Strange noise coming from under the hood.

[Alorain]

Hey all,

I recently (Sept. 1st) acquired a 2005 Mazda 3 GT sedan from a Mazda dealership in Ontario.

The car passed their safety inspection ect, before the purchase, and has been a delight to drive for the past two months, in great condition, ect.

The car has pretty average mileage for a 2005 model, sitting at 90,000k.

Recently, in the past couple of days, I have been hearing this strange noise coming from the hood when the car is on. Its not that noticeable from the inside, but if you walk up to the car from the outside while its in idle, its very obvious.

Here is a video clip of the sound - any ideas what this might be? I recently had a Toyota 4runner that made a similar sound, and it some kind of fuel starvation/filter issue.

On a side note, should there be a discernible "electric whine" sound when the wheel is turned at slow speeds, ie when back out of a parking spot?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FKDA3UMaqA

Your assistance is greatly appreciated. No warranty is left on the vehicle, so I dont want to take it in if this sound is not out of the ordinary.

[stevenma188]

As far as I can tell, it sounds like the sound is coming from the belt (that repetitive sound) and is normal with the cold weather etc. My car makes that noise on startup but usually goes away after the car warms up. However, throughout the whole video there seems to be a constant whining noise, not sure what that is.

As for that electric whine you hear when parking, that's the power steering pump. Although they do make noise on our cars, it is an known issue on certain years (07s i believe), and it's always a good idea to flush out the power steering fluid for fresh good quality stuff.

[Kiyomi]

mite be different but, my car does this when i turn it off sometimes, and it goes for about 30 seconds, cant tell you if it does it while idling, wouldnt be able to hear it.

[greaves82]

To me it should like something to do with the belt. Either the belt itself or one of the belt tensioners is gone

[Thrizzl3]

belt tensioner is definitely gone. i recognize that sound....

[Alorain]

Thanks for the replies everybody!

So, Belt Tensioner, is that different from the actual Timing Belt/Chain?

What kind of a repair would that entail? Should I take it into the Mazda dealership where I purchased it, or will a local mechanic shop which I have used in the past be able to preform the repair, and offer a better deal?

[Thrizzl3]

go to an affiliated dealership to pick up the part as a discounted price. Head on over to street performance to have it installed by Jimmy for a price no one can beat!

[Alorain]

Ok, so an update:

I took another video, after having isolated the culprit region where the sound is coming from.


http://youtu.be/zbFVy7Vl3FM

As you astute members correctly inferred, it seems to be coming from this belt here in the lower right (when staring at the engine from the front) of the hood. Is this the timing belt? It seems to be running pretty smoothly, and in an okay state of repair to my untrained eye. Where is the tensior in relation to the chain?

Are we still in agreement that it is a belt-tension issue? If so, I'll take it to be looked at asap.

Thank you one and for all your help and patience!

[Thrizzl3]

yup that is the tensioner for sure..i replaced mine about 5 months ago

[n00bMeiSter]

That's the serpentine belt, the timing chain is an actual chain. But yes, get it looked at.

This thread may help.

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?49306-Tensioner-Pulley-noise-easy-and-cheap-fix