High pitched chirp? and vcg replacement doityourself

[brian75x]

2004 65k mi

I'm getting a high pitched bad-bearing chirp, mainly at idle. It seems like it is in the area of the tensioner pulley. But is that common at my mileage? If not the pulley what next?

Second question: I have a leaky vcg. Are there any hints or tips? Searching "vcg" yields too many results.

Last thing...I bought Chinese blackout grilles on eBay. They don't fit well and lack the rear cowling that directs cold air. Anyway, I was thinking about painting the OE chrome grills. Bad idea? If not, any suggestions for primer and paint?

Sorry to jam 3 topics in one post.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[danewilson77]

1. Pull the belts and do the bearing test....to find the bad one.



2. Hint: Don't overtorque the VCG hold down bolts, and make sure they are all evenly tightened. Hint: VCG set of profile gaskets will not come with new grommets (QTY 15). Hint: You should do your spark plugs while your in there, and some will say...rebuid your vanos.

3. Paint the chrome (plastidip) or get oem matte black grills.

[LivesNearCostco]

If you're hearing the chirp more from inside the cabin than when standing in front of a raised hood, try turning off your ventilation fan to make sure it's not the HVAC blower. After I replaced my tensioner and idler pulleys, I still had a chirp, which turned out to be the blower fan.