So I took my car to get the timing belt (60k) changed and after getting the car back I noticed a lot of vibrations between 2k-3.5k and even more after 3.5k. I brought it back to them and they seemed to have fixed that issue once I mentioned balance shaft position and the screwdriver test.

But after they fixed that issue I noticed as I was driving a high pitched whine almost like a supercharger starting around 2.9k and increasingly louder as you go up in the revs. I asked them about and they said they had tensioned belt a little tighter so as it does not slip and that they couldn't fine tune the tension anymore without having to start the whole procedure all over. Even with the car at idle I can tell the noise coming from around the timing belt cover is different than before it's like a shuddering and slight whine noise, hard to describe but definitely not what it was when I had the original timing belt before the change.

My question is basically has anyone had similar experiences and are there any problems with the tension of the belt being tighter than it should? I don't think I have the experience or the tools to adjust the tension myself. I would take it back to them but it seems like they can't really get the job done themselves.

 

If the belt is whining like a supercharger they put too much tension on it.. It doesnt need to be over tensioned to not slip.. it need to be right to not slip.. Drive it for a day to see if it stretches a little bit and stops the whine but i have feeling youll be going back to get it resolved..

Mike

 

Thanks for the response, that was quick!

Can the tension in the belt be adjusted fairly easily or does it require more than just going in there and loosening a few bolts ?

 

What timing belt was used? OEM? Gates? GReddy? HKS?

Depending on the material used, some belts get tighter at speed, and some loosen.

It does sound like they did not get it right.

 

It was the OEM belt, I think maybe they don't have the necessary tools or something when I asked why they couldn't get the tension correct they said something to the extent that there was no way to tension it without moving something else or that it was very difficult to get the "right" tension. I mean maybe if I can tell them what to do exactly then they could do it?

 

Was it a dealer? which one? Name and Shame?

 

hmm.... could be too tight, thats why its whining bad. I woulnt drive it until getting checked, it is not normal. Where are you located anyways?

 

No it wasn't a dealer, the Mitsu dealership near me has closed so I took it to a shop that had done service for me before.

 

I think it's definitely too tight, I mean I have to drive this car around as it's my only means of transportation. I am located in Ohio, I was thinking of taking up to Buschur as they for sure would be able to diagnose and fix any issues.

 

ziptie the t-belt to the cam gears so its doesn't move a tooth

use tensioner tool to compress hydraulic tensioner

replace hydraulic tensioner locking pin

loosen the bolt in the tensioner pulley

using tensioner pulley tool apply 37ft/lb of torque vertically (wrench handle perpendicular to the ground, pulling straight up) to pulley and while doing so tighten the tensioner pulley bolt to 35ft/lb while being sure to hold the pulley in the same place

pull hydraulic tensioner pin

remove the hydraulic tensioner tool

remove zip ties

Edit: correct me if I'm missing anything

 

The belt is overtightened, you are running the risk of damaging your oil pump case. I would not take it back to the same shop. It is critical that it is adjusted to the proper tension. Take it to Buschur and get done correctly.
Don

 

You know that you have proper tension when you tighten it, turn the engine over by hand a few times, wait a few minutes and can still move the tensioner pin in and out without any resistence. I have overtightened mine a few times and can tell because the pin will be hard to pull in and out. It's pretty easy to loosen it if you only need to loosen it a little. Just tighten the tensioner pulley bolt without putting any back pressure on the pulley with the tensioner tool and it will loosen it. This will only work though if you don't already have too much torque on your tensioner pulley bolt.

As far as what you need to do to change the tension, I am not sure if there is a short cut (not taking off the lower timing belt cover), but there might be.

 

Does this require me having any special tools? I mean I might give it a shot if I have all the tools on hand.

 

If you are willing to pull your lower timing belt cover off, which requires:

Removing accessory belts, water pump pulley, accessory auto tensioner, accessory idler pulley, passenger side engine mount, then the only special tool you might need if you can't loosen it the way I stated is the tenioner tool, which is a little 1/4inch drive metal piece with two prongs coming out of it. You have to special order it. You might be able to substitue something else, but this tool makes the job quite easy.

 

This is what I'm afraid of that's why I tend to do things myself unless I cannot then I take it to a reputable shop to do it. Did my timing belt myself using the HOW-TO in this website and no supercharged noise all the way to 8K.

If you can spare a day or two out of work and can get a heated garage, you can probably fix this problem yourself. The problem is, getting all the tools needed for this job will take a little time. I had to buy a tool and cust it to make a special tool for myself to put back the pulley. GL and hope you get this problem resolved.