Bad Noise

Very bad sounds came from the hood this morning. I turned around, went home and parked her. Remember when you were a kid, and you would take a clothes pin and attach a baseball card to your bike to make noise? It sounds like that, with infrequencey. Sometimes louder, sometime barely noticeable. Always in sequence to RPM, not speed. Coming from the engine.

I'm thinking valve.

Other opinions?

Stacey
Columbus, OH
'92 Subaru SVX
'76 BMW 2002 O=00=O
'01 Triumph Sprint ST

[svx_commuter]

Does it sound like metal or something non-metalic? It could be a FAN belt (SVX has no fan belt :>) ac or ps or T-belt coming apart.
Next on the list is hydraulic valve adjuster, wrist pin, piston slap and connecting rod or even PS pump, Water pump, AC compressor. Can you tell where the noise comes from when you look under the hood?

It's metalic. I replaced the serp belt earlier this summer. Had the timing belt replaced after I bought it earlier this year. I've been plagued with what I still think is heat shield rattle, coming from the bottom. This seems to be coming from the engine block, but years of playing electric guitar in bands makes that more challenging to pin point. Havn't put it under the light yet, but will later tonight.

[b3lha]

Could be the bearings have gone in the alternator. Our started making that sort of noise and then died the next day.

Phil.