Only happens in wintertime, worse in damp weather.
(Sounds like the racket old water pumps used to make).
But this is not an internal bearing fault on my petrol
xantia with aircon.
How do I know?
Local Cit dealer gave the running belt a good spray
with WD40 - noise stopped more or less straight away.
Came back once or twice that winter.
That was 4 years ago.
This year it happens every other day, and I've gone
onto 'the hard stuff' - GT85. Still cures the noise
but it soon starts up again.
This has to be the belt itself, right?
In view of the non-DIY-advisable replacement procedure
and the wallet-busting main dealer price of new belt fitting,
I am currently putting up with the situation.
But will the lubricant rot the belt??!!!
Has anyone any similar experience, and comforting words - like
'don't worry, my belt lasted for years and outlived the car'??
xantia 1.8i cambelt squealing noise
Moderator: RichardW
Oh dear!
Get that belt and the tensioners done now, if not sooner.
I'd run a mile from any garage (main dealer or not) who sprayed WD40 on my cambelt. Apart from the risk of rotting the belt, it'll get over the pulleys and could encourage the belt to slip. Anyway I don't agree with his diagnosis - anything sprayed on the belt will get flung everywhere under the cover and find its way to a dry tensioner or water pump bearing, which I think is your problem.
Go for a local independent garage or Pug /Cit specialist and ask them to look sternly at the tensioners and water pump as well as the belt. Even if it costs you a couple of hundred quid, it'll be cheaper than replacing the car.
Get that belt and the tensioners done now, if not sooner.
I'd run a mile from any garage (main dealer or not) who sprayed WD40 on my cambelt. Apart from the risk of rotting the belt, it'll get over the pulleys and could encourage the belt to slip. Anyway I don't agree with his diagnosis - anything sprayed on the belt will get flung everywhere under the cover and find its way to a dry tensioner or water pump bearing, which I think is your problem.
Go for a local independent garage or Pug /Cit specialist and ask them to look sternly at the tensioners and water pump as well as the belt. Even if it costs you a couple of hundred quid, it'll be cheaper than replacing the car.
I'd really like to know how you can get at the cambelt to spray it with anything - have you removed the upper cover, or are we confusing the cambelt with one of the other (exposed) belts on that end of the engine (r.h.s seen from drivers seat)?
Cambelts don't normally squeel - it's usually the tension and guide bearings that do that, or if the belt is coming in contact with the plastic shroud.
Whatever, it shouldn't be doing it!
First check out which belt is the culprit and then get back to the forum. You may be lucky and just have a H.P. pump drive belt slipping.
//NiSk
Cambelts don't normally squeel - it's usually the tension and guide bearings that do that, or if the belt is coming in contact with the plastic shroud.
Whatever, it shouldn't be doing it!
First check out which belt is the culprit and then get back to the forum. You may be lucky and just have a H.P. pump drive belt slipping.
//NiSk
If it really is the cambelt then proper repairs are the only answer - as you know when it fails it will wreck your engine - so its not something to be messed around with.
If you mean the ancillary drive belt (driving the alternatore etc) then I know exactly what you mean as I had the same problem on a Renault 21 and eventually used to smear the thing with vaseline which lasted for sometimes several months.
I think the problem there was that the pulleys corroded, particularily the flat ones running on the back of the belt, and vibrations were set up which were amplified by the various parts. Silicon may be a better lubricant but I didn't try it. I greased the belt for about 4 years with no problems whatsoever before I disposed of the car.
Obviously if bearings are failing somewhere they must be cealt with. A mechanic did suggest that incorrect tension could cause this problem but I tried adjusting the tension and it made no difference at all. Probably a really good cleanup of all the pulleys and a new bealt would help.
Jeremy
If you mean the ancillary drive belt (driving the alternatore etc) then I know exactly what you mean as I had the same problem on a Renault 21 and eventually used to smear the thing with vaseline which lasted for sometimes several months.
I think the problem there was that the pulleys corroded, particularily the flat ones running on the back of the belt, and vibrations were set up which were amplified by the various parts. Silicon may be a better lubricant but I didn't try it. I greased the belt for about 4 years with no problems whatsoever before I disposed of the car.
Obviously if bearings are failing somewhere they must be cealt with. A mechanic did suggest that incorrect tension could cause this problem but I tried adjusting the tension and it made no difference at all. Probably a really good cleanup of all the pulleys and a new bealt would help.
Jeremy
Well, thanks to all...
Looking at the front of the engine on the left side,
you can see the toothed belt and various metal cogs
going 'round.
A quick squirt of GT85 in the general area and the noise ceases.
And that's the puzzle, really.
I mean, if it was an internal bearing it wouldn't
quit its racket just like that, surely??
But it does.
Wierd? Worrying? Or frightening?
Or, like you say, fork out big bucks or it's new engine/car time.
Scares me.
Still no similar sufferers out there?
Thregwort UK.
(snow next week, gulp!)
Looking at the front of the engine on the left side,
you can see the toothed belt and various metal cogs
going 'round.
A quick squirt of GT85 in the general area and the noise ceases.
And that's the puzzle, really.
I mean, if it was an internal bearing it wouldn't
quit its racket just like that, surely??
But it does.
Wierd? Worrying? Or frightening?
Or, like you say, fork out big bucks or it's new engine/car time.
Scares me.
Still no similar sufferers out there?
Thregwort UK.
(snow next week, gulp!)
Thregwort -
If it's a toothed belt running on metal COGS - then it's for sure the cambelt.
There are toothed V-belts around running on standard grooved beltwheels - but no cogs.
I'd say ANY trouble/weirdness with the cambelt means cambelt service ASAP. And by ASAP I mean call the garage and book NOW [:(!]
You may find this an annoying expense and nuisance having to spend extra time for transporting the car to the garage and yourself to work by other means.
But it's negligible comparing to the cost of repairing/replacing the engine. That's gonna cost you £££'s [:0]
My daughter's first car - a rusty MOT'ed wreck of a red '84 BX16 had a scaring cambelt problem - caused by a worn waterpump bearing tilting it's axle - and then the cambelt was chafing inwards on engine.
This produced a very weird sound scheme from the running engine.
A sound that any technical minded person would relate to rubber slightly sliding against metal.
My first action was to remove the upper cambelt cover (easy done) - and then I instantly grounded the BX [8)]
The cambelt had rubbed down to approx 2/3 width - with a fluffy edge [:0]
- clearly seen from the wear pattern on the cam cog.
"but daddy the car runs fine - is this really necessary ?"
[8)][8)][8)]
If it's a toothed belt running on metal COGS - then it's for sure the cambelt.
There are toothed V-belts around running on standard grooved beltwheels - but no cogs.
I'd say ANY trouble/weirdness with the cambelt means cambelt service ASAP. And by ASAP I mean call the garage and book NOW [:(!]
You may find this an annoying expense and nuisance having to spend extra time for transporting the car to the garage and yourself to work by other means.
But it's negligible comparing to the cost of repairing/replacing the engine. That's gonna cost you £££'s [:0]
My daughter's first car - a rusty MOT'ed wreck of a red '84 BX16 had a scaring cambelt problem - caused by a worn waterpump bearing tilting it's axle - and then the cambelt was chafing inwards on engine.
This produced a very weird sound scheme from the running engine.
A sound that any technical minded person would relate to rubber slightly sliding against metal.
My first action was to remove the upper cambelt cover (easy done) - and then I instantly grounded the BX [8)]
The cambelt had rubbed down to approx 2/3 width - with a fluffy edge [:0]
- clearly seen from the wear pattern on the cam cog.
"but daddy the car runs fine - is this really necessary ?"
[8)][8)][8)]
Anders, thanks you for your time in replying.
Yes, it is a (flat not v-shape) toothed belt,
running on matching toothed metal cogs.
I will certainly get the car booked in for a replacement belt.
Incidentally, and I don't know, but I guess that many owners
thrown on the mercy of the dreaded Main Dealer, will be familiar
with the scenario whereby you budget for the cost of a major
replacement (say £200 in this case) take the car in bright and early,
only to find the phone ringing mid-morning - it's Ms Service Receptionist
"We've taken your <i>assembly</i> apart to fit the spare item but we can see
that x, y, z and probably to be on the safe side v and w should be replaced -
may as well do it while the <i>assembly</i> is accessable...
the mechanic is under the car right now, what shall I tell him?...
it'll come to about £1100 plus yer VAT..."
Now my understanding of these metal toothed cogs is that they all have a
job to do, and if the engine and peripherals are running well, as in
my case they are, they are doing what they should be doing,
<i>and will not suddenly need replacement</i>!!.
Any suggestions as to what a greedy Main Dealer might recommend
as a must-have-not-optional-extra when the old belt is off, and how
I might be able to tell him to take a hike without losing face,
will be welcome!
Yes, it is a (flat not v-shape) toothed belt,
running on matching toothed metal cogs.
I will certainly get the car booked in for a replacement belt.
Incidentally, and I don't know, but I guess that many owners
thrown on the mercy of the dreaded Main Dealer, will be familiar
with the scenario whereby you budget for the cost of a major
replacement (say £200 in this case) take the car in bright and early,
only to find the phone ringing mid-morning - it's Ms Service Receptionist
"We've taken your <i>assembly</i> apart to fit the spare item but we can see
that x, y, z and probably to be on the safe side v and w should be replaced -
may as well do it while the <i>assembly</i> is accessable...
the mechanic is under the car right now, what shall I tell him?...
it'll come to about £1100 plus yer VAT..."
Now my understanding of these metal toothed cogs is that they all have a
job to do, and if the engine and peripherals are running well, as in
my case they are, they are doing what they should be doing,
<i>and will not suddenly need replacement</i>!!.
Any suggestions as to what a greedy Main Dealer might recommend
as a must-have-not-optional-extra when the old belt is off, and how
I might be able to tell him to take a hike without losing face,
will be welcome!
I doubt very much that it's the cambelt itself that is causing the squeeling (its a symptom and not a cause) and its always a good idea to change the belt tensioner and depending on the age/mileage of the car you might as well change the waterpump at the same time - the cambelts got to come for for that anyway and GSF only charge £17:50 for a pump and about the same for the tensioner. Apart from that theres not an awfull lot there to change.
//NiSk
//NiSk