my car started making a weird, "humming" noise while at idle. if i rev the motor, it stops. while at a couple stop lights it was quiet, but i'd say the sound is there 98% of the time. i have noticed no coolant leaks. the motor is a '98 JDM engine, so who KNOWS what shape the pump is in.
while doing some stuff to the motor recently, i changed out the oil pump to an OBD-II unit, so i was thinking maybe i got a bad oil pump, though my oil pressure is reading the same as it always has. also, i have no idea what happens when an oil pump goes bad.. do they even MAKE any noise?

i've read lot of "noise from timing belt" threads, but they all complained of "metal" and "grinding" noises. maybe that's what i'm hearing but interpreting a different way...?

anyone have any ideas. i'd rather it be water pump than oil pump

 

up

 

anyone?

 

timing belt to tight?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GenIIIMrDuece &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">timing belt to tight?</TD></TR></TABLE>

i tensioned it according to Honda Specs. also, i drove the car for two weeks before the noise started.. but i guess i can check it out anyway. you never know.

 

for anyone doing a search:

the problem was the PS pump. i removed the belt, no noise. i believe the belt was too tight, at one time, and the bearing inside is spun.
a new bearing is $8, which is much better than a $250 PS pump (p72)
hopefully this helps someone and saves them the cost of shipping both ways/restocking fee for a water pump you don't need haha