Montero Build

[datrupr]

OK, I need some mechanical help here. After the run on Sunday all was fine. I unloaded the Monty and parked it. I left it parked yesterday as I drove the Nissan to work. I got in the Monty this morning to take it to work and when I turned it on there was a very strong smell of what seemed almost like burning electrical, but everything was working. Also, the engine was making almost like a metal on metal sound coming from the front of the engine around the serpentine belt area. The smell eventually went away, but the engine noise did not. You could hear the pitch of the noise go up and down in relation to throttle. It seems to be running fine other than that, no loss of power, no lights, and everything appears to be working just fine. Checked all the fluids and everything is good. Do I have a pulley going out? What is causing this noise? Should I be concerned? Or is it just mad at me for leaving it parked all day after a fun trail run?

P.S. I dropped my daugheter off at school adn went home and parked the Monty. I took the Nissan again today.

 

[DavidG]

How is the A/C compressor?

 

[tdesanto]

Maybe some non-catastrophic issue with the alternator?

I wish I could help more, but I've never had this issue...yet

 

[datrupr]

How is the A/C compressor?

At first I thought that maybe this was the problem, but the A/C is working fine and the noise is there even when it is off.

Tony, It could be the alternator. I did not have time this morning to try and pin point the sound, but it does seem to be coming from the left side more so than the right side of the engine. It also sounds a lot worse from the inside of the car, and not so much from the outside. It is kinda weird.

 

[robertdarin]

ahhh... the sawsall, this is the answer i was hoping for. Hope you get your electrical problem fixed soon!

 

[olympiccop2002]

when I turned it on there was a very strong smell of what seemed almost like burning electrical, but everything was working.

If you get this figured out please let me know! Mine does this also. It is worse when the heater is on. It goes away but it definitely smells like burnt electrical. I have no idea what's making the smell. Everything works fine. All lights and electrical are fine it just has a faint burnt/warm electrical smell...

 

[datrupr]

I had the A/C on when I turned it on. The smell doesn't have me as worried as the noise.

 

[flyingwil]

Hmmm no certain answers. Keep us posted with what you find out.




PS nice talking with you today!

 

[tdesanto]

I had the A/C on when I turned it on. The smell doesn't have me as worried as the noise.

Aaron, definitely come find me at ExPo. I want to listen to this, as I don't think I've ever heard it on mine. But, now that Bjorn says that his is doing the same thing, I'm curious.

 

[datrupr]

I think Bjorn said his makes the smell. The pulley noise is so bad it sounds like a diesel engine. I turned it on last night and the smell did not come through, but the noise was certainly there. I was investigating the noise and it is not coming from the alternator, but either the pulley above the alternator or the one below it. I think the one above is the water pump, and the one below maybe the harmonic balancer. The lower pully was moving around a bit, and when the truck was off it was the only pulley that had any play in it. You think itll be ok to drive up to the OvExpo?

Good talking to you too Wil. You know, the truck was running just fine before I put the "Sierra Expeditions" sticker on it Monday Night. I know those are supposed to add about three horsepower, do you think maybe I got one that was not suited fro the Montero? hehehehe. Or maybe he is just tired from the trail run and upset about the sticker, as this was the most the truck has ever been off road for any lenght of time in its life, and also the first sticker ever put on it? Did I buy a premadonna truck? Oh No!

 

[Vision Quest]

Just a guess but I've seen a lot of write ups about crankshaft pulley problems. Loose bolts, slippage, etc. Food for thought.

 

[datrupr]

Hmmmmm. I'll look into that. I have been told it could be the tensioner pulley.

 

[Justice R]

pully

Its most likely one of your idler pulleys. You cant see the water pump from the outside, its under the timeing belt cover(s) and driven off the timing belt. So the two pulleys your looking at are the idlers. The Idlers are known to get noisey when the bearings start to deteriorate. The alternator can do this too if the bearing gives out. If you loosen/remove the serpentine belt you'll be able to spin the pulleys by hand and most likely be able to locate the bad one. If the bearing is giving way it could have frozen for a sec causing momentary belt slippage which would explain the burning smell. If you say one of them has play in it that one is probably the culprit they should be smooth and tight.

 

[Vision Quest]

Hopefully It's nothing too expensive. There were some TSB's I was looking up and this kept popping up for different Mitsubishi models. I'm kind of a pessimist when it comes to new to me autos. Expect the worst and hope for the best. If you remove the belt and the tensioner and alternator appear good maybe give the pulley bolt and pulley itself a look see while it's apart.

 

[datrupr]

I spoke with my very trusted mechanic this afternoon and thinks the bearings on one of the pulleys is going out. He thinks it's a tensioner pulley and quoted me just over $250 to fix. If that isthe problem. Now, I can save about $150 if I do it myself. Anyone in Phoenix skilled with changing pulleys?