is why I've moved on to a new shop in the first place for work I don't want to do myself).

I'll let you know if that noise is eliminated once the work is done.

 

[thscott]

I assume you know that if you muzzle your VCM, you can install the much cheaper passive engine mount. There are also other reasons to muzzle VCM