5sfe engine noise...rattle, loud rattling sound from front of engine Options

[axelrduvirage]

Has anyone else noticed a loud annoying rattle coming from the front of the 5sfe engine ? i thought it was the A/C since it was banged p pretty bad, needed a new drier and compressor and had leaks. i had the whole A/C system pulled but the sound didn't go away. i thought after removing the A/C pulleys and going to a short belt it would stop. it is really loud from a cold start and "seems" to die down after a few kms of highway driving (25 km to work every morning). i am wondering if it is a timing belt pre-failure thing or it could be a loose cover or i don't know what. before i pay my tech to troubleshoot it ($.$) i would really appreciate any input, related experiences or good guesses as to what this might be. all i know is that it can be really loud and really really really annoying. people are staring at the CeliPig for the wrong reason. the car otherwise runs great. doesn't burn oil, idles just below the hash mark, accelerates normally, temp is normal and gets OK fuel consumption numbers-- 9l/100km or 26mpg.

thank you all

peace

This post has been edited by axelrduvirage: Sep 17, 2008 - 8:25 PM

[samir0189]

My 5s rattles sometimes, mainly during lower rpms. I think maybe it could be the that timing is off? i don't really know.

edit: sorry, my reasoning is because it never rattled up until i had my distributor changed, and perhaps it messed with the timing somehow because its made that rattle since then.

This post has been edited by samir0189: Sep 17, 2008 - 8:01 PM

[CelicaGTWolf]

i've got a similar sound and if i'm not mistaken, it's the timing belt being a lil loose and its just slapping the timing belt cover. been broke so haven't had the time to take it apart and change it to verify, but that was the case for my old 89 camry 5sfe.

[axelrduvirage]

i've got a similar sound and if i'm not mistaken, it's the timing belt being a lil loose and its just slapping the timing belt cover. been broke so haven't had the time to take it apart and change it to verify, but that was the case for my old 89 camry 5sfe.

interesting. i thought it might be something like that. if anyone can confirm this it would be helpful. i'll do the timing belt thing soon if it's the case. can it just be tightened or is it failing? does it cause catastrophic damage if it does fail at highway speeds? keep replying gang.

l8r

edit...BTW the ol' CeliPig has 130+ miles on it and i don't think it was maintained properly before i got it in '05.

This post has been edited by axelrduvirage: Sep 17, 2008 - 8:31 PM

[CelicaGTWolf]

Well, in your case, since you're not sure when the last time the t-belt was changed and you'd have to take most of it apart to check anyway, just go ahead and change it. It's probably the tensioner that's all worn out. Will lead to failure eventually. As far as engine damage and the like at highway speed, no need to worry since the 5sfe is non interference. Just the annoyance and hassle of being broke down on the side of the highway really.

[trdproven]

or engine mounts if it is shaking.

[axelrduvirage]

@CelicaGTWolf-- looks like i'm headed down that road doesn't it? bad tensioner could explain it. progressively worse over the last season. flapping, rattling noise is definitely coming from the timing belt cover area. thanks for the info on the non-interference, i wasn't 100% sure.

@trdproven-- no shaking or vibrating at any engine speed so i'm going with t-belt / tensioner problem.

thanks for the replies. would still like to read anymore info if there is anyone out there with an opinion in this problem.

you peops rock!!!

axel

[krewzn_along]

Good thread. My '97 GT also has a noice from the front of the engine when cold.

My first guess was the accessories or belt, but I had the belts off to change them and I ran the engine. No rattle.

I've been thinking of having a mechanic look at it. The diagnosis here of timing belt slapping on the inside of the front cover matches the sound. I'll have to check when my timing belt was changed but at 149K I don't think I should need it yet. Still, I may have it checked as I really don't like this going on and my daughter is the primary driver.

Later,

[azian_advanced]

umm.. the timing belt shouldn't be slapping anything..

[Mstoochn]

hm..

This post has been edited by Mstoochn: May 2, 2009 - 1:41 AM

[xrav22]

hm..

my 97gt does that when it first starts then its gone.,,,,,

This post has been edited by xrav22: May 2, 2009 - 11:55 AM

[richee3]

How funny that I was just thinking about this and investigating this morning??? Mine does it too. I thought it was the clutch because... It's a long story, but I thought I had jacked something up pretty bad. It only made the rattle at 2,000 RPM, regardless of whether the motor was hot or cold. In the last few weeks, it's gotten a lot louder and now it does it at 1,000, 2,000, AND 3,000 rpm. So I popped my hood this morning to see if I could figure out where the sound was coming from. It's definitely coming from somewhere around my valve cover, and almost sounds like it's the valves flying around and hitting everything inside the motor (although I know that's not the case.) My car has made this rattling noise for 30,000 miles now, and so far, no major damage. Only the embarrassment of driving around with a rattling car. But lately it's gotten louder and worse. Good thing I'm selling the car in a couple of weeks!

EDIT: My car does it all the time. Not just until it warms up. It's completely RPM-dependent in my case.

This post has been edited by richee3: May 2, 2009 - 1:05 PM