87 Colt Vista 2.0L strange engine noise

My 87 Colt Vista 4WD (Dodge with a Mitsubishi 2.0 liter fuel injected engine) is making a random metallic dinging/rattling noise at idle and under load. I disconnected serpentine belt to see if it was an accessory, the noise persisted. It sounds like it may be coming from the front end of the engine, on the firewall side. It may be low. Has one of my silent shafts forgotten its name? An odd thing is that the noise is intermittent; sometimes it starts and does not make the noise for a few minutes. Increasing the engine RPM increases the occurrence of the noise, but it does not get louder. The engine noise starts to drown it out.

Thanks for any help.

Reply to
BKucera
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I owned an 89 Vista fro 11 years.

Its either the cam belt idler or the balance shaft idler bearing. Get it serviced ASAP before the bearing collapses. This usually involves replacing the belts while its apart. MIGHT be the water pump. If necessary this can be replaced at the same time too.

Stewart DIBBS.

Reply to
Stewart DIBBS

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