Help!

VO2Max · #1 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Ooer!

About 2 miles from home, noticed steering very heavy turning right at a junction - then, a very loud squealing/chirruping from the engine, related to engine revs. Sounds a bit like that slipping fanbelt thing you get in the winter. It's a 1.9JTD 16V with a remap.

Got home, opened bonnet and had a listen. Seems to be coming from offside/rear of engine. I think the heavy steering thing was a red herring, the steering fluid resevoir is full and there is no noise upon turning the steering wheel. Maybe the engine nearly stalled and caused the momentary heavy feeling?

Slightly strange smell coming from engine bay, no smoke or anything though. The engine wasn't overheated and all fluids are at full. I immediately thought 'turbo', but that is at the front of the engine, down below.

My second thought is maybe the timing belt, although that's only halfway through its life (hopefully), the car has done 90,000 miles and it was changed at 60,000.

HELP!

gazza82 · #2 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Steering is driven off the auxiliary belt ... the one you can see between the engine and body. It maybe the tensioner is failing or loose. If it is it will eventually fail leaving you with no power steering, alternator or a/c and worse still, if the belt comes off it can tangle in other moving parts ...

VO2Max · #3 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Originally Posted by gazza82

Steering is driven off the auxiliary belt ... the one you can see between the engine and body. It maybe the tensioner is failing or loose. If it is it will eventually fail leaving you with no power steering, alternator or a/c and worse still, if the belt comes off it can tangle in other moving parts ...

Thanks Gazza. So that's not a toothed belt, is it? Hmm, that would figure. Could it be that whatever the belt drives has seized, ie a 'power steering pulley'? The noise seems to be coming from the top of the engine, towards the rear offside - does that tally?

I tried turning off the aircon, that made no difference, so I guess it's not that that's failed.

VO2Max · #4 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Is that auxiliary belt normally changed at the cambelt change?

davealfa11 · #5 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Originally Posted by VO2Max

Is that auxiliary belt normally changed at the cambelt change?

some do some dont ,usually visual inspection does the job

VO2Max · #6 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

A quick tug on the auxiliary belt seems to show reasonable tension. Might that indicate the power steering pump has seized/is starting to seize? The power steering seemed OK in the couple of minutes I still had to drive home, after the intial steering stiffness.

davealfa11 · #7 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

put all electrics on blower lights rearscreen and turn wheel from side to side with engine on tick over and blip throttle you should hear belt squeeling so looks like new belt and tensioner

Pud237 · #8 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Did you get the waterpump done with the cambelt?

VO2Max · #9 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Pud - yes, had waterpump changed with cambelt at 60,000 as recommended.

Dave - just checked, squealing is there all the time with car parked and engine on (regardless of what electrics are on) but the note of the squeal changes as I turn the steering wheel.

VO2Max · #10 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Thinking back a couple of years, I had a steering fluid leak and had to drive the car to Jamie Porter's to get it sorted - that was about 30 miles with a dry pump. Has this finally come home to roost maybe? Failing pump?

davealfa11 · #11 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Originally Posted by VO2Max

Thinking back a couple of years, I had a steering fluid leak and had to drive the car to Jamie Porter's to get it sorted - that was about 30 miles with a dry pump. Has this finally come home to roost maybe? Failing pump?

is the belt hard in tension ie can you twist it at all ?

VO2Max · #12 (**Post Link**) 19-06-11

Feels reasonably taut (I don't know what it feels like normally). I can just about turn it through 90deg. Does that sound normal?

BTW chaps, many thanks for the help

VO2Max · #13 (**Post Link**) 20-06-11

Sorted!

It was the tensioner, the spring had gone. Luckily the 1.9JTD has the cheaper type of tensioner (although maybe that's why it bloody went!) and along with a new belt and labour the whole job was just over 100 squids.

Thanks for your replies here guys, and thanks to Jamie Porter for fitting me in at short notice - phew!

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