I don't know if anyone recalls, but a while back I was having issues with a rattle on startup in my '02 TJ, which went away once the car was restarted.
It started when the car was about 50,000kms old and it continued until I replaced the cambelt two weeks ago. I had taken the car to two Mitsi dealers in Canberra, one diagnosed the tensioner, and so I took the car to another dealer at Mitsi's advice to get a 2nd opinion and hopefully get a goodwill repair for the tensioner being faulty so early in its life. Well after getting the run around from them all and the 2nd dealer saying there was nothing wrong with the car, I just left the car as it was - with its rattle. So pretty much for a the last wee while every time it rattled (which was pretty much every morning it was started) we would turn it off and then restart it. Mostly this stopped the noise although it sometimes took a couple of goes.

Well I finally got around to changing the belt and tensioner at 103,000kms, and now the noise is gone. So I suppose even though it rattled like crazy the tensioner was still able to do its job for a long time. Stopping and restarting the engine must have been enough to 'wake' the tensioner up and get it to do its job.

IF you have the same dreaded rattle you might like to try the following:

1) First thing in morning, before you start the car.
Remove the cambelt cover - easiest is the front bank top cover (2 x 10mm and 1 x 12mm - by the alternator). you can leave the other cover on. Remember the engine should be off!

2) Check the tension by pressing against the cambelt, there should be little belt movement - mine had about 10mm.

3) start car, (mine would be rattling at this point) run for a minute or so, then stop it.

4) recheck the tension of the belt applying the same sort of force as previously.

5) The should be no noticeable difference in the belt tension, if there is a difference then you most likely have a stuffed tensioner.

Mine is rooted, has been for about 12 months, makes a horrible sound.

How much did it cost for the tensioner? My belt isnt that old so dont need to go the whole shebang, just the tensioner.

Mine is rooted, has been for about 12 months, makes a horrible sound.


I will vouch for that

mine just does the usual lifter rattle for .3 of a second untill oil pressure builds up..

i've found a bottle of lifter freeup solves that badboy, just run it in there a few weeks before you change the oil..

i thought thats what this thread was about when i saw the title!

If your tensioner is rattling fix it asap your engine could be living on borrowed time.
Spend the few hundred now because it could cost you thousands. Dont risk it.

Regards

I had mine done in my KJ AWD at 90,000k's as it was doing the same. Fixed the prob but i have heard it once or twice recently, and it has only got 103,000k's on it now. Bit of a worry.

Havent heard it for a while.

is it a rattle or does it sound more like an air tool? (lol, a rattle gun)

I had mine done in my KJ AWD at 90,000k's as it was doing the same. Fixed the prob but i have heard it once or twice recently, and it has only got 103,000k's on it now. Bit of a worry.

Havent heard it for a while.

Did they change the idler and the tensionor?

replaced the tensioner, and both pulleys and water pump, and drive belts and of course the cambelt. their was nothing wrong with the water pump but did it anyway.
It actually sounded a lot like tappets but it would usually go away as soon as you turned the car off and then restarted it.
Initially when the noise started I thought it was the tappets losing oil pressure overnight even though at the time the car had done around 50kms, the car was always parked on a gentle slope - at my old place it was slightly uphill, and now slightly downhill. Sometimes it was only started for a few seconds and that would be enough, which didn't seem long enough to get the oil pressure and up and re-pressurise the tappets if they were the issue.
But since the tensioner was replaced there has been no reoccurrence of that rattle.
I bought a cambelt kit with the tensioner, so not really sure what the tensioner is worth on its own. Try a specialist bearing company, I got mine from Qld a year or so ago - Bearing Traders in Slacks Creek - Brisi, just paid over the phone and they freighted it down to me.