Alternator.. loud and hot..??

[varesecrazy]

Hi all,

Stopped my FIAT at traffic lights after @10 minutes of driving..
Restarted a few minutes later.. clunky clatter sound ( half blamed the Zafira behind..) onward journey was ok..

Parked for a day.. trip out this evening

Clatter on start.up

Ran for 10 seconds..turned it off then bonnet up

Pulleys all cool..
Alternator body was warm ..AFTER 10 SECONDS OF ROTATION..!!??


Did a local trip...not quiet..but seemed better at revs

Stopped and then restarted for a 5 minute return journey...


Quiet at idle

Alternator no warmer..??

Confusing...:
Bearing on way out..why Hot, then not?

Inner magic..Clutch..or Load

Did have a Dead battery in the winter..but ok for @1000 miles since


Will drive it tomorrow to investigate further..

Anybody got any ideas?

Its a 1248 multijet (td)..so NOISE must be quite loud... but I DO listen

Ive heard of cracked casings.. will look for obvious issues

 

[bugsymike]

Can you use a listening stick to see if noisy more one end like a bearing?

 

[porta]

Had a ducato do that, it was shorting internally but it was fairly obvious as the battery light kept flickering…if there’s no electrical fault then the only other reason is bearings

 

[bugsymike]

Does it have the freewheeling clutch on the alternator pulley?

 

[varesecrazy]

Does it have the freewheeling clutch on the alternator pulley?

This is something I need to discover..

I will try a metal tube..as a stethoscope.. 1st

Then consider removing the belt to see if its all 'Silent'

String on pulleys to flick them around will follow

No warning lights.. not heard it conclusively with bonnet open.. so could be totally unrelated to alternator...


I will update as I discover things..

 

[porta]

Just remembered working on a Fiat regretta where the alternator was getting red hot, enough to melt the wiring, we could find no fault on wiring (wasn’t chafing), the owner didn’t report any warning lights till it happened (and stopped dead on the M621), the alternator didn’t give up any secrets as it was a charred mess, so we put it down to an alternator fault

 

[bugsymike]

I have a couple of very long screwdrivers to use for the stethoscope trick, just remembered we used to use a length of rubber hose to listen for air leaks on manifolds and when balancing twin carbs. I called it a listening stick as easier than spelling stethoscope although I do have a car one somewhere in garage, it's quicker to grab a screwdriver. To old to play Doctors and Nurses

 

[varesecrazy]

Minor update:

Walked out to a Cold punto.. @18'c outside ..and unused for 20 hours

Popped bonnet..left door open

Clackety noise IS THERE.. but not as loud as yesterday

Stethoscope on Pulley end of Alternator.. minor rumble.. mount end..slightly less

Onto waterpump and aircon pump..even quieter

HOPING ITS NOT THE DMF.. walk around to G.box

Noise is Difinitely #1 / aka serpentine belt side

Another prod with the scope...

Nothing of note

Motor is now warmer and idling smoother..

Noise almost gone



Summary:

Noise is almost certainly on the belts run..idler is a possibilty.. But I am suspecting the belt


Will carry an Aerosol spray with me

 

[porta]

Don’t know if it would work but, certainly in agricultural stuff, we spray belts with ‘belt dressing’. There are several types, those for helping keep the belts supple, some for stopping it slip (by being sticky) and some that do both. It’s not new tech, they’ve been using it since water and wind mills, but it’s good for getting into pulleys and bearings. Obviously not for use on toothed belts!

 

[varesecrazy]

Don’t know if it would work but, certainly in agricultural stuff, we spray belts with ‘belt dressing’. There are several types, those for helping keep the belts supple, some for stopping it slip (by being sticky) and some that do both. It’s not new tech, they’ve been using it since water and wind mills, but it’s good for getting into pulleys and bearings. Obviously not for use on toothed belts!

30 years ago I worked on rolling plant..and it was a monthly maint task..and new 'V' belts annually

Reminder..
My late dad had a 1.6 cortina mk4..tough motors the old Pinto..

Very tidy car ( local builders 'Sunday car')

On a trip out it pulled up at a junction and sounded Rough

Pulled out of the way..looked around engine..nothing amiss

Restarted with bonnet up.. ROUGH..!!


Called out Breakdown.. fitter arrived..
Cranked it into life.. for 10 seconds

'Turn it off'!! Your big ends have gone..!!


Trailered back the 100 miles to Oxford

Was preparing to strip the sump off when a friend popped around out of the blue

'What are you doing under there..?'... tale is told

'Bear with me..just try this' WD40 ON THE PUNY V BELT..

Silence..!!!

He was a Renault officionado.. and a great real world mechanic

So a form of spray lubricant will be used if the noise returns..

I am anticipating Silence..one way or another

 

[porta]

30 years ago I worked on rolling plant..and it was a monthly maint task..and new 'V' belts annually

Reminder..
My late dad has a 1.6 cortina mk4

Very tidy car ( local builders 'Sunday car')

On a trip out it pulled up at a junction and sounded Rough

Pulled out of the way..looked around engine..nothing amiss

Restarted with bonnet up.. ROUGH..!!


Called out Breakdown.. fitter arrived..
Cranked it into life.. for 10 seconds

'Turn it off'!! Your big ends have gone..!!


Trailered back the 100 miles to Oxford

Was preparing to strip the sump off when a friend popped around out of the blue

'What are you doing under there..?'... tale is told

'Bear with me..just try this' WD40 ON THE PUNY V BELT..

Silence..!!!

He was a Renault officionado.. and a great real world mechanic

So a form of spray lubricant will be used if the noise returns..

I am anticipating Silence..one way or another

We also used to put a bar of coal tar soap on a running belt…worked a treat and made it smell nice

 

[bugsymike]

A quick spray of WD 40 shows you where the noise is coming from , but soon wears off.
Dodgy car salesmen used children's crayon on the inside of the belt, I suppose the wax lasted a little longer.

 

[varesecrazy]

I will put @an hour and a Tenner aside if its the belt

At 15 years old there are limits to what are deemed ' investments '