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Jesus. Any chance you dropped that plug, or anything else, through an inspection port in your bell housing?
I would go to Harbor Freight and get a stethoscope and an inspection camera. Localize the noise with the stethoscope, and hopefully you can thread the scope into whatever hole is involved.
Another possible location would be inside the timing cover, though unlike the bell housing that has no (intentional) holes.[quote=”relative4″ post=183967]Jesus. Any chance you dropped that plug, or anything else, through an inspection port in your bell housing?
I would go to Harbor Freight and get a stethoscope and an inspection camera. Localize the noise with the stethoscope, and hopefully you can thread the scope into whatever hole is involved.
Another possible location would be inside the timing cover, though unlike the bell housing that has no (intentional) holes.[/quote]Dumb question, but where is the bell housing and timing cover? Still learning about these things.
Here’s the area I think it might have fallen down:
Listening again, it just sounds like a really really trashed bearing in one of your accessories (alternator, PS pump, compressor). Most like the alternator. I originally discarded that idea because a bearing doesn’t usually go that bad all at once. It’s generally a process of gradually worsening. Anyway, I would definitely start by localizing the noise. You can do that with an automotive stethoscope or a length of hose or a long screwdriver.
On the chance that the missing plug lodged itself behind a pulley—jack up the car and support it well or drive it onto ramps, then look behind the harmonic balancer (that’s the lowest pulley, at bottom center of engine) and if it isn’t there, look behind all the other pulleys.
As I said in your other post, a mechanic’s magnet , either telescoping or flexible shaft–will be the best way to retrieve it.
To add to relative4’s good info, a length of PCV tubing (or even the tubes from a vacuum) is another good tool to listen with for noise when the engine is running.
If I’m right in thinking your car has a separate belt for the power steering and a/c, you can eliminate or pinpoint the noise from the power steering and air conditioning compressor by removing that belt and seeing if the noise disappears.
Turning the pulleys by hand (with the motor off) can pinpoint the troublesome one.
Pulleys whose bearings are good will turn rather easily and smoothly.
Bad bearings are sometimes harder to turn and often feel like they turn roughly as you turn them by hand.
If it’s still hard to tell which pulley is the noisemaker,remove the other belt and turn the pulleys by hand.
(You won’t be able to do this with the harmonic balancer.)Needless to say, watch your hands, tie back your hair if long and don’t wear any jewelry or loose/hanging clothing when you check for noise with the car running.
It only takes a fraction of a second for something to get caught in moving parts.[quote=”Bonnieman” post=183991]On the chance that the missing plug lodged itself behind a pulley—jack up the car and support it well or drive it onto ramps, then look behind the harmonic balancer (that’s the lowest pulley, at bottom center of engine) and if it isn’t there, look behind all the other pulleys.
As I said in your other post, a mechanic’s magnet , either telescoping or flexible shaft–will be the best way to retrieve it.
To add to relative4’s good info, a length of PCV tubing (or even the tubes from a vacuum) is another good tool to listen with for noise when the engine is running.
If I’m right in thinking your car has a separate belt for the power steering and a/c, you can eliminate or pinpoint the noise from the power steering and air conditioning compressor by removing that belt and seeing if the noise disappears.
Turning the pulleys by hand (with the motor off) can pinpoint the troublesome one.
Pulleys whose bearings are good will turn rather easily and smoothly.
Bad bearings are sometimes harder to turn and often feel like they turn roughly as you turn them by hand.
If it’s still hard to tell which pulley is the noisemaker,remove the other belt and turn the pulleys by hand.
(You won’t be able to do this with the harmonic balancer.)[/quote]
Right now I’m stuck with the scissor jack and no ramps so I wasn’t able to get under and check behind the pulleys. I’m gonna buy a pickup tool asap.I got a piece of tubing from a vacuum and it seemed like the noise was louder at the back of the engine then it was directly by the pulleys. Here’s the belt diagram, looks like PS and AC are on the same belt:
Since the engine is transverse, I have to ask – when you say at the back of the engine, do you mean at the back of the engine bay (top of ne1.jpg by red circle) or at the back of the engine itself (right side of ne1.jpg)? If the former, look around the water pump for the spark plug or other obstructions, remove the rear belt and see if noise stays. If the latter, the possibility of something having gotten into your bell housing and up against the torque converter is a scary prospect.
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