1999 Honda Accord noise experienced with new timing belt

HI there,

Thank you for the donation,

There should not be any noise, there may be an issue with an idler bearing, or a miss alignment problem, if this noise was not there before i would get back and get them to check this out as if there is a problem with the timing belt system and it fails, it will cause a great deal of expensive damage,

Mark (mhpautos)

Hi there,

On thinking further on this noise, if they have over tensioned the belt, ( it has a spring loaded tensioner) this will make the belt noisy and will decrease the life of the belt as well.

Mark (mhpautos)

hi guys

thanks for that prompt reply. i took the car back and got that noise fixed

it was a bearing

today as soon as i got the car back i observed a new thing which was not there yesterday or before i gave my car to this service guy

when i apply the brakes. they make a hissing sound. whats causing that??? is that serious or usual? i talked to this guy and he says happens with all the cars. but it was not there before so i am not at all convinced. please let me know about this

Hi there,

This is not normal, when you get a hissing noise with brake application, this is normally a vacuum leak at the brake booster, get this checked out, it will have nothing to do with the timing belt repair.

Mark (mhpautos)

i agree that this might not have anything to do with the timing belt repair but then why did this thing start only after i got my car back from the service shop?

can i do a quick check if there is really a leak on the brake booster vacuum?

or can i fix it myself?

Good question,

I would just get then to check the vacuum line into the booster, and the one way valve, just in case it was disturbed, otherwise i feel it is just a case of bad timing, these things do happen, get them to check it first.

Mark (mhpautos)

how much time do i have? i will probably go tomorrow evening. if not, then by this saturday morning. i drive every day to my office which is 8 miles (30 mins one way) and to my gym which is like 1 mile. am i good till saturday morning or maybe friday evening?

Hard to tell, what will happen if the booster fails, you will have a very hard brake pedal but they will still work, you will need extra pedal pressure to pull up, often it will keep working for some time, but don't delay and be aware of the problem that you may have with braking.

Mark (mhpautos)

hey i went to the gym in my car and tried to do a test on the brake.

what i did was while i was waiting for the signal to go green. i pressed the brake hard and observed that the hissing sound comes only when i press the brake hard.

also the when the car finally stops after i apply the brakes there is a grunt with which the car stops.

could you tell me why this might be happening?

good morning,
hey just to let you know. this morning I had to press the brakes even harder to hear the hissing sound that i was hearing yesterday.

hey could you also tell me how are these guys supposed to fix that hissing sound? because i am sure they are amateurs

hello???
i am waiting for the reply.

Hi there,


As live in Australia, i am not always on at the same time as you. To fix the booster (if this is the problem) it will just be replaced as the repairs are carried out by a specialist work shop, so you will get a re-co unit fitted. To test the booster, you pump the brakes with the engine off till the pedal is hard and high, with your foot still on the pedal start the engine and the pedal should suck down a little, and there should be no hissing noise. The noise is servo vacuum leaking past the real seal.

mark (mhpautos)

i am sorry. i did not know that u are in australia.

i did not take my car back to the service shop because i wanted to observe it a little more.

this is what i am experiencing.

before starting the car (no ignition), when i press the brakes its very hard.

as i give the ignition it gets softer and i am able to press the pedal with much less effort.

but as i press the pedal after the engine has just started and press it further, i can hear the hissing sound very distinctly but only for the few intial seconds after the ignition

now after i have driven the car for a while then i have to press the pedal really hard for that hissing sound to appear.

after i turn the engine off then after a while the brakes become hard again.

This is sounding like the very early stages of the booster failing, i would get it looked at sooner rather than later.

Mark (mhpautos)