Mary Montana
Member
Does anyone have a recommendation for an auto repair shop in either Parker or Lake Havasu City? I have a Chevy Astro and need to have an engine noise diagnosed... thanks 
Auto Repair in Parker / Lake Havasu
- Thread starter Mary Montana
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rivertrader
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I was kind of trolling around on Craigslist quartziteHavasu City the other night looking at RVs and RV prices and of course employment. for some reason theres a redneck garage just struck me as a couple of guys just doing what they need to do it's always hard to find a good mechanic I've seen times where it's just crazy so if you give me a little more information about the noise on your Astro maybe it's just like an wheel on a belt or maybe is it a ticking sound inside or something else I've been doing this for a long time and I'd be like I'm glad to help you maybe you can record the noise on your phone and post it up here.that's a four three that's that's a 5-7 with two cylinders cut off of it that's a that's a rock solid motor if you didn't starve it for oil she should be home and away and get an audio of it close it up here and the rest of it will be more than the rest of us with more than happy and help you I'm sure HDR will chime in on it.try to give it a generalized area where the noise is coming from like the front end the bottom only when I put in a gear only when it back up only when it start. River 
Mary Montana
Member
Thanks River. It's a medium to high pitched sound and it is constant. It started when I was idling for quite awhile during a period of a bad weather. The pitch changes when I am accelerating, but the noise never goes away. It's not awful, if I were riding in someone's vehicle I would probably accept it as a normal noise, but being familiar with my vehicle I know it's not.I was kind of trolling around on Craigslist quartziteHavasu City the other night looking at RVs and RV prices and of course employment. for some reason theres a redneck garage just struck me as a couple of guys just doing what they need to do it's always hard to find a good mechanic I've seen times where it's just crazy so if you give me a little more information about the noise on your Astro maybe it's just like an wheel on a belt or maybe is it a ticking sound inside or something else I've been doing this for a long time and I'd be like I'm glad to help you maybe you can record the noise on your phone and post it up here.that's a four three that's that's a 5-7 with two cylinders cut off of it that's a that's a rock solid motor if you didn't starve it for oil she should be home and away and get an audio of it close it up here and the rest of it will be more than the rest of us with more than happy and help you I'm sure HDR will chime in on it.try to give it a generalized area where the noise is coming from like the front end the bottom only when I put in a gear only when it back up only when it start. River
After receiving your reply I checked my oil and found that I had left the cap off the last time I put oil in. Could that have anything to do with it? I put aluminum foil secured with a hair tie until I can find a replacement cap, if anyone thinks this is risky please let me know
Maybe but the main thing is the oil level. Does that check okay?After receiving your reply I checked my oil and found that I had left the cap off the last time I put oil in. Could that have anything to do with it?
Mary Montana
Member
Yes, it was within the operational range marks.
Mary Montana
Member
It's been about 3 weeks and in the meantime I've been in a lot of high winds and the rest of the engine is pretty dusty. I've decided to go to Havasu City as they seem to have a larger selection of mechanics and I'll get an oil change while I'm up there.
MotorVation
Well-known member
Just having the cap off will cause noise. If it were me, I'd get another at an auto parts store, get an oil change, and be done with it unless it still doesn't sound right. The existing oil filter should have filtered out most of the dust that got in there.
If the missing cap is the cause of the noise it should have been noticeable 3 weeks ago when it was first left off.
The oil filler tube usually feeds into one of the valve covers. If there are baffles that cover the valve train on that side or if the oil goes directly down to the pan, then the dust shouldn't have caused damage. But if a lot of dust got all over the valve train on that side, that may be a different story.
The oil filler tube usually feeds into one of the valve covers. If there are baffles that cover the valve train on that side or if the oil goes directly down to the pan, then the dust shouldn't have caused damage. But if a lot of dust got all over the valve train on that side, that may be a different story.
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Mary Montana
Member
Thanks everybody! I went to Dawn's Auto Repair in Havasu City and they have diagnosed it as the idle pulley. They're going to fit me in tomorrow morning and also I'll get an oil change and Lube at that time. Right next door was a Chevy dealer and I ordered a new cap which will be in tomorrow afternoon. And we all will live happily ever after
That's great. It's good you caught it early. The idler went out on my Ford van 2 years ago and it didn't make a noise (that I heard anyway) and it got hot and disintegrated. Left me dead in the water in a fairly remote location. I sat in the hot sun and 100 degs. on the side of the road for 4 hours before I was able to get the part and fix it.
Mary Montana
Member
Oh no. I'm glad you made it out okay. Thanks again for your help.
