Auto tensioner question - Honda Prelude Forum

93H22APrelude · 10-15-2005, 06:00 AM

Ok guys i have a question about auto tensioner... How do i know when it goes out? What noise would it make? How do i know when its bad??

Xander · 10-15-2005, 12:25 PM

you'll be able to hear the timing belt slap against the timing belt cover.

93H22APrelude · 11-24-2005, 09:33 PM

bump, I don't hear the belt hitting the timing belt cover. I've been hearing squeeking noise from the timing belt side and i thought it was the power steering so i took off power steering belt to see if that would stop the squeeking and it still squeeks... could that be the noise of the auto tensioner going out? Everytime i step on the pedal and accelerate it would squeek some more. I don't know whats going on or what the auto tensioner sounds like when it is out. Is there any thing to check ?

93H22APrelude · 11-27-2005, 01:36 AM

Any One?

lude_vtec · 11-27-2005, 10:17 AM

When your auto tensioner fails, your car most likely won't work.. and you could have bent valves if it failed while you were driving. If it's at the point where it's going to fail, you should hear something like a rattle/growl somewhere between 2k and 3k RPMs. You should be able to hear it while in the car. When mine failed a month ago, I was already hearing that noise.. I just thought it was a heat shield rattling, but it was the tensioner.

LVSBB6 · 11-27-2005, 12:52 PM

When you could hear the the rattle/growl, did you stop driving right away and have the car towed to the mechanic shop?

When mine failed, i didn't know what it was at the beginning so I continued driving for maybe 3 more miles. Then the engine completely stopped and bent all of the valves. I have to avoid this again at all costs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lude_vtec

When your auto tensioner fails, your car most likely won't work.. and you could have bent valves if it failed while you were driving. If it's at the point where it's going to fail, you should hear something like a rattle/growl somewhere between 2k and 3k RPMs. You should be able to hear it while in the car. When mine failed a month ago, I was already hearing that noise.. I just thought it was a heat shield rattling, but it was the tensioner.

lude_vtec · 11-27-2005, 01:48 PM

Nope.. mine failed when the engine was going around 3.5k RPMs on the highway. Luckily I had no bent valves. I heard the rattle for awhile.. though I didn't think about it being the tensioner til after the fact. When I had it towed to a shop they said the t-belt broke... but I knew it was the tensioner because the belt was just loose.