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Rich B · Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2005 8:40 pm Post subject: squeaky car

Hello all

My 1994 1.7IE has been making a funny squeaky noise for a while. It seems to be coming from the front of the car and only seems to occur on longer runs. The noise is intermittent and doesn't seem to arise on shorter trips.

I thought it could be the alternator belt, although in my experience these tend to be bad when its cold and my car doesn't go out in the cold, plus the noise is more high pitched than the typical belt squeal.

My other thought is that it could be the brakes i.e the piston on the caliper not releasing fully and therefore leaving the pads in partial contact with the disc and causing a squeak. The noise does seem to disappear when the brake pedal is pressed but the frequency of the squeak does not seem to coincide with the speed at which the wheels and therefore the discs would be turning, so I'm not convinced that this is the problem.

Has anyone else experienced this or has anyone got any alternative theories?

Cheers

Rich

Ben_nz · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 8:43 am Post subject:

Does the squeak depend on engine rpm? Does it go away when you press the clutch pedal? Could it be coming from the suspension? Your car has power steering.. Does it also have air conditioning?

A week or so before my cambelt tensioner pulley failed, I heard a loud high-pitched sqeal on a few occasions soon after I'd started the engine. It must have been the pulley bearing, but it went away once the bearing heated up (or seized up)...

Guest · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 10:29 am Post subject:

yes, the squeak does seem to disappear when you dip the clutch - do you think this could be the pulley bearing?

Thanks for your help

Ben_nz · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 6:32 am Post subject:

So the squeak seems to go away when you press the brakes or clutch..
Does it squeak when the car's not moving?
If the squeak only happens when the car's moving, what happens if you put it in neutral and stop the engine, letting the car roll along?

(incase you can't tell, I have no idea what your squeak could be, I'm just trying to narrow it down)

Rich B · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 11:44 am Post subject:

The squeak does not seem to be related to engine rpm and continues intermittently when the car is stationary so I don't think its anything to do with suspension or brakes.

I don't have air conditioning so we can rule that out.

The noise does seem to disappear when I press the clutch and sometimes when I press the brake.

If I'm moving and put the car in neutral, I still get the noise.

I think your theory of cambelt tensioner pulley sounds the most feasible diagnosis - is it easy/expensive to fix?

Thanks for your help

Ben_nz · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 8:52 pm Post subject:

If it doesn't seem to be related to engine rpm then you can probably rule out any pulley or belt.
You should get your cambelt tensioner pulleys replaced when the cambelts are replced though. I think the replacement interval is every 60,000km.

The noise might be coming from an engine mount or gearbox mount or something rubbing against part of the motor as the motor vibrates.
Does your clutch slip?

Ian M · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:50 pm Post subject:

If it stops when you dip the clutch it sounds like thrust bearing to me
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paulhide · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 11:09 pm Post subject:

Yep, I concur that a noisy thrust bearing is a definite possibility. Why would a belt tensioner quieten when the the clutch was depressed? On the other hand how would pushing the brake quieten a noisy thrust bearing, although we ARE on the hydraulic line in both cases.
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Rich B · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 8:20 am Post subject:

thanks for the advice- I think a thrust bearing may be a feasible answer as the car has done 115,000 miles and is still on the original clutch, however, I had this problem on my 145 and that made a whining sound when the clutch was depressed and not at any other time. The clutch is not slipping at all and there's still plenty of travel in the pedal.

My thoughts were that if the clutch was depressed, the loading on the engine may be reduced and this may be why the noise goes away, however I'm no mechanical genius so my thoery could be totally wrong.

Does this shed any more light on the situation?

john 33_16v · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 7:17 pm Post subject:

Hi,

I have found that when a clutch thrust bearing and/ or cover plate is on it's last legs, if you pull away quickly you will get a loud highish pitched roar/ squeal. Imagine if you will, a choir boy being strangled!!

Usually dicky thrust bearings give noise when the pedal is pressed, as this is when the fork is putting pressure on the bearing, when driving along with the pedal up, there is no strain on the cover or bearing. The only usual problems here would be clutch slipping up hill etc, due to a knackered friction plate.

How is your water pump, any signs of leakage??

You may be able to use a stethoscope or piece of thin tubing stuck in your ear'ole to listen around the front of the engine for water pump or campully noises. DON'T GET YOUR FINGERS OR BARNET CAUGHT IN THE ALTERNATOR/ PAS BELTS AND PULLYS, AND EXPECT THE FAN TO KICK IN TOO!!!

John
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Rich B · Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 8:30 am Post subject:

yes, now you come to mention it, I do get a slight squealy noise when I pull away from a standstill, particularly if I give it some grief.

From all the suggestions provided so far, its becoming more apparent that it could be the clutch thats playing up.

Thanks

Rich