I recall changing a lot of harmonic balancers on these things...

<collieplace@north.wis> wrote: '93 Tempo 2.3 w/AC  60k

There is a rattle from the front of the engine at idle.
Almost like sheet metal.  If I bring the engine speed
up about 300 RPM it goes away.   If I remove the belt
it goes away.  I noticed that if I disconnect the wire
to the alternator it also mostly stops.  Just a little
ding every 5 or 6 seconds.

I have replaced the idler pulley, the belt tensioner
and the alternator.   With a stethoscope I don't hear
the noise from the AC compressor, Alt, W/P or PS
pump.   I don't hear the noise coming from the front
cover.  I can hear it from 50 feet away. I just can't
pinpoint where.    Swapping belts didn't help.

Has anyone run into something like this themselves?
____________________________________________________

Different engine (350 Chev) with a similar symptom.
A little ching or chirp about every 10 seconds at
idle, about every 3 minutes at speed.  Couldn't find
the source in 400 miles of driving.

Then when starting up after an oil change, sparks
started spraying out from behind the W/P pulley,
followed by a hail of small bearing rollers. There
had not been any W/P leakage - I had checked when
looking for the noise - so the fireworks stunned
me.  I replaced the W/P and the noise was gone.

You could check the W/P by removing the belt and
rotating the pully slowly by hand while pushing
it sideways in several directions while listening
with the stethoscope. Check the other pulleys, too

Good luck.

Rodan.

I had the exact same problem with my '87 Tempo, did the same stuff to
find the source, and never found it.  I kept driving it and sold it,
still running quite well, at 210,000 miles.  My top Ford tech at the
time(he's now working for Ford in Detroit) was stumped, and suspected it
was a timing chain issue.

Rob

 You were sooooo close to the problem. It's very likely the harmonic balancer. The
rubber shears and the outer ring rattles like crazy at idle.
 To replace it: Remove the accessory belt(s). Remove the front engine mount (front of
the motor) and let it drop down fully. There are 4? bolts on the top and one large nut
on the bottom of the mount. Get the nut from underneath. Remove the right front wheel
and the inner splash shield. You will have to bend a section of the pinch weld on the
front sub frame upward for clearance. You'll know what I mean when you look at it.
Remove the bolt in the end of the crankshaft. With a long pry bar, pry the engine down
and back as much as possible. Don't pry against the timing cover. The balancer will
slide right off, just wiggle it around for clearance to get it out.

I would like to thank everyone for their help.

The more I think about Mr. Warman's idea the more it seems that that
might be the problem.
It would explain why the noise comes and goes depending on different
loads on the belt.

I am not sure how the pulley is attached to the harmonic, if it is spot
welded and a couple of welds let loose I can see how this would make the
noise.

I am going away for the weekend (close the cabin down for the winter)
but will check it out when I get back.

Again Thanks To All.

Bob