Terrifying noise from under the hood

[DanyYak]

This happened today on a cold start. I don't think it's a belt issue but I can only hope that's what it is. Any ideas? Whipple has about 28k miles with no issues prior. Tia

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[mejohn50]

While the engine is running loosen the belt a bit with the tensioner and see if it changes the sound at all. If it gets quieter, I’d check all the idler and tensioner pulleys. If those are all fine, trying a new belt is the cheapest and easiest attempt at a fix. If it gets quieter and it’s not the belt or pulleys…then I have a feeling that sound is inside the supercharger.

For what it’s worth, I had to have my gen 5 3.0L Whipple rebuilt after less than a year and under 10-15,000 miles of use due to bearing noise. I have also seen a handful of other 3.0L superchargers around here that needed to be rebuilt due to bearing noise.

 

[DanyYak]

Thanks for the reply. Tomorrow I will do just that. If the belt isn't the issue then I'll give Whipple a call and see if they have someone there that can take a look at my car.

 

[DanyYak]

For what it’s worth, I had to have my gen 5 3.0L Whipple rebuilt after less than a year and under 10-15,000 miles of use due to bearing noise. I have also seen a handful of other 3.0L superchargers around here that needed to be rebuilt due to bearing noise.
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How did you go about rebuilding it and how much did it cost you? Also, did it sound like mine does?

 

[mejohn50]

How did you go about rebuilding it and how much did it cost you? Also, did it sound like mine does?

Mine was under warranty so I just sent it in to Whipple and they did it all. It didn’t sound quite like yours, but from what I can tell in the video it‘s similar enough

 

[J17GT]

I get some bearing chatter out of my gen5 3.0 if the blower pulley is not torqued just right, though it sounds a bit different than yours.

Take the belt off and see if the noise goes away. If it does, easy thing to try is to snug down the blower pulley a bit more and see if the noise changes or goes away.

 

[Crew4991]

Sounds expensive. Bank account recommends turning up the volume.

 

[zenwhipper]

Pick up one of these and listen to the various areas of concern like bearing and the supercharger.

Auto Stethoscope

 

[volcanogod]

That sounds like a high-speed bearing. Whatever it is has a small pully which makes it spin faster than other accessories. Super charger would be my guess. I would park it till you figure it out in the event you have a bearing shelling out and sending metal into your intake runners.

 

[DanyYak]

I get some bearing chatter out of my gen5 3.0 if the blower pulley is not torqued just right, though it sounds a bit different than yours.

Take the belt off and see if the noise goes away. If it does, easy thing to try is to snug down the blower pulley a bit more and see if the noise changes or goes away.

 

[DanyYak]

Ok guys update time. It sound much different with the belt off. Now the belt I'm taking off has what looks like more tread on the grooves compared to the used one that's going to replace it. A few years ago, i replaced the belt and kept for an emergency backup. Anyways I figured I'd put the old emergency belt on but I can't seem to get it in the right orientation. I'm gonna see about a belt guiding rod. Ive loosened the idler pulley along with pulling the tensioner counter clockwise to get slack but I haven't had much luck. I'll post a clip tomorrow of the sound to compare and to also get yours guys opinion.

 

[DanyYak]

This video is from today after I reinstalled the same belt that came off because the backup belt didn't wanna go on. This time it's much quieter. There's a little play in the idler adjuster so that may be the culprit however I'm leading that it's the dirt that was caked up in the IA pulley. It looked like i came from the beach while a wind storm was happening. That's still some buildup so I'm gonna try and wash it out this time. The next post will be after a 1 mile drive in which I noticed the noise about a half mile into the drive.

 

[Andy13186]

Check your whipple SC belt tensioner. My tensioner pulley broke and was making that noise.

 

[LFmustangGT]

While the engine is running loosen the belt a bit with the tensioner and see if it changes the sound at all. If it gets quieter, I’d check all the idler and tensioner pulleys. If those are all fine, trying a new belt is the cheapest and easiest attempt at a fix. If it gets quieter and it’s not the belt or pulleys…then I have a feeling that sound is inside the supercharger.

For what it’s worth, I had to have my gen 5 3.0L Whipple rebuilt after less than a year and under 10-15,000 miles of use due to bearing noise. I have also seen a handful of other 3.0L superchargers around here that needed to be rebuilt due to bearing noise.

That is sound advice. Last January, I went to start up the Ford on a cold Saturday morning. No sooner than I cranked it and eased back on the ignition, that same noise plus clanking sounds. Thankfully, a shop across town said bring it right over. An hour later, said it needed a new belt plus what you said about the tensioner and pully. Sure enough, paid the guy and was on my way by lunch time.

Would've done a quick patch myself but I drive that Ford long distance, so in it went.

 

[DanyYak]

Check your whipple SC belt tensioner. My tensioner pulley broke and was making that noise.

Solved !! ... For now....

I just want to say thanks for the tips from you guys. I now believe I have solved my mystery! And dang it, I should have caught it the first time I took off the belt! It's the smooth idler pulley that directly below the SC pulley. FYI, by the time I realized it was the problem (chatter with the belt off when turning by hand, also when rotating this pulley around my finger like I would have when I was a kid, it was sloppy) 3;50pm Whipple had stopped answering calls. I happen to stay just 8 mins away from their HQ here in Fresno.

These special pullets cost $120 and there are 2 at the price and the other adjuster pulley is only $25 respectfully.

Instead of waiting till tomorrow, I went ahead and measured the broken pulley and went to the local auto parts website to see which one is "close enough". O'Reilly's actually list the OD on each pulley that is listed including the pulley width and that's on their thumbnail pic, very impressive! AutoZone doesn't even list the specs , even after you click on it!

So the bad pulley is roughly 63mm OD (oriellys only listed the mm and not inches) and 30mm width.

I settled for the 65mm/23mm. After starting the car and standing clear of the belt just in case it snapped right away, my car's idle was back to normal. The sound is gone! My sc isn't dead and I can finally relax even if just for a day. I do plan on purchasing the correct pulley. In the meantime, I'm gonna go for a short drive and see what happens. I did use the spacer that was from the bad pulley. I'll post a video once I record it

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