Xsara 1.9TD squeal when idling

[Kitch]

I've heard a similar noise on older XUD's like 309's. When cold my Xsara squeals around the driver belt area. It's like older cars queal when their water pumps are past it. It pretty much goes away when you rev the engine slightly, but when stone cold it hangs around for a bit first. Also, at just above tickover theres a sort of clattery rubbling sound from the same area...almost like a belt rubbing a plastic cover.
I thought timing belt originally, but I've never known one to make this noise. I did have a TD Xantia that had one of those spring loaded dampers on the drive belt, which was worn and vibrated when you revved the engine, causing a noise and causing the belt to wobble into the timing cover briefly.

I know I could probably remove the drive belt and run the engine to see if the noise goes away, but I've not much experience on these engines and this car has Air con, so the the belt is about 5 miles long and goes around a million pulleys! It looks a pain to get off!

Just wondered if someone knew of something common on these that might give me a headstart? I don't know when the timing belt was last changed but haven't totally discounted the idler on that. Or the possibility that the alternator itself might have knackered bearings or something.

Any ideas?

Cheers

[citronut]

if it has an adjutable aux belt tentioner try adjusting that a bit first, if your lucky it will just be that simple, as these serpantin belts need to be a lot tighter that the old style V belts
regards malcolm

[uncle buck]

Hi,
I know that my ZX TD (XUD engine) used to make a similar type of noise & that was from the aux belt tensioner, it's a common problem.


However as you don't know the history of the timing belt or exactly where the noise is coming from you're going to have to get your hands dirty just for your own peace of mind, it could prove expensive to ignore it!

Regards.

[Kitch]

Well the cambelt I'm not really fussed about. If it breaks, it breaks. It looks far too involved for me to change it. its only a runaround.

INteresting points about the tensioners though, I'll check them out after I try tightening the belts a bit.

Cheers!

[citronut]

if the belt gose the repair job could cost between £500/1200?? dependding on were the repair is done, (loads of damage/not cheap)

regards malcolm

[falling-out-with-my-car]

my xantia has three pulleys on the serpentine belt and 2 of them are tensioners when the belt failed it cost me £400 in a citroen garage for three new pulleys and a £10 belt to be fitted. the top tension pulley behind the fuel pump is a bit of a nightmare just looking at the exploded diagram will make you want to run a mile, I'm fairly mechanically minded and this one perplexed me quite a bit to. I had previously retensioned and replaced the belt twice but the pulleys continued to squeek and eventually the bearings failed, if the squeek is very loud at this point i would check the path of the top of the belt around the hydraulic pump pulley if it has one and it overlaps the edge of any of the pulleys suspect a damaged pulley bearing and replace the pulley it could be guiding the belt to self destruct very soon and the belt being so long can take other ancilleries with it when it goes so beware of this to.
don't stand over this end of the engine whilst someone revs the engine the belt could break free and hit you in the face. I found that some garages wont even attempt belt replacement thay are afraid of the job for some reason. the pulleys cost around £50 each from auto factors some do a kit for about £130 depending on your vechicles spec. citroen refuse to fit the kit you purchase else where which is stupid considering that ive seen autofactors vechicles delivering parts to them frequently, just another excuse to hit you hard with a price hike they lie and say they have to use citroen approved parts when in fact they buy the sameparts from the same auto factors, which incidentally have the peugeot/citroen emblem on the packaging anyway.