Hi i have posted a while back about a really annoying engine noise that appeared about 1000m after rebuilding my engine (forged internals)
started off by a rattle/knock when hot at 3000rpm slowly getting worse but disappeared under acceleration! then started doin it at lower revs but not on tickover have driven it for 3k in total and changed oil 3 times and found no glitter at all!
Have just got engine out before i dismantled i found a cambelt tensioner pulley with a lot of play and movement (bit odd as it was fitted new) so am thinking of changing it then refitting engine and trying, has anyone else come accross this belt tensioner noise before?
i cant belive it could be bottom end as it has race bearings and is no evidence of glitter and ive heard a frinds scooby with bottom end knock and sounds nothin like mine.
Appreciate your thoughts guys.
my scoob is a 95 wrx turbo wagon.

 

Has nobody had this problem?

 

I had a collapsed bearing on an idler a couple of years back, sounded like catastrophic engine failure to me but turned out it was the teeth of the idler rubbing against the oil pump.

Engine still going, just replaced head gaskets.

That was the idler though, not the tensioner so your case could be totally different. Still, if you have found a dodgy tensioner it's got to be worth trying replacing it and putting the engine back in before taking the engine apart..

Good luck

 

i had same sort of problem, like a rattle/grind i feared bottom end took it to 2 garages who all said would need to be stripped down to find it!!! 3rd garage said sounding like water pump bearing, thought worth a try cheaper than strip down and to my surprise job done. i had never heard a bearing sound like that before

 

i had mine done by main stealer and ended up with 4 sets and a new cambelt. each time i was getting a worn bearing noise

 

Thanks glad to hear you all had a good outcome and not happy that a new tensioner shud sound like this will keep u posted how i get on.