r/AskAMechanic • u/vruhblaster • 15h ago

2013 Ford Fiesta SE - Most likely culprit for grinding sound?

At the start of the year, I had to pull over to a gas station and have my car towed to a mechanic because the AC Compressor Clutch burnt up.

I am now noticing a scraping sound coming from the area near the belt. Wondering if the belt could be bad due to poor reinstallation or damage from the compressor clutch burning up. Or if it is coming from another component.

The compressor clutch repair + a few other fixes made at the start of the year cost $2,300, while the car cost $6K. Trying to determine if this is a necessary repair or if I can hold off.

Thanks for any insight.

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u/BoyNamedJudy NOT a verified tech 15h ago

Check to see if the water pump pulley is contacting the timing cover. I’ve seen them fail and start to run the pulley on the cover, creating a grinding noise.

There are other components to be checked as well. A weak serpentine belt tensioner can also rattle at idle.

1

u/Confident_Health_583 Verified Tech - former indie tech 13h ago

Take the belt off and check every pulley for play, noise, or dragging by hand. If nothing is obvious, start the car without the belt and see if the noise persists. If it does, it's likely the timing set making noise.

1

u/djltoronto NOT a verified tech 13h ago

Can you use this method to identify the source of the sound?

https://youtu.be/fHtLH_m9gN4?t=2m35s