Sqeaking multibelt wheel

bigjl2 · Post by **bigjl2** » 25 Mar 2008, 10:49

Just looking at getting the xantia back on the road after its layup, chucked on a new battery, new fuel filter, airfilter, not done oil and filter yet as it has only done 2000 since last change, what I have noticed though is that there is a noisy wheel on the multi belt, it appears to be the one on the alternator, the wheel can be made to go completely silent when a bit of wd40 is sprayed on it, is this wheel part of the alternator or is it available separately, the car is not used to do many miles, but I will have to drive it every day from essex to fulham when I start a training course in a few weeks time, hence wanting to get the the veg burner back on the road, no warning lights on the dash to indicate a charging problem, the battery went flat through lack of use, and to be fair was the original from 1994, so lasted well, in fact after a overnight charge it is now on the wifes hyundai accent. Is this an easy fix, or should I just spray it with WD40 till funds allow, I am hoping you can buy just the wheel, but my luck has not been that good lately.

Post by **myglaren** » 25 Mar 2008, 10:57

More knowledgeable folks will be along soon with a proper answer but from what I have gleaned from the site I'd say the pulley needs to be replaced.

I would also imagine that WD40 and belts don't make good companions in the long run.

We used to have some stuff called remvax (beltwax) in Sweden that stopped belts from squealing and slipping. Anybody's guess what it is called elsewhere or if it is still available but spraying solvents on belts doesn't seem to me to be the way to make them last.

ETA:
It is still available there - this is an agricultural supplies site. If you can get it there it must be available here.

bigjl2 · Post by **bigjl2** » 25 Mar 2008, 20:18

Sorry if I wasn't more precise with my eplanation, I am spraying the WD40 on the bearing of the wheel, not the belt, strangely, the easiest place to spray it is from below, and the covers that are in front of wheel have been pulled out of the way, almost as if the previous owner was doing the same before I bought it, you have to love ebay don't you, had noticed a slight noise before the car was parked up, will have a look in haynes to see if the wheel is a available without the alternator

Post by **myglaren** » 25 Mar 2008, 20:49

Might be worth asking a breaker.
Actually - it may be the bearing squealing. Not good news if that breaks up.

bigjl2 · Post by **bigjl2** » 25 Mar 2008, 21:13

Never thought about the bearing breaking up

, better try some spray grease instead of the wd40

, only joking

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 26 Mar 2008, 09:19

Most alternators have a shaft with a keyway sticking out from the non-terminal end - and the pulley is simply bolted on - and the only bearings are in the alternator itself.

Obviously if an alternator bearing is squeaking - then you're on notice of trouble. Lubrication and or a long run to get it warm and allow the lubricant to circulate a bit may help.

Are you sure the belt is really tight and not worn? It can slip a touch and make noises that don't amount to the characteristic squeal. Typically they do this when under load and or damp - ie after a first start - and then the noise goes away as the battery charges and the load decreases.

bigjl2 · Post by **bigjl2** » 26 Mar 2008, 09:46

Strangely the noise actually goes away when the area is wet, I noticed that when giving the car a wash with the engine warming up, oh well it looks that I may have to go own the new alternator route, since I have AA I might give it a few weeks, as the car drives fine, will keep using the wd40 to make sure it lasts a few weeks, I must admit that the noise was not as loud when the car was parked up, back in december.

bigjl2 · Post by **bigjl2** » 26 Mar 2008, 14:02

Just had a look properly today, it isn't the alternator atall, but id a small wheel about 2" across just above and forward of the tensioner, I think it may just be a jockey wheel, it has a large bolt in the middle, looks about a 15mm. The cofusion stems from me just having a quick look and looking at the diagram in haynes, for the model with aircon, but my car has a retrofot aircon, not a factory system, in the diagram it shows the aircon compressor at the top, but my alternator is there, does anybody know where I can find a picture of the multbelt and the pullies for the non aircon models, or is this wheel available to buy?

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 26 Mar 2008, 16:41

think it must be the idler....

Mine is noisy as was another TD I was in at weekend....

Should be cheap enough..

bigjl2 · Post by **bigjl2** » 26 Mar 2008, 17:22

Had a look in the gsf catalogue, and couldn't see the part listed, is it a Citroen only part, bit skint at the moment, just added some kseal which has sorted my slight water leak, took a while to get the system bled, but now isn't pumping up the hoses atall, just need to save up for the clutch, then a much needed interior shampoo, previous owners had dogs I think, was looking at the old mots today getting ready to tax it at the end of the month, believe it or not it has only done 8500 miles since end of 2005, and 2500 of those were mine, looking forward to the hot weather so that I can start to veg again, at the moment I won't run much more than a 50:50 ratio, as I hate the starting problems with 100%.

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 26 Mar 2008, 17:56

Have a very good look at the crank pulley. It may slip in the vulcanisation. This is seen as a ring of rust.