GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Had my belt tensioner pulley replaced under warranty today. Ah, the sweet sound of a non-rattling tensioner pulley.

S W E E T

Must be nice to have a warranty left It's all your fault.j/kI will need to do this soon as I noticed my bushing had a little slop in it.

My warranty bumper to bumper warranty is done in a month (I'll be at 3 years) so I'm glad I got this taken care of before then. Kev, glad I could help you to lose your warranty. lol.

AOTOTB Attack of the old thread bump. So what kind of sound does a failing tensioner make, and are there any visual things to see to help me figure out if the sound I'm getting is the tensioner or something potentially more serious? Tensioner is too pricey to just swap and see if the noise goes away.

I think mine is going, it's more pronounced when it's really cold, but If it's what I think it is, it makes the car sound like a diesel.. with that "rattle".. engine speed dependent also..

It will sound like marbles in a plastic cup. Mine is acting upagain so I aill be replacing only the piston part of the tensioner. Part cost $35 on ebay. We'll see if that takes care of it.

oh well, mine is more when it's warm, more of tap, almost a knock or pop, not really a rattle. I'll check the exhaust manifold/pipe for a leak, then it might be internal. Sound seems to be coming from betweeen the engine and the firewall, between the manifold and tensioner (the passenger side) more obvious under load, which is hard to check on a MT car with your head under the hood. When the tensioner is going, do you see the belt flutter? I pulled the belt off and ran it, couldn't recreate the sound, put the belt back on, couldn't recreate the sound, next day normal driving sound was back. When I took the belt off, the tensioner was hard to move at first, kinda like it was stuck in position. Easier to move after I moved it the first time.

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »When the tensioner is going, do you see the belt flutter? I pulled the belt off and ran it, couldn't recreate the sound, put the belt back on, couldn't recreate the sound, next day normal driving sound was back. When I took the belt off, the tensioner was hard to move at first, kinda like it was stuck in position. Easier to move after I moved it the first time.No, my belt doesn't flutter at all. but one way to check it would be to grab the belt (with the car off and the engine cool, for obvious reasons) and move(wiggle) it as much as you can up and down it should recreate the noise if it is the tensioner. It won't sound like several marbles in a cup as if it was running but it should sound like 1 marble in a cup.

It is a known problem with these Toyota cars,they all will wear out.So much for Toyota quaility.lol

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »No, my belt doesn't flutter at all. but one way to check it would be to grab the belt (with the car off and the engine cool, for obvious reasons) and move(wiggle) it as much as you can up and down it should recreate the noise if it is the tensioner. It won't sound like several marbles in a cup as if it was running but it should sound like 1 marble in a cup.alas and alack. when I shake the belt hard all I get is a slight sqishy sound, like a spring loaded hydraulic damper doing it's job.I thought maybe an exhaust leak, but after replacing the donut between the manifold and converter pipe which was visibly worn, it had no effect and the sound is unchanged. I don't really want to do it, but I guess the next thing for me to check is the rod bearings. I'm bummed. oh well, a set of those is cheaper than a tensioner, so I guess I should look on the bright side.

oh yeah, rod bearings, far easier of a job then the tensioner pulley... lolYou know they go, so why not consider it a PM item.. lol.. you know the front wheel bearings go out a lot too, you can't move them around unless they are REALLY bad... So, if you had a wheel bearing going, you gonna replace the cam bearings?

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »oh yeah, rod bearings, far easier of a job then the tensioner pulley... lolYou know they go, so why not consider it a PM item.. lol.. you know the front wheel bearings go out a lot too, you can't move them around unless they are REALLY bad... So, if you had a wheel bearing going, you gonna replace the cam bearings?I've got a sound related to engine speed that I can replicate sitting still, it's almost a knock, a bit duller than a tap, when not under load, I can replicate it by revving the engine and letting go, and as the RPMS top out and begin to fall off, I get the sound a dozen or two quick knocks, solid but not a hard knock, duller than a tap. When I wiped a rod bearing in a Chevy 350 it sounded like someone beating on the engine with a sledgehammer, this is not that bad, but it's not the chatter of a valve. testing after replacing the donut today I am fairly sure it is not as fast as it would be if it was something from all four cylinders, but maybe as fast as just one of them. Regular service/oil changes, but it's a high mileage that has not been babied so a worn rod bearing is not out of the question, and I'm going through the easy things first before i do that. 03vibe-GT replaced his rod bearings by dropping the pan, 1zz and 2zz won't be that different on the bottom, and I've done that in other vehicles with success. Not that you care. Thanks for the ridicule.

Sorry about that man, but it really did seem Ridiculous.. I'm not saying you are incorrect in your assumption.. the part may be cheaper, the job sure isn't... What would make you think you spun a bearing? You don't "hot rod" around in your vibe... you take VERY good care of it... I know ish happens, but it's very unlikely.. And really, I DO care... you wouldn't see my SN so much in the tech sections if I didn't... can't deny that, right?

The tensioner rattle came back many, many months ago so I FINALLY replaced just the piston tonight. Super easy and the part was only $35 from Ebay. No more tensioner rattle. Nice and quiet during idle and light acceleration.

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »The tensioner rattle came back many, many months ago so I FINALLY replaced just the piston tonight. Super easy and the part was only $35 from Ebay. No more tensioner rattle. Nice and quiet during idle and light acceleration. so where the heck is the write up with photos????

I used the DYI from 9th Gen. I'll copy paste it here:http://www.9thgencorolla.com/f...02244

Well I decided to BUMP this since it's a great thread with a current problem that i'd be willing to bet alot of people face and I dug and couldn't find it but time to bump it up to get this back out there.

Great Idea, Bassrocker!!! Since I replaced the tensioner pulley piston on 8/12/09, I have not had a problem at all.

Is there anywhere with photos of how to do this? I went to 9th gen vibe to the posted link you put BlueCrush but all I could find was a step-by-step walk through. Are there any existent pic threads of how to do this?

I just used the written instructions when I replaced mine.(no pics)

thats interesting. My 09 makes a pebbles in a paper cup sound too. It sounds like it's comming from behind the dash. I can hear it best when driving at a pretty slow speed while driving on the slightly rutted dirt driveway going to my parents house. I guess I'll have to give it that test you guys mentioned eariler to see if I can get that one pebble in a cup sound. I dunno if replaceing it would even be a good solution because I'd think it would start making the noise again after 10,000 miles. The noise started happening on my car when it was still pretty new.

Quote, originally posted by vibedrivermatt »thats interesting. My 09 makes a pebbles in a paper cup sound too. It sounds like it's comming from behind the dash. I can hear it best when driving at a pretty slow speed while driving on the slightly rutted dirt driveway going to my parents house. I guess I'll have to give it that test you guys mentioned eariler to see if I can get that one pebble in a cup sound. I dunno if replaceing it would even be a good solution because I'd think it would start making the noise again after 10,000 miles. The noise started happening on my car when it was still pretty new. It may be the plastic shroud under the windshield wipers on the outside, as mine makes that noise at times.

I have a 2008 with the ol' marbles in a cup feeling. I want to try replacing just the piston but I can't find one for the '08, they all go up to '07. Does this suggest that the '08 has the particular tensioner with the permanently attached piston?

Before you go off doing that, check this out. And this is also to everyone as a public look the **** out. I found out what my marble in a cup sound was. Turns out when I got my engine swap, they forgot to put a bolt on my a/c compressor so out of the one bolt on top and the two on bottom I had one on top and one on bottom allowing the compressor to rattle, eventually leading to the top bolt breaking off into my engine block. CHECK THIS PLEASE. Just check to make sure all the bolts are on there tight and that they're all there. I had to get the bolt out of my engine block and replace two of the three 1.25 thread bolts thanks to my local hardware store. But yeah, when the bolt broke off I was only seconds from my house but this compressor bolt breaking led to the compressor falling to the bottom of the engine bay, the belt to come completely off, the engine suck what little radiator fluid was left in only the hose dry until the house bent like when you drink a milk shake and the straw folds up, the battery light came on, the car began to over heat, bladda bladda blah, all that fun stuff. But one broken bolt removal and a few days of work later and I saved a few hundred in labor and repairs at the local shop, along with having an oh so great time getting my hands dirty. i really should've done post on this but i've been suer busy. But yeah, check for that first before replacing anything.

For the 03' does the whole tensioner need to be replaced or just the pulley? For 100 bucks should I just replace both? I really don't want to raise up the motor to find that just replacing the pulley wasn't enough.

Did you see my post talking about the quick check you can do before replacing the tensioner? It's on the first page, but my marbles in a cup problem was a loose bolt holding the ac compressor on rattling and eventually breaking off which could have been very bad. Just a quick check up on the bolts will do good, just to be 100%

If it is the tensioner, the cheapest route is to replace the tensioner piston/shock only for $35 (part cost). Mine is still good after replacing just the piston/shock.

Who's a good source for the piston/shock?

I bought mine off EBay.

good info here. I got the diesel sound too when i first start it and when i initially take off. Especially when its cold, so Im gonna try this link you guys put up. As for the noise, what it reminds me of is the noise you make when you breath out your mouth with your lips closed(the vibration sound it makes) ... With that said, do you think i can get away with the cheap route?

Is this the same part you are talking about on ebay?http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ories

This is great information; thanks for sharing! My Vibe has been doing this since I bought it used, but I just chalked it up to a "quirk" as the sound goes away once the engine gets warmer. Of course, it's a tad embarrassing when driving through the neighborhood first thing in the morning...I wonder if a delay in replacing the belt tensioner piston (or whatever is causing this) could result in immediate serious damage to the engine. So far so good after 19 months.

Quote, originally posted by Vibe Raider »Is this the same part you are talking about on ebay?http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...oriesSorry, I didn't see this sooner. No, not that part. This one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...oriesDo a search on Ebay for "Vibe Tensioner"

I think my tensioner may be going bad as well. I have some of the symptoms. What creates the noise anyhow? I get a noise when the car is cold then shift it into drive/reverse. Doesnt have the "marble in a can" sound its more like a tapping similar to an exhaust leak. Hmmmm.

Has anyone installed the aftermarket tensioner piston from ebay (as pictured in an above post)?If so, how long have you had it on the car and does it seem to stand up as well as the factory unit?

I just ordered the part. I believe it was Bluecrush that said he installed it and its held up for a long time. I have probably 90k on the vibe now but the noise has been there for at least 15k. Hoping this will still take care of it. I have high hopes just from what i can tell by looking at the assembly.

Quote, originally posted by SonicThunder88 »Has anyone installed the aftermarket tensioner piston from ebay (as pictured in an above post)?If so, how long have you had it on the car and does it seem to stand up as well as the factory unit?Yes.Since 8/11/09.Yes, so far.

what is the worse case scenario of this symptom? mine has been doing it for about a month now...

Quote, originally posted by skeletron »what is the worse case scenario of this symptom? mine has been doing it for about a month now...the belt keeps slipping, or breaks from bouncing. Causing even more damage to the engine.

what should one expect to pay from a shop to replace it? i found this on ebay:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...38656is that what i would need? and why did the dealer quote my wife $250 for the same part?

also, what are the torque specs?

I received the part today described on Bluecrushs link above. Noise is gone. No more Vibe rating. Thanks Bluecrush, that link for the install was excellent. 30 minutes tops install time.

Quote, originally posted by skeletron »also, what are the torque specs?That, I don't know. Sorry. Hopefully, someone else can chime in.Quote, originally posted by Vibe Raider »I received the part today described on Bluecrushs link above. Noise is gone. No more Vibe rating. Thanks Bluecrush, that link for the install was excellent. 30 minutes tops install time.Excellent! Glad it worked out for you.

I'm thinking of doing this in the spring. However, I get *both* sounds people have associated with the tensioner: A squeak/squeal at idle (while in drive only), and I get the "diesel/marbles-in-a-cup" rattle in park. Both are subtle, but annoying. Is the squeal attributed to the belt? It would be awesome if I could just put on a new belt (mine's 6 years old, anyhow), then order the tensioner piston only to combat the rattle issue. I have no means to slightly raise the engine and replace the entire tensioner assembly myself, and I don't want to shell out $300+ for someone to do so. Any thoughts?

Thats exactly what I plan to do. Im starting to develop a crack here & there on the belt ( has 67K on it ) im going to replace the tensioner piston while im in there. Im in the same boat as you...no means of lifting the engine & im not going to pay someone to do something I can do myself !

Quote, originally posted by jkm311 »I'm thinking of doing this in the spring. However, I get *both* sounds people have associated with the tensioner: A squeak/squeal at idle (while in drive only), and I get the "diesel/marbles-in-a-cup" rattle in park. Both are subtle, but annoying. Is the squeal attributed to the belt? It would be awesome if I could just put on a new belt (mine's 6 years old, anyhow), then order the tensioner piston only to combat the rattle issue. I have no means to slightly raise the engine and replace the entire tensioner assembly myself, and I don't want to shell out $300+ for someone to do so. Any thoughts?The squeak could very well be just the belt. I'd recommend getting a Goodyear Gatorback belt and replacing the piston. You may just well eliminate both your issues. And it is the cheapest 1st step to take to try and eliminate it.

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush » You may just well eliminate both your issues. And it is the cheapest 1st step to take to try and eliminate it.Thanks for the info. Added to the list after the snow melts away.

So, just when I was gearing up to give this a go, eBay no longer seems to be a source for these pistons. I've found a GatorBack belt at RockAuto, but no tensioners listed here on eBay. Anyone more savvy than I able to find one lately?

I posted this in a similar thread last week.http://www.amazon.com/Tensione...EVC52