Timing Belt fun

Can a bad timing belt ever be heard? I always thought either they work, or they don't, sometimes with catastrophic results. Out of the blue, I'm hearing an odd noise from my Honda V6, not a squeal, but a whirl, sorta like a bad am radio interference...sounds like a belt, as the noise rises and falls with rpms, but both belts look and feel fine. The timing belt was replaced 25k ago, though it was 6 yrs. Can't remove the belt covers, as the hydro tensioners supposedly get misadjusted. So....can one hear a bad timing belt?

 

3.5? I doubt you can hear a bad belt specially if it was replaced 25K miles ago. Could be the water pump, was it replaced with the belt as well?

 

Usually a clear sign of a timing belt going out could be heard at the first start up of a vehicle. The noise could be described as a "flap" noise but that could also be the timing belt tension-er...so kinda tricky.. Its very rare for a timing belt to go out 75Kmiles before its life is up..

The noise you are describing sounds like a possible bearing going out

 

^yeah, water pump, belts, timing belts, tensioner, gaskets...everything in the Honda kit...3.0, 98 Accord

 

When my water pump failed i could here the bearing squealing but i didnt know what it was. I left it long enough for it to break off its axis and it started rubbing the timing belt against the motor. It then started to smell like rubber, smoke came out and it was squealing. The next day driving to work i noticed the temp gauge maxed out and and my rad was boiling. The water pump failed.

Generally the waterpump will fail before the timing belt. So if you hear squealing, its most likely an idler or your waterpump. Take off your timing cover and inspect.

 

turned out to be the alternator (bearing) and sop is to replace the tensioner too. Joy