Chirping noise from engine bay, tach flickers

Tiggs · Sep 27, 2005

Ok, so here's what's happening: 93 240sx Hatch with a 95KADE

Last friday I started hearing this small chirping noise between 3500-4500 rpm. Unfortunately I didn't have any time all weekend to pop the hood and take a look. Since then I've had to drive the car around 200-250miles. As of now, the chirping noise starts at around 1700rpm and continues to the rev limit. It's a very annoying noise. It doesn't sound like a belt, my of like an unballanced pulley? Like it's rubbing or something.. I dunno...

Now at the same time this started, my tach decided to start being funny. At the same 3500rpm the tach would flicker up to around 4000rpm. Like a nervous twitch. As of today, it will flicker anywhere in the range that the chirping happens. I'm guessing these haveta be related.

I'm trying to narrow down what might be wrong. I wont have time to pop the hood until this evening (I really need a second person there to rev the engine so I can try and fine the location of the chirp) so I wanted to see if you guys had any ideas on what I should be looking into when I finally get the chance to check it out. I'm going to try and get a sound clip tonight, maybe a short vid to show how bad the tach flickers.

Does the tach signal come from the alternator? I know in some cars it does but I don't know about ours.

Thanks for any help you can give. If you frequent other 240sx boards you'll probably see this thread in there as well, lol.

linuxbatm · Sep 27, 2005

You can just rev the engine by moving the throttle where it interfaces with the throttle body in the engine bay.

Tiggs · Sep 27, 2005

linuxbatm said:
You can just rev the engine by moving the throttle where it interfaces with the throttle body in the engine bay.

yeah I realized that after making this post and failed to edit it, haha. I can't believe I forgot that :smacked49

Moriar · Sep 27, 2005

heat sheild. thats what it is.

Tiggs · Sep 27, 2005

Well, when I got to work this morning I noticed when driving really slow my steering wheel had some pull on it..
Tonight I get home and my brother and I take a look, I rev the engine, we can't really tell where the sound is coming from except that it's probably the belt in the front. Anyway, I get in and turn the wheel and we hear it chirp. I keep turning it and my brother notices the power steering pump pulley stutters. the belt still goes over the pulley but it slows down and the pulley pretty much stops, then goes, stops and goes. The noise seems to be like a bearing rubbing. Fluid is full btw.

So I guess it's time for a new power steering pump huh? Anyone know where I could get one for a decent price? From what I've seen so far online I'm looking at around $150 give or take $20

also, I have a 95KADE in my car... do I pickup a 93 pump or a 95? Looking at the part numbers there is a difference

Moriar · Sep 27, 2005

10 bucks says its a heatsheild....

Tiggs · Sep 28, 2005

Moriar said:
10 bucks says its a heatsheild....

Your confidence astounds me :rotflmao

But seriously.. did you not read the post? I know 100% that my power steering pump is causing the noise. Whether or not it's causing the tach flicker I wont know until I replace it really, but I think it's a safe bet to say it's causing it.

Moriar · Sep 28, 2005

yes i did read the post. but i can tell you that ur PS pump is fine. the pump will let u know if its gone bad. trust me it will let u know.

dont go replacing parts that u dont know are bad or not. check things like idler pulleys, heat sheilds. check the little things first.

quick way to diagnose the ps pump.

turn to the lock left, then all the way to lock right, then all the way back to lock right and keep tryin to turn. did it sound like a recirc valve? or did it whine? if it sounds like a recirc valve its fine, if it whined, might jus be the pulley is warped, 20$.

The reason i say its a heat sheild is cause its rpm dependent. get to certain rpm range the harmonics will make stuff vibrate, and we all know how loose heat sheilds are on a 15 + year old car....

p/s, a failed powersteer pump would let ya know at startup all the way to red line..

Tiggs · Sep 28, 2005

Thanks for the explanation, you make sense to me now :thumbsup

I'll give your ideas a shot.

I did turn lock to lock, well, as far as I possibly could. It really fought be hard because the pulley wouldn't turn. My first thought when hearing the sound was the possibility of a misalligned or warped pulley. I'd have to say the sound really is associated with atleast the pulley on the pump. As for whether it sounded like a recirc valve or whine.. I really can't explain it/don't know how to compare it.. So tomorrow I'll get a sound clip and post it up :eek3dance and maybe you could tell me? edit: It does make the chirping noise while trying to go lock to lock so I don't believe it's rpm dependent anymore.. I mean, probably at higher rpms the pulley is less stable/wobles more?

Thanks for your help. It'd be nice if it wasn't the pump. I'd think if the pump was bad I wouldn't be able to even come close to doing lock to lock while parked (yes I've driven cars w/out power steering before and know how hard it is to turn the wheel when parked)

Moriar · Sep 28, 2005

please do so ( post sound clip ), do 4 clips. ( 45 secs each ),

1st - Idle, no accessories on.
2nd - Idle to 5500 rpm
3rd - Idle with Ac on, radio on ( not too loud

)
4th - Idle to 5500 rpm with accessories on.

it would make life alot easier with these. im quite positive tho that its a heat sheild.

Tiggs · Sep 28, 2005

I know you're super positive about the heat shield.. But would the heat shield be causing my steering to be tough and the pulley on the pw steering pump to stutter/buck?
I didn't have time this morning to get clips but tonight when I get home (hopefully early to late this afternoon) I'll put up clips and I'll even make em video clips so you can watch the tach and also watch what the pulley does.

Oh yeah, I can't run it with the radio on as I don't have a radio now.. And I'll turn the AC on but no promises that will do anything cuz I don't think my AC is any good. I think it will turn on though, just not blow cold, haha.

I'll get this done ASAP. Thanks

Tiggs · Sep 28, 2005

ok good news and bad news
I got some clips (only like 15 seconds each) but it seems like my webspace is uh.. gone.. lol.. so i have nowhere to host them

pm me your email and i can email them or if you know where i can host em lemme know, thx.

and unfortunately also the videos are kinda darkish, ugh.. but if you make the brightness on your monitor super bright and go full screen with the vids you might be able to see the pulley better

Tiggs · Sep 28, 2005

ok try this:

http://www.zippyvideos.com/6491532431400336/mov00622/
thats from in the car ~7mb

http://www.zippyvideos.com/3324225031400426/mov00625/
that's looking at the pw steering pump as my father turns the steering wheel ~3mb

Moriar · Sep 28, 2005

Not the heat sheild. ( got paypal?) btw, nothing from your motor atleast, sounds nice.

Alright now we got the smallest thing out of the way. we gotta check the next bigger smaller item.

check the belts for cracks, rips, if none are present, goto your local parts store for some "Belt Dressing", and spray that onto the belts as they are spinning.

Tiggs · Sep 28, 2005

Haha, I do have paypal

but I'm not gonna make u pay.

Anyway, I know the type of spray you're talking about so tomorrow (I live in Maine, everything remotely close closes at 5... if not 4!) I'll pick some up and give it a shot. In the video pointing at the pw steering pulley, were you able to see the pulley itself? I know it's dark but you can see it stop and start, stop and start kinda. It will literally come to a complete stop and the belt just kinda.. jumps over it. I should have taken a video showing you how the steering wheel bucks too but I don't think it's too hard to visualize

the belt itself looks ok except that it seems to be a tad loose from the stress the pully puts on it. Imma try and tighten it up a little but I'm worried if I do that it might snap (if the pw steering pulley is the problem) on me and there goes my fan and power steering for the ride home

Moriar · Sep 29, 2005

hmm, yes i saw the pulley actually quite well it looked a bit dirty, the belt should be tought cold, and get a little bit tighter when warm.

TwoFortySX · Sep 29, 2005

i think its a bird under your hood. i mean what else would be chirping?

Jimmy

Tiggs · Sep 29, 2005

Moriar said:
hmm, yes i saw the pulley actually quite well it looked a bit dirty, the belt should be tought cold, and get a little bit tighter when warm.

I don't think it's exactly dirty, no more than the rest of the engine etc.. Although it is 180k miles old. The pulley that is, the engine is <100k.

I'm stuck at work right now so I can't do much but research but Imma try and get out early today and see what I can do to it. I'll give the belt a nice tightening then try that spray... then let ya know

Tiggs · Sep 29, 2005

So it's raining like superman is taking a piss right now...so I can't do anything w/my car cuz I don't have a garage :-( I'll keep ya'll posted!

Tiggs · Oct 1, 2005

Well, guess what.

I am convinced there's nothing wrong with the power steering now.

I adjusted the belt, tightened it up, and the power steering is perfectly fine now.

The problem is, the tach still flickers, and the belt squeals still. Also the fan seems to be louder/it revs more often now.

I thought maybe I had it too tight, so I loosened it, same thing... loosened it more.. same thing.. I didn't wanna go too loose and be back at square one again.

Soooo.... atleast the power steering is fine, lol.

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