i have a 1994 honda accord vtec 2.2L ex. i got my timing belt repaced a little while ago and it started making a fluttering sound while im accelerating. the sound seeming to be coming from the timing belt itself. i just want to know if this is something i should be worrying about and whats wrong with it. thanks

 

Sound or in the motor? Sounds are hard to describe in words. Your "flutter" may be a "whine" to me.

Do you know what exactly was replaced with the timing belt job?

 

i also just changed my timing belt and didn't replace my tensioner (witch i here is a rule of thumb when doing timing belts) but when i replaced it i heard a weird noise and eventually turned into a high pitch whine. so i took a stethoscope and ran it around on my timing belt cover and it was really loud where my tensioner was. i have not yet replaced mine to confirm if thats what it is but i'm about 95% sure it is a bad tensioner.

to others when i replaced my timing belt i seen that the rear tensioner for the timing belt has a bracket attached to the back and it branches off with a long slit so i can put a screw in it to tighten the tensioner/belt. when i went to change the belt seen there was no screw and put a screw in after i put the new belt on. should i have done this, maybe my tensioner wasn't bad but by me putting a screw in it ruined the tensioner???????

 

I had a flutter noise coming from the TB cover area after a TB change and it ended up being a loose timing belt. This was caused by putting the tensioner bolt washer on the outside of the TB cover instead of the inside of the cover. The tensioner bolt nut would loosen over time because the plastic cover was between the nut and the bolt.

Regarding the tensioner - a bolt does not belong in that long slit. However, there is a small stud on the engine that goes thru a hole in the tensioner, you need to make sure the tensioner is seated on that stud. I doubt you ruined the tensioner but possible. Spin it and see if its smooth.

 

I know the TB was replaced and another part with it that i cannot remember. But JMH has pretty had the same exact problem. im going to check the TB cover tomorrow, what does th tensioner bolt look like? and also, how much should i tighten it?

 

Well i have a 93 and my manual says to tighten the bolt to 30 ft-lbs, my torgue wrench would not fit on it so i used a short open ended wrench and tightend it about as tight as i could comfortable pull the wrench from an akward position. Not very scientific i know. The bolt tensioner bolt is identified by the only bolt that sticks out of the lower plastic cover aside from the big crank bolt. But if you have a loose belt, you need to tighten the belt before tighenting the bolt. This is done by turning the crankbolt counter clockwise a short amount. If your not familiar with the process and you paid to have the TB changed, you may want to consider taking it back to the mechanic.

 

Oh yea, i should have mentioned this, the fluttering chewed my timing belt a bit so I put a new one on.

 

If you paid someone to install your timing belt, the car should be returned for them to correct. You can remove the upper timing belt cover and check timing belt tension. It should twist no more than 90 degrees.

As JMH pointed out, the tensioner may not be engaged on the pivot stud. I did this last time I changed TB on my 94 EX and got the fluttering sound you mention. I went back in and found my problem. You can run the engine w/ upper TB cover removed for a short time to confirm noise is coming from beneath TB cover.

good luck

 

thanks guys youve all been a great help.