Hey you all!

I just did a timing belt and water pump on a 1999 2.5L Avenger. I got everything lined up perfectly (timing marks on all 3 sprockets), belt all sngged up, and rotated it around by hand a few times. All seemed perfect. I even had a neigbor who has been a Chevy tech at a local dealer for 14 years, take a look all along the way to make sure all looked well.

Now, I fired it up with no accessories hooked up by drive belts (by suggestion). Only the lower timing cover, and crank damper... and of course the timing belt installed and tensioned. No coolant in yet. Only wanted to see if it would fire, which in theory; It should without all the other stuff.

It fired right up, after cranking for 1-2 seconds... but sounded pretty bad. I only let it idle for about 2 seconds at most and shut it down. The sound is hard for me to explain; But sounded like a whooshy/chattery sound.... like pea gravel in a blender?

My mechanic friend and I scratched our heads for a while and decided to tear it back down and redo it. We got everything lined up PERFECTLY. Crank mark was pointing stright up at top dead center and cam cogs were lined up perfectly with the marks... belt put back on nice and tight with everything lined up (note, that even after it had run for a few seconds, everything still lined up).

Put the bottom cover & damper on..... tried it again. SAME SOUND. Shut 'er down after 2 secounds.

My friend's final suggestion was to put the whole darn thing back together... accessories, motor mounts, covers add coolant etc; and try it again... and see what happens.

I just got got done putting it all back together but simply don't have the guts to try firing it again yet. I am desperately wanting to pick your guys' brains to see what you have to say about it. I don't understand what possibly could have been done wrong... and at the same time do not see how putting everything back together could fix the sound. I've done a few timing belts in my time (on an I4 Hyundai which was easy, a v6 OHC Pathfinder which sucked, and a V6 Accord) so I am fairly comfortable with the project in general... or at least, I was.

I have a suspcious feeling that I'm F****D ('Scuze the Franch )

Thanks in advance for your thoughts...
~Perplexed, nervous, beat to hell and generally unnerved, George

did your old timing belt break? i'm assuming you put a new tensioner in, and this sounds like it is a lot worse sounding then a bad timing belt tensioner..
i wonder if the water pump is air locked and cavitating. hope you get it workin

Ahhh yes...the old *tick, tick,tick,tick* of the V6 lifters.....

yeah its nice to see progress!

good thread! It's got me thinking since I have an old clunker here... what's gotta happen before the timing belt needs to be replaced?\
You never said it broke. What happens when it's worn? Does it make a lot of noise?

Just looking for things to help mine run better so I can put that pesky 'check engine' litebulb back in the dash..hehe

I got 7k to go then...that'll be like...in December.