My '97 protege has developed a clicking noise , which incrreases/decreases in time with the engine rpm's. It occurs only after the temp warms up--ie there is no noise upon start-up until the car is driven for about 10 minutes It's emanating from the area of the timing belt. Now--here are the details: I brought the car , which was running PERFECTLY by the way, to a dealer 11 months ago to have a routine timing belt/water pump service done as the car had 75k miles on it. I had to bring the car back to the dealer twice--once to retighten the new accessory belts and then to replace the valve cover gasget, which obviously not done at the time of the service. Now, this noise appears in the area where all of this work was done. Here is what's happened next. The dealer first insisted that it was a warped timing belt cover--corrected and the noise continued. Next, they were positive that it was a bad tensioner bearing ( although this was alleged replaced during the major service). This was replaced again--and the noise persists. NOW, they are absolutely sure that the noise if coming from the oil pump--although there are no symptoms of a faulty oil pump at all--ie, the engine runs perfectly smoothly with no other internal noise and has full power at all rpm ranges. Oil pressure readings are perfect. So, they've torn apart the motor to get at the oil pump and stated that it is scored. The complete cost of replacement will be apprx $1200!

Q--I've lost all faith in this dealer--does this dx make sense? I still suspect that this is a result of something they did during the original major service. How would the oil pump get scored ? The car has been meticulously maintained ( I'm the original owner) with oil changes every 3k miles . The car has always been driven conservatively. Any thoughts on this problem. I called another dealer who indicated that he had never heard of a Protege oil pump making a noise all by itself , with no other symptoms of failure. So, I paid this dealership almost $1k for the major service on a perfect car 11 months ago, have had several service-related problems since, and am now faced with another $1200 bill .

 

Sounds like they are guessing at the noise to me doc308. Would have thought to get a second opinion before letting them tear the engine apart but too late for that now. I would certainly demand to see the oil pump and given adequate explanation as to what exactly is causing it to make a ticking noise. Have never heard of oil pump making a tick noise either. Perhaps part of the agreement with them about this current repair "attempt"is that if the noise is still there, you do not pay a dime for the missdiagnosis and have it looked at by a more qualified repair facility.