Hey Scotty Community,
My 2012 Toyota Yaris (185k miles) has made a grinding noise near the drive pulleys ever since I recently bought it. The sound was distinctly like a water pump, but changing it did NOT fix the problem. I removed the drive belt and ran the car for 30 seconds and the sound continued. All other pulleys feel good, and it sounds like its coming from the crank pulley, so im not sure where to go from here. Hoping its not internal engine wear.
-Nathan
Check to see if the rubber section of the crank pulley/vibration damper has separated, allowing the outer part to scrape against the engine. If this is what has happened it needs to be repaired ASAP. (Didn't this problem show up during the pre-purchase inspection?)
@chucktobias The pre purchase inspection was...done by me. I definitely missed many things so doing that was probably a mistake.
@saltysucc04 Be that as it may, check for the condition I mentioned. If that's happening the pulley is grinding into your timing cover and you definitely don't want that. If that's not it you can try using a mechanic's stethoscope to find the source of the noise.