Noisey Auxillary Tensioner Pulley on Citroen Xantia?

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Hello,

I have been plagued for years by Noisy auxiliary/serpentine belt Tensioner pulley's, when the pulley has been replaced
it has been stripped down and greased fully before reassembly, but it somehow dries out again within a few months
and the bearings get noisy again. This noise seems to travel through the whole car it is especially bad when the engine is idling.
I was wondering if it was possible to lubricate the bearings with the pulley in situ and after making up the item in the following Photographs I succeeded in squirting some spray grease into the bearing from the back of the pulley.
The front of the tensioner pulley has a metal plate on it which stops access for lubrication but the back has a small area which leaves the bearings exposed enough to add some spray grease.
I have just been for a thirty mile round trip and the noise has gone, I have just applied a little more spray grease Just to be sure the rumbling noise stays away.

In the photo you will see a length of wire with a right angle at the bottom end stuck to this with aeroldite epoxy is a piece of the Red tube that comes with a spray grease or WD 40 oil can, I cut small pieces of this red tube and pushed it into a length of 2.5mm yellow and green striped mains earth sleeving, connected one end to the sprayable grease can nozzle glued the other end to the bent end of the wire rod and inserted the angled end of the wire rod behind the tensioner pulley as close to the tensioner aluminium body as I could get and I gave this area three short bursts of sprayable grease, left the grease to penetrate and thicken for about five minutes and the noise disappeared when the engine was started.

I hope this helps with anyone who has the same problem with a noisy tensioner pulley, it has been bugging me for quite some time how to get some lubricant into the tensioner pulley bearing. I shall now be able to stay on top of this little problem by regularly greasing the tensioner bearings to prevent the noise returning. photos below.

[xf1ref]

Last year I removed both tensioner and fixed pulley at my car, xantia 1.8 16v.
Bearings were dry and I greased.
I think because they work under high temperature the grase vanish in time..some high temp grase is good.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Xf1ref,
I was in a bit of a panic a few years ago as the old tensioner broke just before Christmas I couldn't find any
garages to do the job for me and I didn't fancy it in the rain on my driveway so I booked the xantia into the Citroen
Garage well the job went from an original quote of £150 to fit the new serpentine belt and pulley to nearly £600 in about four days, the loss of lubrication and the noise has plagued me ever since, The tensioner pulley has been changed about once a year because of the noise which is really unnecessary and a strip down to lubricate the tensioner bearing not replacing the tensioner with a new one seems somewhat uneconomical.

weather it is the quality of the bearing seal used these days or something else that has changed from the older tensioner pulleys I don't know but I never had any noise problems with the tensioner prior to my visit to the Citroen Garage. the old Tensioner was in the car for over 5 years and the wheel was metal not plastic like the modern ones, with the metal wheel there was no play in the tension wheel when you bought a tensioner the plastic tensioner wheels seem to have some side to side play when they are new, I think this leads to the black plastic wheel holding insulated heat over the bearings and the bearing grease is being melted away and evaporated.

Once upon a time just about everything Citroen was over engineered to last for years, these days it simply doesn't.

[Stickyfinger]

Once upon a time just about everything Citroen was over engineered to last for years, these days it simply doesn't.

just broke my new can opener....its cutter mount was plastic, welcome to the new world

[falling-out-with-my-car]

At least you might be able to fix that with some epoxy you wouldn't stand a chance with a pulley tensioner!!!

[Stickyfinger]

Only ever lost one for a constant squeak, so cannot really see the problem with them over any other car these days......there must be something wrong, no engine/under tray ?...that was the cause of my pulley/alternator going on a C5.....covered in crap they were

[xf1ref]

falling-out-with-my-car,
to change once a year the tensioner pulley is too often. I think is the bad quality of the bearings or seals and is better to lubricate an good old one than to buy a new tensioner.
On the other hand I noticed that on diesel engines the pulleys have shorter life.

[Xantidote]

I've noticed that my xantia's replacement tensioner from GSF didn't last anything like as long as the original. Now on the second replacement (also from GSF).

I did wonder whether not having an undertray might reduce their working life, with all the cr*p flying around, and water thrown up by the front wheel.

[Stickyfinger]

I've noticed that my xantia's replacement tensioner from GSF didn't last anything like as long as the original. Now on the second replacement (also from GSF).

I did wonder whether not having an undertray might reduce their working life, with all the cr*p flying around, and water thrown up by the front wheel.

You just need to compare a car With one and one Without, the difference is to me significant to the Alternator, Pulleys, Air-Con,Timing belts and nearly anything made of alloy.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

well I haven't had an under tray on my car for the 16 years I have owned it,
it makes for easier lhm leak detection if one decides it is going to happen.
I certainly don't recall the metal tensioners wearing excessively or squeaking/rumbling
whilst not having an under tray on the car.
My alternator, LHM pump and pulleys are not covered in crap they are nice and clean.
sounds like someone has an oil leak to me.

[Stickyfinger]

Deffo Mud and road grime, I live in the country...so it looks like crap (often is, milk or saddle ) mixed with Mud and not like an oil leak.

?? Why did car makers put them there then ?

[Northern_Mike]

well
My alternator, LHM pump and pulleys are not covered in crap they are nice and clean

The Berlingo hasn't had one for years and the underneath is perfectly clean, and the roads I use are often pretty muddy from tractors using them or have lots of horse muck on.

It did have one when I got it. I got bored of it battering speedbumps - it's considerably lower than the sump and cracking and having to bodge it back together.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[falling-out-with-my-car]

They were put there to reduce noise and for better results in a wind tunnel. i.e. better MPG results & less air resistance.
I to live smack in the middle of the country side.
The Xantia was the last production car that Citroen actually put in a wind tunnel.
At least that's what I was told when I asked to speak to the Xantia Know it all at Slough when I was problem solving the electrics.

[Stickyfinger]

OK

I am happy to have a good slightly less noisy car, so that's a good thing.

Good airflow in the wind tunnel = good Airflow on my car.
That is: the "directing" of airflow under the car so it generates a negative pressure which both sucks hot air from the engine area (generating negative pressure = increased air flow over the rad) and improves high speed stability, yep I am happy they do that....

And if they do that, then there will be less crud thrown up, that's how I understand it and that is what I have seen happen of 2 out of my 3 C5's until I fitted them.
I have to say however, I am not in anyway up to speed on the Xantia I know that. I have however just stripped one down and have seen many areas that the rot starts.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

I use an electric spray gun to wax oil the whole car every three years in fact the car has only needed one rear sill welding
in its 16 years of life, which isn't to bad. I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference whether or not you have a guard under the car the tensioner pulley is roughly inline with the front sub chassis rail, there are a number of pulleys and a cambelt cover beneath it. if the sump is exposed to airflow how does a guard promote better cooling? surely removing the guard promotes convection as cool air is drawn up from beneath by the hot air around the engine? Diesel alloy sumps are very thick and you'd have to hit something pretty hard and fast to break one, you would almost have to push the engine out of its mountings to break it. Missing an LHM leak because of a fitted guard could save your life it could mean the difference between stopping from high speed to loosing control of the steering and the next funeral you go to being your own.