Rattle........ what is it? - Updated - Now SORTED!!

[mr_fusion 0]

I replaced my sepentine belt last week, everything has been cool until a few days ago. I now have an annoying rattlely / squeaky noise coming from somwhere near the belt (top / left if you look from the drivers side of the car)

 

I at first suspected the idler bearing, so I removed it and greased it up nicely (there was hardly any grease on it when i removed it)

 

Popped it back in and retensioned the belt (by removing the bolt i used to remove the belt) but hey presto.... rattle hasn't changed.

 

It is most noticeable at idle, but increases in frequency with revs.

 

It sometimes stops when waiting at lights etc, but soon returns when the car moves again.

 

I can't find any info in previous threads, only some advice that it may be a loose spark plug??

 

I am at work at the moment so won't be able to check this till later.

 

Any advice??

[dinkus 10]

Sounds like it probably is the tensioner bearing. If the bearing is actually worn, then no amount of grease is gonna solve it :(

 

You can replace the whole shebang from VW for a silly amount of money (£70+ IIRC), or you can spend a fiver on a new bearing and replace it yourself :D

 

http://69.93.64.122/~corrado/how-to/ind ... tails&id=6

[mr_fusion 0]

Ok, is it safe to run the car with the belt untensioned / off for a couple of mins to see if this stops the noise and isolates the problem?

 

It is a non aircon 92 vr6. Obviously the water pump won't be pumping so i wouldn't want to leave it off too long.

[dinkus 10]

It should work, but as you say, you'll have no alternator or water pump so don't do it for long (or while it's hot)...

[mr_fusion 0]

To be honest, the bearing looked and felt in good nick, also the noise seems to be coming from further back on the engine (towards cylinder 1).

 

I will try with the belt loosened when I get home to see if the noise persists. It does sound like some kind of bearing noise though..

[mr_fusion 0]

p.s do you know of a source for Replacement NSK bearing part no. 6203-2RS1? either on the web or in a real shop?

[dinkus 10]

BSL Bearings have quite a few places around the UK...

[mr_fusion 0]

Any chance it could be the water pump on its way out? Temps seem normal at the moment.

[mr_fusion 0]

Ok, i have put the bolt into the tensioner to slack off the tension slightly (2 to 3 mm) with the engine running.

 

The noise has now almost dissapeared.... so it does in fact look like the bearing = cheap and easy to fix.. YAY!

 

I have left the bolt in as it is pretty secure with the force of the tensioner spring against it - just gotta get the bearing now

 

Seen a guy selling 3 on ebay - very cheap at the moment, so if i win the auction then I will offer the spares up on here for cost + p&p

 

Ta

 

Ben

[TREVR6 0]

Seen a guy selling 3 on ebay - very cheap at the moment, so if i win the auction then I will offer the spares up on here for cost + p&p

 

 

Give me a pm Ben if you win the auction I'll have one off you mine is also making a horrible noise but only for a short while on start up, but it can't have long left in it and it's driving me crazy :brickwall:

[mr_fusion 0]

Seen a guy selling 3 on ebay - very cheap at the moment, so if i win the auction then I will offer the spares up on here for cost + p&p

 

 

Give me a pm Ben if you win the auction I'll have one off you mine is also making a horrible noise but only for a short while on start up, but it can't have long left in it and it's driving me crazy :brickwall:

 

No Worries...

[Critical_Mass 10]

I have a squeaking noise on my G60. if you stab the throttle when stationary theres a horrible squeaking noise until the revs fall. Or when im driving and i change gear it'll squeak then too. If i keep the revs down and i change gear it wont squeak. Does this sound like the tensioner pulley, i have been told by my regular mechanic that the bear is shot in it.

 

Any ideas?

[Son of a Beesting 0]

I had the same thing and I actually was changing all my bits while this thread was being written....SPOOKY!!

 

I had the squeeling noise so replaced idler pulleys, serp belt and the cambelt tensioner (which was making the noise all along).

 

Did my PAS belt as well and crank bolt and found my PAS pump is leaking...more money.

 

so yeah Critical_mass i would say a new tensioner is needed!!

[Critical_Mass 10]

cheers mate, ill get on the case

[mr_fusion 0]

Right then.....disaster time!

 

I swapped out the tensioner bearing..... nope, that hasn't made any difference.

 

Narrowed it down to the water pump area, so thought "hey, water pump is only £24 from GSF, I fancy doing something on the car this weekend and I would love to get rid of the rattle"

 

So... followed the procedure for the water pump change after many nights of reading up on the subject..

 

Got as far as removing the old pump - thought to myself "hey i have done this really quickly, only taken me 40mins to drain most of the coolant, jack up the car, remove the engine mount bolts and jack up the engine to give access to the pump and pulley"

 

This is where it went horribly wrong!!

 

The pump seemed pretty solidly in place, so i used a crowbar to try and lever the pump out via the pulley (the allen bolts to the pump itself had been removed sucessfully through the holes in the pulley)

 

Then.... the force of my levering popped the pulley off the shaft that goes into the pump itself..

 

I then got a flat head screwdriver and tapped it with hammer around the lip of the pump to try and lever it out of the hole in the engine.... only succeeded in shattering the aluminium of the pump housing...

 

4 hours later and lots of drillling and chiseling, the pump is still well and truly jammed in there!! Looks like it is the original pump too (from 1992) and is in VERY TIGHT

 

How on earth do I get it out of the engine block??????? More drillling?

 

Would really appreciate it if anyone has any bright ideas as the car is stuck down at my flatmates workplace in their yard and i REALLY don't want to leave it there for long!! HELP!!!

[StormVR6 0]

Try heating the cylinder block.

[mr_fusion 0]

With a blow torch?

 

Will give it go... it really is properly jammed in there... the seam between the steel of the block and the aluminium of the pump is very very tight, i'm thing that the heat will just get transferred to the pump as its so tight. almost looks like one piece of metal as there is no discernible gap between the two.

[mr_fusion 0]

will have to pretty careful if i do.... injector lines are right above that area!!

[StormVR6 0]

Hmm, aluminium will expand far quicker than steel under heat, although this may not be a bad thing, either way the casings should part.

 

Obviously be careful how you do it.

[mr_fusion 0]

So... how long should I heat the block for? or just until i see it part?

[StormVR6 0]

Well seeing as the pump is aluminium and will expand quicker maybe try heating that.

It's not something I've ever tried (or heard being tried!) so I would find out if it is safe to perform first!! :)

 

I would personally heat it small amounts and let it cool each time, as the ali will also cool quicker than the steel, don't blame me if your engine melts!! :lol:

 

Oh and don't worry about the pulley, is it normally removed on this job anyway.

[mr_fusion 0]

Ok, I will try heating the pump casing and try rotating it as i do it... may be enough to pry it loose DAMN GERMAN ENGINEERING!! :D

[mr_fusion 0]

Ok folks...

 

I got the blowtorch onto the waterpump along with several sessions with the cordless drill and....

 

Finally I have got it out of the engine!!! YAY!!

 

The pump had basically corroded onto the engine block and was in a right state (even before I tortured it with the drill)

 

Please excuse the crappy images as I took them on my phone..

 

 

 

 

 

[StormVR6 0]

Nice one mate, glad you had a result.

[mr_fusion 0]

Thanks...

 

When I did it over with the blowtorch, I could hear the aluminium cracking as it cooled... was obviously just enough to pry it loose from the block

 

Funny thing is... the new water pump slid in very easily and had a bit of play around it... if it fails again I'm sure it won't be as difficult to get out next time.

 

On the downside though, when I filled up with new coolant (after flushing through thoroughly) the car will only accept just over 5 litres of the coolant mix (50/50 G12+ and distilled water)... i'm hoping that when I come to top it up that it will have settled down and I can put more in the expansion tank.

 

Hope I haven't got a massive airlock in the system.