Strange noise from engine bay

grandpa_spec_F6 · 28-05-2010, 09:46 AM

hey all,

well I've got a rather high pitched noise, more like a whine coming from the engine bay (not the diff :P) that seems to rise and fall with engine rpm, however as the car warms up it seems to go away (or become less noticable).

I think it may be the "idle tentioner pully" bearing (at a guess) but thats only what i've been told by a friend who looked at it. Thoughts? I'm thinking mechanic might be the next stop after here if it cant figure it out :(

my67xr · 28-05-2010, 10:08 AM

grab a 3/8 drive ratchet and fit it in the square drive in the lower section of the tensioner, turn the ratchet clockwise to take the tension off the belt, slip it to one side(off the tensioner) spin the tensioner pulleys by hand and u will soon know

grandpa_spec_F6 · 28-05-2010, 11:29 AM

cheers, shall do that when I get off work

Auturbo6 · 28-05-2010, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by my67xr

grab a 3/8 drive ratchet and fit it in the square drive in the lower section of the tensioner, turn the ratchet clockwise to take the tension off the belt, slip it to one side(off the tensioner) spin the tensioner pulleys by hand and u will soon know

Don't forget the remove snorkel (2 phillips screws) and Fans (1 plug and 2 10mm bolts, for much easier access.....
the noisy bearing will be either the top centre idler or the tensioner idler.... Good luck

HLC · 28-05-2010, 02:57 PM

my powersteering whines when its cold. as it warms up it goes away. food for thought?

Mr Hardware · 28-05-2010, 03:04 PM

i have all sorts of terrible whirring and squeaking noises coming from my car
4 years later its still all good

J.C. · 28-05-2010, 03:38 PM

Is it a 6 or an 8?

As stated already, pop the belt off, start the car and see if the noise disappears. Don't run it like that for to long especially if the engine is at operating temp already (no water pump drive, hence no coolant circulation).
It shouldn't take you long to work out if the noise is still present or not.

If it's a V8 Windsor and the noise is still present, I'd start looking at the cam syncroniser as they dry out, squeal and fail.

Let us know how you go. People are here to assist if you want it.
Cheers.
JC

grandpa_spec_F6 · 28-05-2010, 11:15 PM

Cheers for all the input chap

Didn't get a chance this afternoon as i've got a cold (thanks to my lovely girlfriend :P) and wasn't feeling to crash hot, so tomorrow i'll hopefully sort the problem. Didn't even think of removing the snorkel and fans so that should make life a little simpler.

Shes a 6cyl VCT motor, I'd rather the v8 however QLD transport (read: supreme overlords, inhibitors of fun) regard my age as a hazard. Only have to wait till November so not long now

J.C. · 04-06-2010, 07:34 PM

How did you go with this mate?
Did you manage to sort it out?
Keen to know what you found.

Cheers.
JC

grandpa_spec_F6 · 04-06-2010, 10:20 PM

Hey all,

My employer decided to send me to work in the city for a month so between that and uni assignments (at about the 25 hour mark worth of research for the one im completing presently) I just haven't had the time. The upshot is that any affection towards the holden ve ute I had is now pretty much destroyed. For a 2 year old vehicle its a horrid thing to drive, I would have never thought it but i'd rather my 12 year old car than a near new "holden" ute.

I stuck my head into the engine bay with the car on and it appears to be the pulley at the top of the motor that's making the racket. Didn't try and attempt it due to time constraints and the fact the black power steering shield was hiding the top half of it.

Driven it for the past week without any real dramas. I've rectified the problem in the mean time by the use of another round device affectionately known as the "volume control" on my stereo :P

As soon as I get the time, hopefully this coming week after assignments are all done and dusted I'll let you know how it went

grandpa_spec_F6 · 07-06-2010, 11:46 PM

Right, well a little update before I go ripping anything apart, we seem to have diagnosed the issue as a flogged out bearing from that look very similar to the thingo in the link below: http://www.allworldautomotive.com/im...1310_14399.jpg

It would appear to be the tensioner assembly, which I am hoping will be simple to replace however I've never attempted anything like it before. In the year and a half I've had it Im surprised more things haven't gone wrong considering the flogging it has been given.

So there you have it! Any info on changing the bugger would be great!

Mr Hardware · 08-06-2010, 11:14 AM

Yeah i had mine changed a few years back
they're not too expensive, i think parts and labour for a new one plus a new drive belt was under two hundred

grandpa_spec_F6 · 08-06-2010, 12:50 PM

Might see if I can buy a new one and give fitting it a go on the weekend, I noticed a burning smell when I had to drive into town yesterday. Hoping it wasn't the belt :(

grandpa_spec_F6 · 08-06-2010, 10:16 PM

Well this afternoon a mechanic confirmed it, the idle tensioner pully has packed up on me. It's drivable, but its heating the belt up and making things smell terrible, kind of like a burnt packet of migoring noodles (uni students will get the reference here).

Getting it replaced saturday thankfully, shall take photos and such (as he is a friend of the family) and let you know how it all goes, might even get a how-to going.

grandpa_spec_F6 · 13-06-2010, 02:37 PM

Finally got it all sorted!

Many thanks for everyones input, we replaced the two pullies in the idle pulley tensioner and found a third pulley that is on its way out. Runs a heck of a lot quieter than before! Though I can no longer pretend that its really "super charger whine" :(

While we had it all apart, we also found the tappet cover and VCT gaskets were leaking, that plastic shield around the front of the motor hides quite a lot!

Cheers again, i'll throw up a guide soon to help anyone else like me (I work in I.T) who knows a little about cars, but not a lot :P