Engine noise ~ Garbage disposer sound

[Penni]

Engine sounds like I put a spoon in the garbage disposer and turned it on.
Sometimes loud, sometimes intermittent but mostly I hear it.
My mechanic says he doesn't feel it's the transmission nor lack of transmission oil.
What do the experts think ?
Many thanks, Penni

 

[70herald]

If it is from the front of the engine, it is probably the timing chain. there is a spring which keeps it under tension and if the spring breaks the chain is going to hit the cover.
You have to remove the accessories on the front of the engine, the pully on the crank and take off the cover.
By the way, it would help you you mentioned what type of car / engine....

 

[Kleykamp]

On my TR3, I first thought the timing chain might be the issue too, so that is a good suggestion. Don't know what car you have but if a 3 or 4, check your fan. The rubber bushing will rot and the fan becomes loose on the bolt. That's what mine was.

 

[Geo Hahn]

A quick search suggests Penni has a TR3.

Sure could be the timing chain tensioner -- an inexpensive part but some work involved it getting at it. You or your mechanic would be removing the front apron...

...then removing that oval shaped timing chain cover (after removing the fan & pulley in front of it. All to get at this guy...

...which, when broken, is free to bang against the inside of that cover producing this...

Could be other things too, but your description of the garbage disposal sound makes the tensioner a prime suspect. Often you can pinpoint where a sound is coming from with a Mechanic's Stethoscope or just a length of hose or even a long screwdriver with one end against your ear and the other at various parts of the engine. The hose can be just pointed at parts, the stethoscope or screwdriver need to be touching the parts (e.g. valve cover, distributor, timing chain cover, etc).

 

[Penni]

Yes I own a '58 TR3 You guys are great detectives ~ Timing Chain. As soon as the rain stops here in San Francisco, I will run it my the mechanic.
I appreciate you all.
Thanks, Penni

 

[Don Elliott]

I had a noise in the engine of my 1958 TR3A in 2003 which started in Auburn Indiana while I was at TRA. I had driven there and the noise sounded like someone shaking a tin can with about 6 to 10 spoons rattling around in the tin can. It would be there when I started and other times it wasn't there. It was most confusing to me. After Auburn on the way home, I stopped in at Mosport Race Track near Toronto to watch the TR races (FOT) and found time to dig deeper into this question.

I removed the rear carb abd linkages, then the starter. The small pinion gear on the starter was not always retracting properly and the corners of the teeth on the pinion gear were clanging on the corner tips of the teeth on the flywheel. When the rattling persisted, the pinion would stay a bit engaged so the noise continued.

I had a new rubber sleeve drive for the starter with me and changed it inside my original long starter with the bomb-shell end on it and changing this part resolved the rattling noise. I have had no issues since then.

 

[Penni]

Quite possible too.

 

[titanic]

Since removing the timing cover on a TR3 involves a lot of labor, I would want to be absolutely sure the tensioner was the source of the noise. Start by removing or loosening the fan belt and start the engine. This will eliminate the gen. or water pump as the culprit.
Two days ago, I replaced the timing cover seal on my TR6 and upon starting the engine there was a noise similar to the one you describe. After recovering from despair and a change of underwear, my first thought was the timing chain or tensioner, then I decided to eliminate any other cause. I loosened the fan belt to the point that the water pump and alt. wasn't turning and the noise went away. Close examination of the alt. fan showed that it was slightly bent, contacting the alt. frame and producing the noise. In your case, water pump bearings, gen. bearings, or the gen. fan could produce the noise.
The message of this diatribe is to eliminate all of the easy causes of the noise before tackling the labor intensive ones. Good luck.
Berry

 

[TR3driver]

Another old-time test is to use a mechanic's stethoscope. Looks like a doctor's stethoscope, but with a long metal probe on the end. Touch the probe to the suspected piece to get a better idea where the noise is originating from.

https://www.harborfreight.com/mechanics-stethoscope-41966.html

 

[titanic]

Another old-time test is to use a mechanic's stethoscope. Looks like a doctor's stethoscope, but with a long metal probe on the end. Touch the probe to the suspected piece to get a better idea where the noise is originating from.


Or the really old time version of the stethoscope-a broomstick.
Berry