Hi All, Took the Golf out for a spin today, not used it much since the engine swap as I use the Lupo for work. Anyway, there was a little rubbing noise which I put down to being the cambelt cover touching the belt a bit, it did this once before so I thought nothing of it. Later on today though there was a nasty metallic grinding sound at idle, which increase with engine speed but they seemed to disappear over about 2k rpm and return at idle. With the bonnet up it's quite loud and sounds like a band saw cutting metal! Any ideas what it could be? I have removed the cambelt cover, top part, and it seems to come from that area. Would a knackered cambelt tensioner sound like this? What else could it be? Bearings worn out in the alternator or something? I don't think it's an exhaust heat shield or anything like that as the noise is in time to the rotation of the engine. I don't want to run the car too much like this as it sounds nasty like it will do some damage although oil and coolant levels and temps seem fine. Any thoughts much appreciated Cheers Stu Edited by: Stu
has the cam belt been changed ? as I know that the tensioner can be twisted the wrong way and tension the belt and i sounded similar to what you describe
I will check it out, the cambelt and tensioner had been changed on the 2Litre (6A) engine before I bought it. Has run ok so far but probably only done 100 or so miles since swapping the engine in so could be that. Will the tensioner from my KR engine fit if I swap it over? That was nearly new before I swapped to 2L.
Sounds like alternator bearing to me, my old roccos alternator started off sounding like a supercharger which was nice, then soon started sounding like band saw.
Aye, run it without the alt belt first for a few minutes to see if it's that. Otherwise it's likely to be something rubbing against the metal shield behind the cambelt. Sometime you can fix that by a hammer/screwdriver blow in the right place, but I prefer just to take it off and bin it.......
Ok - thanks for the replies. Will investigate today. I seem to recall I had to saw a bit out of that metal shield behind the cambelt to make it fit the 6A engine so could be that. So long as it's nothing terminal I'm happy!
Right, bit of progress but still not sorted. I tried disconnecting the alternator belt and running it like that, noise still occurs when the engine warms up, never happens when cold. Next I tried removing and changing the cambelt tensioner for the one from the old KR engine, it was a new tensioner anyway. Unfortunately after much fiddling and swearing to re-tension the belt and set the timing the noise is still there! Next I tried running it with A/C on or off and that makes no difference so don't think it's the A/C compressor. Also nothing is rubbing on the metal sheild by the looks of it, plus if it was that it wouldn't just happen when it was warm. So... this leads me to think it's either the water pump (which was new when I installed the engine) or the PAS pump. To be fair the noise quietens down a lot when a bit of steering lock is applied so the PAS pump is under load which makes me think it might be that. Any thoughts? Are noisey PAS pumps common? As far as I know it's the original one from when the car was made and is working fine, no leaks or anything.
the way you describe the sound makes me think waterpump on its way out,the impeller can become loose on the shaft and contact the inside of the housing,even on new pumps not sure how to pinpoint the fault really? maybe worth changing the pas fluid for the definate correct stuff and see how you go? neil.
Fair point. I've never had a close look at a 6A with aircon so I don't know if it still does. One for Stu to answer...
aye,im not 110% myself... the not doing it when cold is strange though,tired bearing or something in the ps pump maybe? im changing my mind now neil.
Aha, same noise as my PUGlet made then, your either low on power steering fluid, have air leaking into the power steering system somewhere or you pumps fubar. The pug had a power steering leak that i just COULDN'T find, and when the fluid level dropped below minimum it made the noise you are describing, these pumps hate being run dry.
There is a different belt set up with A/C, I just transferred all the KR bits over to the 6A engine. Basically there is a double pulley on the crankshaft, one belt just goes to the PAS pump and one belt around both the waterpump and A/C compressor. Then from the A/C compressor (also a double pulley) there is a belt to the alternator, so three aux drivebelts in total. Edited by: Stu
Bundles - good info on the PAS pump. I checked the PAS tank level and it's fine when engine isn't running, plus there doesn't seem to be any leaks. Would this cause the noise to only happen when the engine was hot? The PAS belt was a real b@stard to get on so is probably very tight, I wonder if this could knackered the pump bearings or something? I will try disconnecting the PAS pump belt, much as it pains me to do so having recently put it all back together, and see if that eliminates the noise. If not then I suppose by process of elimination the new waterpump is knackered?!? To swap the PAS pump do you need to bleed the system or anything, will it get air trapped in if I clamp the hoses, swap pump and then re-fill to appropriate fluid level? Edited by: Stu
afaik,its a case of just turning the steering lock to lock to bleed it,and then refill as needed. thats if youre keeping the same pump of course. neil.
Got myself a litre of the correct PAS fluid so going to see if I can sort this today, fingers crossed the pump isn't knackered as they are about 90 + vat from GSF!
stu, mine still makes a noise from the cam belt rubbing on the little metal sheild behind it you cant notice that it touches and it only seems to do it when hot..just give it a nudge with a screwdriver while its running to confirm if its that
I had the exact same noise after I changed my engine block. It was (as others have suggested) the cambelt rubbing on the metal plate that sits between the block and the cambelt pully.
Solved! A lot of you were almost correct about what was causing the noise too. I took the PAS belt off (tricky b@stard it is too) and the noise was still there so that ruled out the PAS pump. After a bit of head scratching I noticed that the plastic cover between the block and the main crank pulley that drives the water pump etc was touching the pulley once warm right underneath the bottom of the crank pulley, near the sump. As I can't be bothered getting the pulleys off to modify (hacksaw!) the plastic cover I thought I would bend the plastic out of the way a little and this has solved it for now. I'm happy now! I could of sworn the noise sounded like a metallic grinding sound too! So, good news. Unfortunately I have now noticed I have a gearbox oil leak from the green flange thingy where the driveshafts connect to the 'box. If it's not one thing it's another!
