Set off today cold and damp @3'c

Reversed..no issue

1st gear..tight turn.. no issue

Straightened up.. short section at @10mph

Up to 2nd..clutch worked
SQUEAK AND CAR DECELLERATED.

Nothing obvious..definitive.

Obvious would be serpentine belt running over a tight pulley.

But why the loss of vehicle inertia.?



Made rest of slow town journey ok.

Commute to work should make things clearer..

Good car and well looked after.. alternator would be obvious.. but the tight turn shouldve been the bad bit..

Charlie

The power steering is electric and pulls A LOT of power at low speeds. When the car is cold it's exactly when the battery the least effective and worked the hardest.
It's possible the alternator was being worked really hard (it can delver nearly 1KW at full chat) and that led to the chirp from the auxiliary drive belt.

It's well worth monitoring the charging system and the battery. My favourite method is a low cost digital voltmeter connected to an ignition live supply. This will show the trend as you use the car and makes diagnosing a weak alternator or weak battery all the easier

No warning lights.. so PAS seemed happy.

Hasnt done it today in the warm.. so will have to wait for some more half.frozen starts.

Car on 49.8k.. serviced at 36 and 43.. oil is getting darker.. so will be done again before the summer.

ECP list the serpentine belt at £16..

So an hours ramp hire might be on the cards..

Can give all the bearings a check over in relative comfort..

Might have time for rear brake inspection too..

Will check the belt replacement thread from Louie Bee

Update..

Well.. could be pretty simple

Yesterday I checked the oil level.. done some m.way miles recently.. all checked out fine..but it was wet and windy.. so a bit rushed..

Tonight I decided to check other fluids.. all checked out fine..
then..just as I was about to fold back the bonnet stay: prop then - I saw it!!

The weatherstrip that all the puntos have loosely sat on the plastic panels on the scuttle.. it had fallen off completely..

And fallen to the back of the engine

There was a groove worn into it where it had rubbed against a pulley.

The sealing strip is in the boot

Looks like an obvious thing to have happened..them most annoying thing ?

Popped the bonnet on the old GP ..

THAT STRIP HAD FALLEN DOWN TOO..!! :O

POXY CHEAP TRIM PARTS

My older cars had sections of this areas trims that would be lifting.. but these punto ones are just junk.. this cars trim has been a poor fit from day 1.

Now made 3 trips since.. seems fine

Next 110 mile one to follow.

The no expense spent 1/2 width sealing strip does have a purpose as it keeps water of sensitive areas. Check under the bonnet the next time its raining. You might want to fit a replacement seal.

Good call on spotting the cause.

For anyone wanting to replace their auxiliary belt -

Non Air con is easiest slacken alternator mount, fit new belt and tighten alternator

Air Con cars have a spring loaded tensioner. It would be sensible to replace the roller with its integral bearing. You need to remove the whole wheel arch lining and the little cover plate. Its a great example of non thinking CAD design.
There is not much working space so you need either a long handle spanner or link together two ring/open spanners to lever against the tensioner spring. Remove belt, fit new tensioner wheel and fit new belt. Put covers back job done.

A tip for new mechs - self tapping screws (as used on wheel arch liners) cut their own threads. Simply whacking them back in can cut too much and the threads will slip.

SO - turn the screw backward until you feel the threads drop. Now you can turn the screw normally and know its correctly engaged and not chewing into the plastic