Diagnosis please - if you can

[nico]

First thing yet to arouse any concern, and not sure whether it warrants attention, so thought I'd ask those benevolent bods on BOO.

Off the motorway on the home stretch form NOTT, and irregular squeaky tapping is audiable, originating from the left side of the engine bay (as you look at it from the front with the hood up).It's more then just an intermittant squeak, and seems unaffected by throttle, but I don't know my fanbelt from my cambelt, so any suggestions..?? (as gone quiet again since I arrived home, but there's definitely something not running smoothly).

Was guna wait another 1.5K before 48K service and cambelt, but in the absense of any advice, I may just book it in earlier.

I think ALFANIGE does HGT cambelts for about 400 if I'm correct.
But I'm up north in York, so prob guna take it to hull who quoted me 680 for cambelt tensiones, inc water pump.

 

[Tom]

Could be the alternator or PAS pump.

Does it change with engine speed or road speed?

 

[nico]

Hi Tom

Nope, it dosn't. Just started her up again to move her onto the drive, and after she sounded ok when I parked her up (prior to last post) she sounded quite rough, like a metally sound eminating form that same side, somewhere.

 

[Booshakker]

If your in York, why don't you take it to Alwyn Kershaws as they are a Fiat & Alfa specialist.

I took my 147 HGT there a few months ago & got the cambelt done for £330.

The website is a bit sh**ty but the service is superb.

I droped mine off at 8.30am, they gave me a lift into York, train back to Leeds. At 2.00pm they called me & told me it was all done.

Hope this helps you and saves you a few quid

Cheers

Neil

 

[Booshakker]

Ooops, here's the website

http://clients.thisisyork.co.uk/alwynkershaw/

 

[Nico]

Hi Neil

Can't thank you enough for that last bit on Kershaws (the garage at stamford Bridge if I'm correct!?)

I certainly wasn't aware that they were reputed to be a fiat specialist (havn't looked at the link yet, but certainly no mention of them in Yellow pages to my knowledge). I only actually came to know about Kershaws after making a dozen phone calls to try and find someone in or near York that does rolling road tests (Kershaws were the only one, and they're only just down the road, which is a bonus).

Thanks again

 

[Booshakker]

When you talk to them on the phone, make sure you mention about moving the engine sideways to change the belt, rather than dropping it completely.

When I mentioned that on the phone to him, I got the distinct impression he was thinking "how the f**k do you now that!" and that may have saved me a bit of £.

I may have that completely wrong, as they are very helpfull if your thinking of upgrading your car. When I uprated my front discs, I was gonna use Tarrox (i think), they advised me to look at Black Diamond Drilled & Groove, I did. The stopping power now is superb.

All the best

Neil

 

[nico]

I've actually got some Black Diamond Predator pads (recommended)together with some Red Dot drilled & grooved disks for the front (got cos friend could get extra discount on em), but as yet I havn't put em on yet (will get the service done immediately after so they can check I did it right).

 

[Anonymous]

(FAO TOM)

If there's the possibility that it is the PAS pump or alternator, dare I do another 30 mile to work and back before taking it to the garage??

 

[Tom]

The noise is constant then?

 

[nico]

Fao Tom

Just had her turning over again.

Yerr, it's constant, coming it seems from the whole engine block now. Dosn't sound good - like raw metal kinda clattery. Kershaws garage is only 10 mile down the road, but I really needed to go sumwhere tonight. Best not risk it I guess

 

[Tom]

Re: Fao Tom

Best not to, doesn't sound healthy.

 

[nico]

Re: Fao Tom

Had the AA guy out to look at it in the end.

He could see bits of metal looking down into the area of the belts, so jacked it up and removed some of the paneling.

Listened with a stethoscope to the two idlers and the tensioner. All sounded rough (almost deafening) so he removed the belt (most easily accessed one) which only connects to the PAS pump and alternator as far as he could tell, and started her up........no brash metal sound, hoorah. Infact you could tell there was almost nothing left of the bearings for the jockey wheel just by spinning it with your finger. Belt too was beginning to look wearn with a few lumps missing, increasing the risk too to the cambelt (which we looked at too from above with the side panel unscrewed in the meantime, just to check..seemed aok) which was just visible through a gap from where bits could intrude if this pas pump belt should fail.

Anyhoo, gettin new belt and tensioner fitted tomorrow. Spoke to the guy at Kershaws where work will be done, asking in the meantime what cost would be for cambelt change in due course (since mentioned also about possibility that engine need not be dropped out, and that although it may not make the task any easier, it does cut down the time required to change the cambelt considerably) and he agreed saying should take him 3-4 hrs,& quoted me £150-200 (exc.parts). What a result!! Cheers Neil

I'll get the other two idlers done then too, along with the water pump of course, but regards the 48K service, besides the fuel £ oil filter and a flush out of the rad, what else really needs doing? (cos air filters been done along with brake fluid flush with new lines).

I ask because I was guna take it to a Fiat Dealer, but these guys did reputedly used to be alfa specialists, so need I worry that they might not be as thorough? (I'm sure on one of the italia sites I found an exhaustive maintenace list /service shedule, but can't find it now)