Technical car still whisteling

[katterin]

hi, me again.

this is really starting to annoy me now. after the whisting and squeaky brakes i took it back to the dealer who sent me to another garage where they founf that one of the back brake pads was worn through, reassuring when its supposed to have had a full MOT in the last two weeks.

the brakes are now fine but ther is still a whistleing after the car has warmed up. neither clutch or brakes need to be pressed for this to happen.

does anybody please have any ideas? :bang:

 

[dave]

cam belt tenshioner

 

[katterin]

does that take long to repair and is it expensive?

 

[dave]

parts new belt an tenshioner £15 + 1 and half hours labour

 

[andymm]

could actually be your fan belt!!
to check spray some wd40 (only tiny bit) into middle of fan belt when running and see if noise dissapears
what can happen is the belt dry's out and makes all sorts of weird and wonderful noises

please be very careful

if the noise stops just replace the fan belt.

 

[katterin]

the fanbelt seems to be fine, apparently its very tight and it has had some wd40 sprayed on it last week.

took it to the garage today and they said they heard a slight squeak when the test drove it but the think its a joint or join in the passenger side thats dry. all brakes have been checked and there doesnt seem to be any unusual movement form the wheels. unfortunealy dont no where about from that side it is but they said it wasnt dangerous and nothing to worry about.

anybody else experienced this or comments?

 

[JonnyBoy]

This is what I did to sort out my car's annoying squeal:

(1) Remove alternator belt (aka "fanbelt", even though it doesn't run the fan...) and run the engine without it (obviously only for a minute or so or you'll flatten the battery!), if the squeaking disappears then it's the belt, or maybe the alternator bearings if you're VERY unlucky. Clean any oily muck off the belt with water and washing-up liquid and rinse it off before refitting, and use a solvent cleaner to degrease the pulleys. Don't get any solvent on the belt!

(2) If the squeak isn't the alternator belt then it's either the cambelt tensioner or the water pump. It's near enough impossible to tell which as they both run from the cambelt! Replace the tensioner first as it's the cheaper part if the squeaking persists (like wot it did on mine ) then replace the water pump.

 

[katterin]

thanx for the post.

the sqeaking/whistling doesnt happen til about 20 mins into a journey or when the engines been running alot. it doesnt happen when it the car is stationary only when moving and seems to be intermittent. sometimes it happens other times it doesnt.

the garage doesnt think its anything to do with the cambelt, but i know nothing about cars and there for cant check myself. they said it may be a joint in the passenger side thats dry. also cant afford to have anything changed/replaced at the moment if its not in dire need and if its not the thing thats causing the sound.

does this still seem like a cambelt or water pump problem? the temperature sensor appears to be fine aswell and the car runs really well apart from the squeak.

im really confused lol. any help would be appreciated.

 

[lincoln]

If it doesn't happen when the car is stationary even after 20 mins driving it is not the water pump or cam belt. Does it happen at certain speeds as it could be door seals etc. When it does happen try touching your brakes slightly as it could be related to them. Hope this helps. lincoln

 

[katterin]

it doesnt seem to be at any particular speed, brakes are a little squeaky but ive had the brake pads replaced a couple of days ago. how can u fix the seals in the doors?

 

[sal]

Mine was doing this a couple of weeks ago.my dad took off the cambelt tensioner to have look then replaced it.I drove the car around the block and it got worse so it was obviously the tensioner.We went and bought one for 19 pound.
My dad replaced it in not even 20 minutes and didnt have to remove any of the things it said to in the haynes manual.
My car didnt seem to have a pattern just it didnt do it first thing in the morning but when i parked up and took the kids into school when i got back in it and drove off it would start squealing.
When i rang around for the part one place said they had just sold the last tensioner so i reckon if a car does have this problem its the cold damp weather that starts it off coz a few people on this website have had this problem in the last month or so.
But it was an easy job for my dad who isnt a mechanic but can do the odd repair, so maybe if you know someone its not too hard.

 

[Martiny10]

reassuring when its supposed to have had a full MOT in the last two weeks.

As long as the car stops within a set distance and the handbrake works, that is good enough for an MOT. The certificate is no guarantee of mechanical safety, just that the car meets minimum UK legislative standards.

As ever, it is buyer beware!

 

[powderday]

Did you ever get the noise sorted?
My R reg Punto has started showing the same symptoms: intermittent whining noise after 15-20 mins, doesn't make it when stationary?

cheers

 

[T.E.D. Jordan]

You say it doesnt make it when stationary, but when stopped ifyou rev your engine above 3000rm for a second or two, does it squela? if so, tensioner does need changing, mine did and only cost £12 for belt and tensioner even though belt was only 1000 miles old, i did it again anyway

 

[Rich]

Positive result: My sisters 99 plate 60SX (40k on the clock) had a whining noise at around 2400rpm, a few minutes after starting from cold; would usually go away when the engine was warm. Sound was similar to an ambulance siren, was quite embarrasing!

In the end I took off the cambelt cover and replaced the tensioner (my local FIAT dealer had a modified one in stock) and, upon replacement, I noticed the old tensioner bearing was leaking oil. Thanks to Dave for the timing marks and a few goes at adjustment, tensioner (& belt) are now replaced and noise has gone

Yet another success story for this wonderful forum