Good Mornin' / Moanin', BrickBoard...

Shamefully, I wimped out and must admit I took my beloved 1985 244 GL (B230F NA, 4sp w/ OD) to a local mechanic, who allowed one of his employees to change the timing belt and tensioner, water pump, and belts (all of them) and time the distributor.

SHOULD a done the work myself...Not because I know more than the mechanic (I don't!), but because if I had done the work, I would know more about what could be the cause of a new noise emanating from the engine compartment.

After the work and a test drive, the mechanic said the new sound could be related to the cam shaft, and could be the result of "new loads being placed on a high mileage engine". Hmmm, I thought. She was running so smoothly throughout the range of gears before, without any strange thumping, whumping sounds. (The only reason for this belt change is because this belt was reaching the 60,000 mile range, and I plan to go for some lengthy Blue Ridge Parkway drives to see the colorful changes autumn brings...otherwise she was doing great)

This insistent, albeit faint, muted, "thumping" sound begins when the clutch plate engages the flywheel and continues thoughout 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and fourth gears, becoming less and less audible as the vehicle reaches highway speeds of 50mph or greater. It sounds exactly like what I imagine a hard piece of rubber slapping against some engine component would sound like...as if there is a cushion of some sort between two rapidly moving metallic parts that are striking each other.


The engine is running strong, and is very smooth when accelerating through the gears. The tapping, "thumping" sound does not appear to be growing louder, and visual inspection of the belts - while the engine is running at different rpm's - does not show any reason for the new sound.

If anyone has encountered such a sound after replacing a timing belt/tensioner, water pump, and or belts, and can point me towards the solution, or possible culprits, I will be most grateful.

Jackson Sadler, in the Sandhills of North Carolina
'85 244 GL, new HD Bilsteins all around, new suspension bushings all around, new tires, good brakes, new exhaust system, new Da'Lan 2" hitch (a true workhorse!), silky smooth transmission w/ funtioning OD, rustfree and looking good!