OK so this noise just happened out of nowhere, and although the video makes it sound a bit deeper, it sounds like either the belt rubbing on the plastic somehow, or possibly the timing belt tensioner bearing is going.

The noise is still there with the alternator belt off so it's not the alternator bearing, and the belt still seems quite tight.

Any ideas would be awesome, hondas are not my forte!

http://s151.photobucket.com/albums/s...=beltnoise.flv

 

you could take the timing cover all the way off and see if it still does it

 

Yah that was going to be my next plan. I need to take off the crank pulley to do that though it appears, correct?

 

It sounds like a bad timing belt tensioner. If the video had been of a higher resolution, I might have been able to watch the tensioner side of the belt..... but
Either that or one of the belt guides may be worn also.

What year is this car?

P

 

Thanks for your input. The car is a 91, but the bottom end is from a 99 ( d16 I believe), and the top end is from the original 91.

Where abouts are the plastic guides located, just in the cover somewhere?

 

Posting in the Civic section would probably help.

 

Under the timing belt cover, attached to the face of the engine block

P

 

Oh ok thanks...and woops, I must have read the section wrong...can someone move this to the civic area?

 

Update: Drove the car with it like this, the car makes ABSOLUTELY no power until 3000 rpm in which case it goes back to normal....any thoughts?