[Triple S]

Has anybody had issues with the tensioner on the serpentine belt or premature failure of a water pump?

In the morning with it being in the teen and twenties here when I start the truck up I'm getting a noise that seems to whine and howl. It's not the noise one gets when a V-belt slips, and it is clearly not a valve head or cylinder noise. It sounds to me more like a bearing is not happy about being spun at such a cold temp temp.

Of course after the truck runs a while the noise goes away. I have taken it into the dealer but they could not replicate the noise as the engine really needs to sit all night and get stone cold.

Any body have any thoughts about what it might be?

 

[Scott Hutch]

I have the same noise. I am afraid it may be the Timing chain tensioner but its odd that its only upon startup in cold weather. I cant get it to last long enough to diagnose it at all

 

[Triple S]

I have the same noise. I am afraid it may be the Timing chain tensioner but its odd that its only upon startup in cold weather. I cant get it to last long enough to diagnose it at all

Wow, I'm so happy to hear that, well, maybe I should not say that, I'm not happy you have the same sound, I'm happy to know I'm not the only one, and/or I'm not hallucinating.

How many miles on your Frontier?

How would you describe the sound?

When I took it in for the 7,500 service I tried to explain it as sort of a whirl, squeal, howling noise that seems to fluctuate, it is not a solid consistent sound, it goes up and down in pitch, and honestly, on a morning when it is like 5-degrees F, the damn noise goes on for several minutes.

 

[NISM0]

Has anybody had issues with the tensioner on the serpentine belt or premature failure of a water pump?

In the morning with it being in the teen and twenties here when I start the truck up I'm getting a noise that seems to whine and howl. It's not the noise one gets when a V-belt slips, and it is clearly not a valve head or cylinder noise. It sounds to me more like a bearing is not happy about being spun at such a cold temp temp.

Of course after the truck runs a while the noise goes away. I have taken it into the dealer but they could not replicate the noise as the engine really needs to sit all night and get stone cold.

Any body have any thoughts about what it might be?

I think you are hearing the cooling fan at start up. A lot of noises you hear are normal, and if your not sure what normal is go to a dealer and listen to several Frontiers at cold start up.

 

[atroader]

Same noise on mine... for the last week and a 1/2 when <25 degrees outside cold start. It has been going away though... something has loosened up.

Pretty sure it is a bearing on an accessory or the tensioner.

:noworries:

 

[Scott Hutch]

Well I have a pathfinder with 100k on it. So the mileage difference is pretty severe lol but i have noticed the sound is on the passenger side of the engine bay more so. If it stays constant eventually ill let you know what it is. Im crossing my fingers its not the tensioner

 

[VoodooSaint]

I think I've got the same sound and is not all that warm up here in Edmonton, most noticeable at idle? Seems to come and go? But for mine I know the sound is still there sometimes even if the engine has warmed all the way up

 

[Scott Hutch]

Well I need to do my timing chain in about a month so if it fixes it ill let you guys know

 

[steve500]

Mine does it, its gotta be below 20 degrees or so, it sounds like that sound when you move your fingernail along the rough side of a zip tie, only it's constant, it's not a belt slipping, its a lot quieter. I have greased the HECK out of my serpentine belt tensioner's spring already, that got rid of my chirpety chirp chirpy noises when idling.


When I start the truck, it quiet, then slowly that eeeeeeeeeeeeeeereerreeerr noise fades in and after a few minutes it disappears. It's not anything I can see or really pinpoint by looking under the hood while it makes that sound.

I just changed my oil, new filter, etc.. I'll see if it does it tomorrow morning before it warms up outside and let you all know if it could be a lack of oil circulation.

 

[chaz]

YEP ,just recently in this cold weather i have started hearing a new sound,i think it is a loose shield on the exhaust coming from the front.i have been putting it off(laying on my back in the cold in the driveway)it goes away when i hit the gas,only hear it at idle

 

[09eq]

Company Silverado I drive has had this noise in cold weather, below 15*, for 5-6 years but never anything at warmer temps, and hasn't gotten worse - surprisingly, last week when I started it at -36*, it was silent.

 

[Triple S]

Mine does it, its gotta be below 20 degrees or so...

When I start the truck, it quiet, then slowly that eeeeeeeeeeeeeeereerreeerr noise fades in and after a few minutes it disappears. It's not anything I can see or really pinpoint by looking under the hood while it makes that sound.

That is exactly what I'm talking about! I have listened and listened and I'm having a very difficult time trying to figure out exactly WHERE it is coming from. Bottom line, my brand new truck sounds like a piece of old used-up crap and it is a bit disheartening.

It's like a heat wave here, oh my, all the way up to 36 degrees this morning at 6:30.

I started the truck up as normal this morning, absolutely NO NOISE AT ALL.

What ever this thing is, it is absolutely cold temperature dependent, which means I really need to figure this out because my truck is only my WINTER daily driver, once warm weather hits I have a CRX-Si, an S2000, and a VFR and the Frontier will sit in the driveway. So if this noise is causing harm, my truck is going to be subjected to it for a good portion of its life; a thought that does not please me...

 

[steve500]

That is exactly what I'm talking about! I have listened and listened and I'm having a very difficult time trying to figure out exactly WHERE it is coming from. Bottom line, my brand new truck sounds like a piece of old used-up crap and it is a bit disheartening.

It's like a heat wave here, oh my, all the way up to 36 degrees this morning at 6:30.

I started the truck up as normal this morning, absolutely NO NOISE AT ALL.

What ever this thing is, it is absolutely cold temperature dependent, which means I really need to figure this out because my truck is only my WINTER daily driver, once warm weather hits I have a CRX-Si, an S2000, and a VFR and the Frontier will sit in the driveway. So if this noise is causing harm, my truck is going to be subjected to it for a good portion of its life; a thought that does not please me...

Yes, yesterday was a darn warm day here in central utah. . . Silent startup yesterday, nice and smooth. All I can say is, we're not the only ones and all these freaky-deaky noises with this truck is just darn retarded/ridiculous. I'm beginning to think it could be my alternator actually, I've heard the alternator is pretty weak (like almost everything else in this truck, it seems, darn thing's gotta be treated like china glass) and die pretty easy. My truck's seen a lot of water and sand, the alternator is on the bottom of the engine. When my alternator died on my first rodeo, it sounded much like that eeerreeer high pitch bzzzzz in the morning, a while later on the highway it smoked and fried. . . bah..


My current rodeo's had a silent engine/drivetrain/suspension all the way through its very(no exaggeration) rough life.

 

[Scott Hutch]

Yea It's driving me insane honestly. I live in Florida so no more cold weather very soon. My oil pressure send unit went out on the way to work this morning on top of this annoyance. Im gonna order the parts for the timing chain tensioner fix next month. So hopefully after all this my issues go away.

 

[Clint]

I had the Howl on my last Frontier and was only in very cold mornings and only lasted a short time as the truck warmed up. Only heard it on light acceleration and nothing at idle. Anything above 36 degrees or so no noise.
It hasn't happened with the new truck.

Clint

 

[Triple S]

Ok guys, I promise, the next Saturday morning (the only morning I don't have to leave the house when it is dark out) I will open up the hood, get out my tool shown below, and have a go at trying to find the source of the noise.

If you have never used one of these, ya ought to get one, they are a blast to play with.

 

[Scott Hutch]

http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f8/weird-sound-54371/

Check this out. Sounds like it might be it. Ill let you guys know tomorrow when I try it

 

[00 FRONTIER]

http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f8/weird-sound-54371/

Check this out. Sounds like it might be it. Ill let you guys know tomorrow when I try it

What exactly are you going to try? I assume spraying silicone on the tensioner?

Is it possible that since so many people have the noise that its normal? I have yet to experience this noise as my truck is parked in the garage and Oregon temps usually dont get that low for very long. I assume anything to do with lubricants do not do well with really low temps and it takes a little bit of time and friction to warm them up.

I do agree that it is frusterating when it happens to this new of a truck, but I've basically learned to live with all the squeaks, rattles, and clunks.

 

[Scott Hutch]

Yea either that or put in a new tensioner. It annoys the ever living crap out of me.

 

[scuba91ta]

My alternator has had bearing noise ever since I know it got good and wet offroading... It sucks, but for me the noise is only worse in the cold..