[suprafly1986]

Hey there, I was wondering if any of you know what's going on...

When I start my 87 N/A up in the morning (it has been sub-freezing temps for the past 2 weeks) it starts fine, but there is a steady scratching sound coming from the front of the car that occurs like every 1-2 seconds. It goes away after a minute or so. The belts seem ok, vac's seem ok...exhaust leak maybe?

thanks

 

[Thermactor]

that's too vague. get a sound clip going and post it here.

wild guess:
water pump bearings?
tb tensioner worn?

btw; this weather is kicking me in the ass! the car didnt wanna friggin start the other day, and it has a new optima redtop

 

[suprafly1986]

hmm, i replaced the water pump and tb tensioner when i did the head gasket a couple months ago. Come to think of it, maybe it started after i did all this crap because i left something amiss. oh well, any ideas? sorry, i'll try and get a sound clip up here, although it might be hard to pick up. Let me try to descibe it a litle better-It's more like a whooshing, scraping sound, and it happens in steady pulses of like a second or so. hmm, thats all i got for now

 

[Thermactor]

Make sure it isn't coming from any of the belted accessories. That should narrow it down. Take an automotive stethescope to:
1) P/S pump
2) A/C compressor
3) Alternator
4) A/C compressor belt tensioner
and report back on whether or not you can tell if the sound is coming from any of the above listed.

Edit: I keep making wild guesses. Here's my feeling: P/S pump. They like to get noisy.