I took my Cobalt to the dealership to get looked at since I have a warranty for another 3k miles. I originally wanted them to look at the ticking in my engine as I thought possibly a lifter or whatever. I had a warranty, might as well use it before it runs out.

They called me back and told me my belt tensioner was causing the ticking, and that it wasn't covered under my extended warranty, conveniently. But more so, has anyone heard of their belt tensioner causing a ticking that goes away when it warms up?

 

I never had a belt tensioner go bad on my old car but the timing chain one did. That stupid thing would tick really loud on cold start ups and get a lil softer when it warmed up. I would think both would be covered though.....that doesn't make sense....

 

well thats the thing, I had my Timing chain tensioner replaced about 7 months ago under the exact same warranty. They told me they replaced it with the upgraded one.

 

Are you sure they didn't mean the timing chain tensioner ? I haven't heard of people having trouble with the engine belt tensioner much but the timing chain tensioner is a known problem that has been threw 3 design changes in the last 4 years .

 

on the sheet they gave me, it says Belt Tensioner. *shrug*

 

personally i just think they are throwing "darts" at your car. Just trying to put whatever they can in, lol.

 

My problem was the belt tensioner making the belt tick.
The tensioner sat weird, and made the belt bend in a abnormal way and made a lash/tick every time a certain part of the belt came around.

Replaced tensioner and belt and had no problems.
You could definitely tell if the car is running with the hood popped and just listen in the general area of the belt tensioner and belt and see if that's your problem or not.

 

That makes sense ...... the thing that has me leaning to timing chain tensioner for the OP's car is that it goes away when the car warms up..... thats what most T.C tensioners do when they start to go.

 

right, thats what i thought. I looked at my engine to see if they even took the valve cover off or anything and it didnt look like it had been touched.

The only reason why I could see the belt tensioner, was when I was replacing my supercharger coupler I had my wife push down on the tensioner with a crowbar while I slipped the belt on the supercharger and screwed the 4 bolts down...she slipped and broke a tiny piece of the plastic tensioner off.

I was going to get a ZZP Stage 3 kit anyway so I can replace the tensioner then.

 

i had a tick b4. found out my belt was bad>> https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/prob...ssible-252548/ after changing the belt and cleaning all pulleys the sound went away!

 

My 1993 Dodge Shadow did that. haha, But it was the timing belt...
But these are cobalts...
Are you sure he didnt mean TIMING CHAIN tensioner? I hear that causes ticking on the LSJs And that SHOULD be part of the powertrain warranty. I dont see why it would not be covered.

 

I would think it should be covered... but thats my $.02 maybe message the gm customer service account here see if they have any imput.

 

a week after i put my stage 2 kit on my belt tensioner went bad. i brought it in with the zzp pulley and all still on the blower. they replaced it... under warranty lmao. is this original warranty? or aftermarket warranty?

 

Mine chatters/rattles very badly on startup, been told it is normal 5 times by dealers. Latest response was a bad belt tensioner and worn belt. Keep in mind the car had about 54k on the clock, belt was still new and had barely any wear. I changed it out and the tensioner, started the motor without them even on the car....what do ya know, still rattled like hell.
NO dealer will help, I tried fighting customer service, no luck. SEE YA LATER GM, my family and grandparents worked for AC Delco, Delphi, and GM.

 

Thank you for your post, leemanfor,

For the powertrain warranty, belt tensioners are not included in coverage as your dealership advised. Timing gears, the timing chain, and the timing cover are. Timing belts are covered until the first scheduled maintenance interval.

Hope this helps,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

 

did you not read what i said? They covered my belt tensioner, and g85 trans and my shifter cables... and strut mounts... im having a hard time believing your a gm rep. sorry

 

how many miles do you have on your car? if its less than 36k then thats why; you have bumper to bumper. if not, then you happened to find a dealership that is willing to work with you and not $^*& you over and you're extremely lucky lol.

to the OP, the belt tensioner is not a lubricated part and wont be covered on the 100k mile warranty. but the good news is the tensioner is a cheap part and not difficult to put in. just do it yourself or take it to a local shop. even at a local shop you're going to pay half of what the dealership would charge you anyway. i would never take anything to the dealership to get fixed unless i know for a fact its covered under warranty. but if you do, make sure you tell them before hand not to install anything without your permission. otherwise, they'll just do whatever they want and send you the bill.

 

for the tensioner that was @ 32k for the strut mounts that was 28k for the trans that was at 49989k yepp 11 miles before the factory warranty ran out. lucky right? lol

 

Thanks for your reply, I actually was going to buy ZZP's Stage 3 setup which comes with the oversized tensioner anyway, I just wanted to get some warranty work done before it ran out in 3k miles. Its not the factory warranty, its an Aftermarket one and I thought it was something internal.

 

@06 SS ALL DAY:
I’m glad that you were assisted in this way! I was basing my response off of the GM Policies and Procedures Manual, which did not include the tensioner as a part of the powertrain warranty.

@leemanfor:
Hope that the resolution you decided upon solves the concern you’ve been having!

Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

 

Sarah,
WHY would the timing chain tensioner NOT be part of the powertrain warranty??
It's part of the engine. Thats like saying that the #2 intake valve springs are not part
of the warranty? I realise you didn't make up the GM Policies and Procedures, but
that policy sounds rediculous. No offence intended to you.

 

She meant the belt tensioner. The timing chain/components are...at least from my understanding. I'm in the same boat you are...
Dealer tried blaming it on the belt tensioner, and it is 100% fine and belt is basically new still. But put a new belt and tensioner on and noise was still there. Hopefully the motor just blows up under warranty.

 

Yep.... the timing chain tensioner is covered according to GM Policies and Procedures Manual that I found .


Coverage Code P/P1 see following

Applicable To U.S. Powertrain Warranty

P - Passenger Car and LD Truck Powertrain Components- 5 years/100,00 miles

P1 - Passenger Car and LD Truck Powertrain Components that require maintenance- 5 years/ 100,000 without interruption if maintenance was performed in accordance with the GM Maintenance Schedule

J0791 Tensioner, Timing Chain -- Replace *P

 

my buddy has a ticking fuel injector on his Balt