[s-cars] Loud rattling

[JR]

Forgive my ignorance, but where is the idler/belt tensioner.  Is it the 
timing belt tensioner?  I replaced the whole thing last year.  I'll have 
to buy one of those stethoscopes that just have a metal rod on the end 
to try to pinpoint where the noise is originating from.  What's got me 
is that the car runs great.  No excess smoke or smell and no oil 
spitting out of the tailpipe.  The engine sounds fine other than the 
rattling.  maybe rattle is a bad word.  It sounds like metallic popcorn 
popping when it's almost done popping.  You know towards the end of the 
3 minutes in the microwave it pops randomly and only pops a couple of 
times a second.  It's like that.  The only other odd thing that has been 
happening lately is that the brake light has been coming on when I hit 
bumps or turn sharply and staying on for a bit when it does come on.  
Could that be related in any way?  That might just be the fluid levels.  
I'll check them when I leave for lunch.

JR

Steve Voit wrote:
> Hi JR:
>
> I'd replace the idler/belt tensioner assy.  The bearings fail in these; some
> have replaced the bearing, some replace the assy that includes the spring
> and bracketry (I did).  It presents itself as you describe - random,
> metallic, sometimes quiet.  When it makes noise it was startling in nature.
> Mine, too, came on with the advent of cold weather.  My mechanic thought I
> was nuts but it has cured the problem.
>
> Steve Voit 95.5 S6 Seattle
>
>  
>
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