Technical I have a squeak!

[virtual22]

Hi, As per the title, my Multi has developed a squeak which is really annoying. It is coming from around the alternator belt area and will come on around 2,000 revs. There is no noise at all whilst idling and if I put the car in neutral when travelling there is no noise, it's therefore related to how many revs the car is under.

I have sprayed some WD40 around the wheels carrying the alternator belt and whilst this seemed to help for a bit it comes back. Is it worth taking it to the garage or is it likely to be something that will remedy itself in time.

Thanks.

 

[Ffoxy]

Hi, As per the title, my Multi has developed a squeak which is really annoying. It is coming from around the alternator belt area and will come on around 2,000 revs. There is no noise at all whilst idling and if I put the car in neutral when travelling there is no noise, it's therefore related to how many revs the car is under.

I have sprayed some WD40 around the wheels carrying the alternator belt and whilst this seemed to help for a bit it comes back. Is it worth taking it to the garage or is it likely to be something that will remedy itself in time.

Thanks.

Try changin the alternator belt yourself before u commit to an expensive garage. Nothin to lose as long as you are competent with the spanners, correct re-tensioning is essential. Just possible it may be the alternator bearings.

 

[Zundapp]

Or it could be the belt tensioner - check this very carefully particularly the bearing in the centre of the plastic 'wheel'.

 

[virtual22]

Or it could be the belt tensioner - check this very carefully particularly the bearing in the centre of the plastic 'wheel'.

Thanks for this. When you say "check" what exactly am I looking for, or by asking this question is the answer automatically take it to a garage

If it is the alternator belt making the noise I presume it's doing this because it's slipping somehow, maybe due to dirt or grease on one of the wheels?

The whole side of that part of the engine is a sod to get to as well, there's no room down there to work at all. Presumably it's a lot easier on ramps going at it from underneath? Lord only knows how you get that belt around all the wheels down there

 

[Ffoxy]

Thanks for this. When you say "check" what exactly am I looking for, or by asking this question is the answer automatically take it to a garage

If it is the alternator belt making the noise I presume it's doing this because it's slipping somehow, maybe due to dirt or grease on one of the wheels?

The whole side of that part of the engine is a sod to get to as well, there's no room down there to work at all. Presumably it's a lot easier on ramps going at it from underneath? Lord only knows how you get that belt around all the wheels down there

If its the belt its either loose (tighten it) or worn, if its worn it needs changing. Once its off (noting your concerns about access) spin the alternator / tensioner pulleys see if they wobble or squeek, if they do they may need replacing too. Problem u have is this, if the belt does have to come off, its worth changing the tensioner as well anyway so you dont have to have it done all over again for each part that fails, do them all in one go.

OR.... Just take it to a garage and be ready with your wallet... find out the parts cost and £££'s they charge per hour before you commit.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Only one squeak?
But seriously: you don't say which Multi you have. That belt goes round to power the following bits: alternator, power steering pump, water pump, air con compressor (if fitted), plus a tensioner and at least one 'idler' pulley. Any one of these could be squeaking. The belt moves quickly and is under a fair degree of tension. WD40 won't really help, and may indeed make things worse as its not intended for lubing high speed moving parts.

Often, its the tensioner that fails. But mine (Y reg, 77k miles) had that replaced twice (first at 24k under warranty and again 14 months later). Also had one of the idlers replaced. Each time, the squeak (which became a real squeal in the end) stopped for a little while but eventually came back. In the end, it was finally diagnosed (at 72k service at a different dealer) as being the main pulley that drives the belt (the big metal one at the bottom). This cost £80-odd. But its been silent for several thousand miles (tempting fate here...) so was worth it.
Pete

 

[Zundapp]

Access to the tensioner and belt is by removing the o/s front wheel then removing the plastic shielding attached to the inner part of the wing liner. Yes, it's a pain in the bum and you'll get skinned knuckles!

Once the plastic shielding is off, you'll be able to see the routing of the belt and identify the tensioner. On mine, the tensioner wheel had started to melt around the centre bearing causing a wobble which after squeaking for a bit, threw the belt off.

When you've got to this point, it's relatively easy to check the other moving parts for potential problems.

If I remember correctly, the tensioner was about £30. It's probably worth changing when you're replacing the belt anyway.

 

[virtual22]

Thanks for all the replies guys, in the end I had the garage replace the belt and tensioner pulley. The squeak then stopped for a bit but I think it is on it's way back as when I start the car in the mornings now you can hear it for a bit, no where near as bad as before, and it goes after a minute or so (maybe as the car gets warm). The garage have said they checked the other wheels and there was no wobble or play in them so I think I'm just going to have to wait for it to get worse again then take it back in. :bang: