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560 Posts
after 3 months the damn thing is running right. figured out where that goddamned 'pop' noise came from when i turn the wheel, swapped a badly needed timing belt (and water pump, didnt need it but everyone i talked to said it was a good idea), installed a new alternator, 2 new idler pulleys, fuel filter, ... got my sights on taking care of the growing valve cover oil leak...but figured the hell with it...the simpsons was on. anyway, found something really interesting with the timing belt...(this has been a persistent problem: car was running OK but idled very poorly..needle would jump violently from 1k rpm to almost stall speed)...then it started doing it when the car was driving down the road, so i parked it for a week (in the hopes it would heal itself! haha 
...found the time and $$$ to get parts,...pulled the front plate on the motor...and found the REAL reason why its been idling bad. the belt was pretty loose, but i was pretty pissed when i went to loosent the tension even more when i found that the tensioner bolt was missing (nowhere to be found), it hadnt been there for a while (the hole was dirty, looked like the thing was gone for years)....not only THAT, but the 2 dollar part that keeps all of the dirt and crud out of the timing belt area was not there, and had 30k miles worth of grease and dirt adn **** (courtesy of fitzgerald dodge in rockville MD...thanks for that shitty warrantee water pump install last year... ...anyway, car runs much better, feels a little quicker (but thats maybe just because i avoided mashing the gas and causing even more mechanincal problems...) hope everyone had agood holiday...
[ January 08, 2002: Message edited by: Valhalla 21340 ]
...found the time and $$$ to get parts,...pulled the front plate on the motor...and found the REAL reason why its been idling bad. the belt was pretty loose, but i was pretty pissed when i went to loosent the tension even more when i found that the tensioner bolt was missing (nowhere to be found), it hadnt been there for a while (the hole was dirty, looked like the thing was gone for years)....not only THAT, but the 2 dollar part that keeps all of the dirt and crud out of the timing belt area was not there, and had 30k miles worth of grease and dirt adn **** (courtesy of fitzgerald dodge in rockville MD...thanks for that shitty warrantee water pump install last year... ...anyway, car runs much better, feels a little quicker (but thats maybe just because i avoided mashing the gas and causing even more mechanincal problems...) hope everyone had agood holiday...[ January 08, 2002: Message edited by: Valhalla 21340 ]
