GolfGTIforum.co.uk
General => The garage => Topic started by: Jay on 07 February 2008, 14:03
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Hi,
I'm getting a noise from the engine bay when I first start the car (but not all the time) it usually goes away if I give it some more rev's or change the gear and accelerate. Could this be the cam belt or fan belt? I don't have PAS so that's ruled out.
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What sort of noise? A high pitch squeeling suggests Alternater belt, highly unlikely to be cam belt, but like i said, depends what sort of noise it is.
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Yea, it is a high pitch squeeling noise.
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Just sounds like your fan belt. If it goes and your battery light comes on, DON'T drive. That' show I've just knackered my head gasket or something around there... lol.
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fan belts drive fans! this belt drives the water pump and alternator, normally adjusting the tension on this belt by moving the alternator can eliminate this squeel, but nothing beats fitting a new belt!
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I'll try the haynes book way - what tools will I need? Says a special VW tool?
If not what torque wrench would I need?
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its a v-belt, not a toothed cam belt, a 13mm (lockbolt)and 19 or 22 mm spanner to undo the tensioner, the adjuster/tensioner is like a cog with a nut head on it that you turn to tension the belt after you have released the lock bolt, although there are alot of mk2's out there which just have a 13mm bolt straight through the hanging bracket, you'll see when you look.
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Cool, so now worrying about how tight I have done it up? just as tight as feels right? because I don't know the first thing about using a torque wrench and the nm's and all that malarky.
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no torque wrench needed, pick the longest side of the belt between the pulleys and movement should be no more than 15mm each way(up&down) don't twist the belt or ping it, just flex it front to back if it feels tight its too tight :wink:
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Cheers mate! Shall give this a go on Saturday in the when I can work on it in some real light :smiley:
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15mm seems a bit loose to me, i always set it to 5mm. also re-check it after a week, and then again after another week, they tend to stretch a bit
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would work in imperial, but most kids now are metric, 15mm does sound alot but half inch is the guidelines! for any tri pulley belt, the more pulleys the tighter it can be due to the load being shared more. may not be right for everyone, but always work the way i was taught. :wink:
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be careful not to strip the teeth on the bolt and bracket... :angry:
mine is as tight as I can get it (bearing in mind the above are stripped, so tightened by pushing the alternator as hard as i could), new belt fitted last sunday, and still squeels.
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I pressed the belt today and it has at the very most 8-10mm play when feeling how tight it is.
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if it still squeels, then take it off the pulleys and emery the pulley groves a bit, they probably just shinnied up over the years, it may be worth just a lite emery of the belt too as they shine up too :wink:
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if it still squeels, then take it off the pulleys and emery the pulley groves a bit, they probably just shinnied up over the years, it may be worth just a lite emery of the belt too as they shine up too :wink:
just tried this on mine... as my brand new tight belt was squeeling away to itself. sounds ok now, off for a 40 mile drive later to test it!
edit - works a treat!!
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Just sounds like your fan belt. If it goes and your battery light comes on, DON'T drive. That' show I've just knackered my head gasket or something around there... lol.
Bax, you lol'd your Headgasket, you loon!
Just had the same thing happen to me this week - Battery light and the revs dropping off. I didn't let it get hot though, as I must have done 4 headgaskets on various cars!
Great advice as always from fellow GGTIF members, cheers all!
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Righty O!
Less than an hour since my last post, and I'm back here. For your amusement only;
*** Insert something smart here about reading the Haynes BEFORE fitting the belt :whistle: ***
Have a great weekend - Unfortunately due to my own stupidity, I won't!
(http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/297/photo1df.jpg)
(http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/6816/photo2mtp.jpg)