1999 Sentra 140k miles

At idle, it makes a sort of chug-chug-chug noise. It is rhythmic, but somewhat slower than the revs the car is at. As the car revs, it's still present, but it doesn't get much worse. At about 30mph, it can't be heard over the road noise. It doesn't seem to get much, if any worse, when the engine is hot. I lifted the hood and listened, but it's hard to say exactly where it was coming from. My best guess was from upper area around the serp belt. Could a bad bearing in one of the pulleys make that noise? I know it's a poor description, but with my automotive ignorance, I thought it might be a classic sign of something you guys could guide me towards. If anyone has any questions they want to ask me to help diagnose, please do.

11/16/2009 4:55:12 PM

man those engines are chunks of crap. my dad just replaced a head gasket on one. he read all this stuff about how they fail at life.

11/16/2009 4:58:51 PM

GA16DE isn't such a bad engine. The big weak link on them is the timing chain/tensioner/guides. I've seen quite a few go for miles and miles and miles.

The biggest thing I can say is that a diagnosis in person beats the everloving shit out of one over the internets. Where is said car?

11/16/2009 5:03:59 PM

^^Thank you. Now I feel much better about being an underfunded college student with annoyingly unreliable transportation.

^I live on Glenwood.

[Edited on November 16, 2009 at 5:05 PM. Reason : .]

11/16/2009 5:04:18 PM

sounds like bad bearing in one of those pulleys. take belt off, runn engine, do u still hear it?

11/17/2009 1:11:27 PM

it needs a clean shot between the eyes

11/18/2009 10:00:52 AM