Ok guys I'm back again to pick some of your brains on yet another subject about my 92 Accord so any suggestions feel free to chime in. Anyways I was having problems with my power steering and I think I've got that narrowed down to either A not Honda recommended fluid (cause its bubbling up and overflowing the reservoir) or B the pump itself is bad cause if I put my hand on the pump while the wheel is turned it feels like its running rough/grinding. Now though it's my alternator belt it seems to be rubbing on my timing cover and I don't think it's the cover that caused this I noticed yesterday when I got how a burning rubber smell and sure enough its the belt no noise or anything though.. I'm just wondering what to look for and what it could even be maybe a bad pulley? The belt is definitely tight as it should be and in good shape also my lights have been dimming slightly lately and I'm not sure if its connected to this or not I tested the alternator with a multimeter and everything is perfect. So if anyone has any input and can maybe point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

 

Suspect your harmonic balancer inner rubber bushing is failing. This allows belt drive ring to wobble and slip (reduced charging) leading to weak battery and eventually no-start.

Remove accessory belts and carefully inspect harmonic balancer bushing for wear/looseness.

PS problem is likely due to air leaking into PS fluid on suction side. Loose hose or blocked PS reservoir screen can cause this problem. Check for leaks and replace the reservoir.

good luck

 

About where on the cover is the belt rubbing?

What I've seen in the past is there is a "washer" of sorts that goes around the t-belt tensioner bolt - the one that pokes out of the cover. What can happen is without this washer the heat will cause the plastic cover to "bulge" out a bit and come into contact with the belt. What you can do is get an "e-clip" of the correct size (local hardware store) and slip it into the groove on the tension bolt to hold the cover in.

Yes, it could be the rubber on the balancer as TX suggests. Just giving another idea if the balancer checks out.

 

Thank you for the help. I've tested my battery before and after running the car I always get good readings. It has been taking longer and longer to start lately though. I got the belts off now and they're pretty cracked worse then I thought I am gonna try securing the timing cover better but I don't want to put these new belts on unless I fix the problem so far the pulleys seem tight with no play or anything. How would I go about checking that bushing though?

Also it is rubbing right on th e very bottom of the cover leaving about an 8th of an inch streak along the alternator belt. It seems to be clearing it while the car isn't running but its when I drive it sometimes I can smell the rubber. So do you guys think it's a good idea to try and secure the cover and put the new belt on with the proper deflection and see you if that fixes it? I am limited on funds so ruining a new belt is not something I can really afford to do..

 

If timing cover is missing any bolts, they should be replaced. Replacement requires a special shouldered 6mm bolt (10mm socket).

Try gripping the outer pulley w/ your hands and attempting to rotate engine by hand or use a large strap wrench to rotate. Notice whether inner part of harmonic balancer rotates equally w/ outer rim. Any slippage indicated outer pulley is loose and harmonic balancer should be replaced.

Is the accessory belt hitting the timing belt cover or is harmonic balancer outer pulley hitting the cover? The outer pulley is close to timing belt cover and I had a hole worn in the cover on a 90EX accord by outer pulley. I thought crankshaft might be moving axially to cause problem, but it may have been a loose outer pulley.

good luck

 

I took pictures of what it looks like..

 

In this particular case I think your theory may be the problem because if I push in on the cover where that bolt is it goes in a good 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch before you see the washer. My car does have 305,000 miles on it so I'm hoping its just the plastic slipped over the bolt. This has been a pain in the *** because I have big hands and this Honda is unforgiving in these tight spaces. I was gonna try and pull that bolt out and put a washer on but that definitely isn't gonna happen as I cant get any leverage with a wrench and a socket just won't fit in there so I'm hoping I can maybe get a couple clips like you suggested and maybe just double up on them?

 

Replacement lower timing belt cover is available on ebay.

Installation will require a bit of work. See shop manual for items to be removed.

good luck

 

Don't pull that bolt, it holds the t-belt tensioner. Just go to your local hardware store and get a couple of "e-clips" - been too long to remember the right size.

Press on the cover and slip a clip onto the bolt where the groove is and see what you have from there.

 

The washer around the tensioner bolt is a rubber washer and it does nothing to hold the lower timing belt cover in place. It is a dust cover for small opening around the bolt. I found a rubber replacement water hose fitting gasket was just the right size.

good luck