Jillian's story!

[Legacy777]

I'd look at the idler pullies. You may have a bearing going. Easiest way to tell is to take the belt off.

[Fkyx]

Yeah. I tried to take the timing cover off, but the one bolt near the oil filter is inaccessible without a universal joint. Looking into it, though, it looks like the belt is actually sliding forward on one of the idlers. Really wish I had a universal joint.....

[beatersubi]

A deep socket won't reach?

[Fkyx]

Not the one I have. The coolant line for the oil cooler is in the way, and the socket is too short to get around it, and if I put a short extension on it, I can't get the ratchet past the radiator fan shroud. I don't want to drain the coolant.... since my friend bought it for me like 3 days ago. lol

I can get to it from the bottom with the closed end of an open ended wrench, but the wrench is too short for me to get a good grip on it, and the bolt seems to be a tad rusty.

I just need to hold out until Monday-ish when I get home. Then I should be able to find someone to buy me a stupid universal joint. Haha.

[evolutionmovement]

If you can get a wrench on it, can you lock a second wrench onto that for leverage? Do you know the open end/box end interlocking trick where you have an open ended wrench on the bolt and take a second box wrench, turn it perpendicular to the first wrench, and lock the box end into the open end of the 1st wrench?

As for the rust, blast it with penetrant first, but the bolt may snap or it could be rusted into the captive nut on the backside of the cover, which will just break the plastic so that the captive nut rotates in place with the bolt. Those wimpy bolts suck—they're not very rust resistant at all—most of the ones I've seen have had the heads nearly completely dissolved and they tend to snap easily. The captive nut in plastic isn't very robust a set up either.

[Fkyx]

Rust penetrant: something I wish I had, but don't.

Two wrench trick, done it before, but didn't feel like getting out from under the car, finding my 3/4 inch wrench, then getting back underneath the car. Talk about laziness. I was between house packing sessions. I'll wait until I get home and then get my parents to buy me a stupid universal joint. It's not like I couldn't use it in the future, anyway.

[yazmo]

Look good!

[Fkyx]

Update I should have posted about a month ago:

Picked up a universal joint, and that still didn't work. Tried to use two wrenches, and that didn't work. Finally gave up and dropped the crosspipe off. I'm pretty sure I took the timing belt off, too.

Found out some time ago that the waterpump pulley is loose. It is the cause for what's happening in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiWa1PcF40w

Unfortunately I don't know where I'd buy a new waterpump, or which one I'd buy. It's not like I can afford to buy one, anyway. I also need to replace what I imagine is a cam seal on the passenger side of the engine. It was dripping onto the exhaust after moderate "driving" (around the block and up a hill).

Here are some photos. Should be pretty self-explanatory.












These are going to be an issue:




I'm assuming they're supposed to be flat. They wouldn't come out without some hammering, and as a result, the threads on the studs got a tad messed up. Hopefully I can hit them with a die and fix them up. Also hope I can just press the camber plates and reuse them. The camber "slider" was digging into the bottom of them as they bent. I can't get the rear plates out until these go back in, unfortunately.