[Herky]

Please help!

2006 Pilot with 163K.

I have a lot of belt chatter and noise coming from the bottom engine pulley area. The noise is incredibly loud when the engine is cold and quiets down to a faint squeak when warm. So far...I've changed the serpentine belt and tensioner. I've also eliminated timing belt chatter by removing the serpentine belt and running it. Two days ago I hit rock bottom and had my local Honda dealer troubleshoot the problem. They couldn't diagnose the issue.

Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mclasser]

Do the following:

With the engine running, carefully spray water onto the ribbed side of the belt. Watch for any pullies visibly wobbling.

Same noise level = bad bearing somewhere
Noise increases = belt tension issue (unlikely since you changed the tensioner)
Noise decreases = pulley misalignment (I've had good luck with Gatorback belts alleviating this issue. The unique rib pattern is more tolerant of misaligned pullies versus other brands)

Now shut off the engine, remove the belt and check every pulley for play/noise. Make sure they're clean and free of oil. Get some steel wool and lightly rough up any smooth pullies in case they've become glazed.

 

[Herky]

Mclasser

I'll give it a try this weekend. Thanks for the detailed info and I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

 

[John_Clark]

Check the crank pulley closely. I've seen the rubber in them crack and break and cause the outer pulley to twist on the inner portion.

 

[Herky]

Mystery solved! Removed the right front tire to gain better access to the compressor. And lo and behold...I discovered that the metal flang around the drive axle was loose. A couple turns of the bolt, noise stops.