The aries is suddenly on its last leg

[rbvrt]

The 89 aries 2.5 is making what I can only descibe as the "most horrible sound in the world."

Now when I say horrible, multiply that by 50 and thats what it sounds like. A schreeching loud fluttering sound with a mix of howling and super chirping like a belt noise but much worse mixed with hissing. Happens at idle and louder when on the gas.

it gets worse with rpm. I took off EVERY belt last night to see if it was one of the accesories going out or a bad belt but nothing. the sound sounds like its coming out of or near the throttle body. Its just horrible, I barely got home last night and with 43,000 miles on the thing it would be a shame to get rid of.
I just dont know what to do anymore. heres whats brand new on the car.

radiator/aluminum
O2 sensor
fuel pump/ filter sock/ fuel filter
all three relays on the shock tower
egr
pcv

If anyone has any ideas let me know
Thanks

[RichG]

Aside from the noise....how is the performance? Does it idle evenly? How's the acceleration? Noticible shaking, shuddering, stalling....or just the noise? You took all the belts off ( and it still ran? ) but the noise sounds like it's coming from near the throttle body? I am trying to visualize this, seriously......the noise you describe (chirping) is often a pulley bearing, but if the belts were off? A open vacuum intake wouldn't make a chirping sound, but might account for the "howl". The RPM's tend to tie it into a mechanical issue; the noise increases when the rev's go up. I presume it's frequency of whatever cyclic sound is occurring. Boy, I wish I could see this...........

[RichG]

I thought about it some more.....could it possibly be the throttle body gasket dried out, and a gap exists twixt the assembly and block? The howling sound be harmonics created by the gap (however small it is) and if a piece of the gasket is atill hanging on, could it create a chirping sound through oscillation? It's a targeted guess...

[K-CAR_WAGON]

Does it have an air pump and did you connect the air pump belt? Turbo unit?

[rbvrt]

Ok, Ill try and explain better

Whe you first start the car, with it in park, it sounds like a loud screaming noise combined with a fluttering air sound (LOUD)
As soon as I put it in gear, the horrible sound gets louder and more aggressive, literally sounds like it wants to explode....but at speed, say 55mph
when you let off the gas, the noise completely stops...just the normal engine sound...as soon as im on the throttle again...all @#$ breaks loose and the noise comes back with fury. There is little to no power and extreme hesitation while trying to accelerate and generallly running bad...
on a side note...this all started when the plastic ufo looking thing that hangs off of the egr melted and started to leak. I plugged the vacuum leak, bypassed the egr and continued to drive the car waiting until the part arrived in the mail. well...over the course of 4 days,the sound went from a slight hissing ( only under throttle...prob... anything past halfway) to a louder hissing, to a chirping sound combined with hissing, to the chirping hissing screaming howling leaking sound that I am faced with today. I changed the egr and gasket with new units expecting the noise to stop but with the new parts the problem sounds even worse.

like I said I took all the belts off the engine thinking it was a belt or an accessory but the sound was stil there.
(The car was running off of the battery for only a few seconds)
I dont think I have an air pump or at least I didnt see one.
no turbo just a regular 2.5l automatic

[88AriesLEwagon]

I'm going to guess...the vacuum leak made the engine run ultra lean,and very hot,and burned up a gasket (intake? Exhaust?) or the headpipe donut? That high pitched noise may be rushing vacuum air,or exhausting air playing flute with the void.Maybe feeling around with your hand (dont burn yourself!) might sense an air leak or vacuum source where its not supposed to be.

You could have a timing belt tensioner pulley going astray as well...

[K-CAR_WAGON]

Is is possible you have a clogged catalytic convertor causing alot of backpressure and causing the car to run hot and poorly? The melted part, little or no power, extreme hesitation when accelerating and running poorly can go with a clogged cat. Does the exhaust flow feel normal out the tailpipe? I once had a 2.5 liter Acclaim where the flow was almost fully cut off because of a bad cat.

I also agree to check the timing belt tensioner - maybe a bad bearing in it?

[rbvrt]

Thanks for the response..

Well I think both of your sugestions are correct, I went out to the car today to see if I could mess with it. I put my hand down near the exhaust where the header meets the cat pipe and there is a slight exhaust leak coming from where the manifold meets with the pipe (broken doughnut).

I also had my head sticking out of the car while I was reving it and was looking at the tail pipe. There was hardly any exhaust coming out, even when I was reving it....you guys are good!!

I think the next logical thing to do is first cut out the c@t and weld in a angle piece for now..and then change out the doughnut...

after that I will go after anything else that is making noise.
Is there anything else that I can change while im under there....maybe the pipe that goes to the underside of the intake manifold/egr?

Thanks guys

[88AriesLEwagon]

Have a giant vacuum leak,engine runs super lean,raises exhaust temps,turns cat honeycomb into a rock,that rock blocks the exhaust from flowing.Now you could lose a head gasket next.
You can buy new Walker cat cons on EBAY (complete headpipe) for around $100 .Make sure its California or non California emissions standards application.Check the EPA sticker underhood.

[88AriesLEwagon]

...and unless the car is totally rotted away,dont ever say one of these are on its last leg.....
In a non running state,they can still be donors for parts for another one,or else someone can swap an engine from a lowly Shadow into it...
lol