Hi All,

(Ive posted on various ford forums and to be honest they are crap compared to this place!)

The wifes 52 reg 1.4TDCI (87,000 miles) is making a strange noise.

It’s coming from the aux belt area, am i right in saying this runs the power steering, fuel and water pump and the alternator?

It started last night(a small whoosh, whoosh noise)turned off the engine started again and it was gone and started again on the way to work this morning – when i got to work i actually dropped the car off at the local garage, they left it running for an hour and checked it now and again, all they could find was a loose bolt for the airbox!!?? and said they cant see/hear anything dodgy.
(have used them for all previous work on the car and they have been great and to be fair said bring it back monday)

so sod’s law drove her home and it started again, it is intermittent, it is more of low rattle/clicking noise.

To help…

1 – There are no warning lights coming on the dash
2 – It is not overheating, temp is on normal
3 – changes gears fine
4 – steering is fine
5 – starts fine
6 – all electrics work.
7 – it had all injectors replaced about 2 years ago
8 – The timing belt and steering rack have been changed in the last 12 months.

any ideas? a bloke in work thinks its the water pump bearings on the way out?

could the aux belt itself be slipping?? but it seems more a fault with a pump/alternator? i guess if the alternator was on the way the lights would dim/dead battery?

im just scared that if the wife carries on driving it something will eventually give up and seize, not fun when she has the baby in the car.

cheers for any pointers

Steering fluid leak?

cheers, ive checked that no leaks or drops under the car and reservior full.

just feel a big expense coming which we could do without.

Turn the radio up?

(a small whoosh, whoosh noise)

the turbo is working then 🙂

Only happen when driving not idling?

Could be PS pump or similar..?

I had some noises from the cambelt cover rubbing on the belt.

cheers all (even the comedians) 😉

Only happen when driving not idling?

it happens when driving AND idling, so it must be something connected to the aux belt?

we’d get shot of it but know its history so mayaswell drive it into the ground, got no choice to be honest.

Is fecked innit?

You special customa, i sell you new car, 87,000 too much!!

Is fecked innit?

You special customa, i sell you new car, 87,000 too much!! 😆

I would have said power steering fluid leak but that ones gone. Darn it.

sometimes the aux belt pulleys have a torsional damper (rubber bit in the middle) which can fall apart.

Or the aux belt tensioner could be on the way out.

As andyl said about the tensioner or could be a bearing inside the alternator. My bearing have gone and are like a whoosh come whine

I go with the last 2 answers, bearing failure is the most likely, maybe the aux belt tensioner or alternator bearing failure. Does the noise happen more when the engine is cold ?

I suspect funny noise overreaction.

Wiggle stuff. is it loose? is there stuff pissing out? Have you lost control of anything? loss of power? If no it’s probably fine.

My van belt chirps and squeaks and rattles but all is normal. You could clean the belt with alcohol but who could be bothered.

Is a cooling fan running that you may never have heard before?

My timing chain rattles a bit if its been sitting a while. There is no specified service interval for that and they go on forever. If it constantly rattles and gets really noisy then change it.

There is some useful stuff at the ford transit forum. Coconut knows his stuff.

Sounds like it could be the water pump. My Focus is on it’s second one 100K and its on its way out again. I think the next one will be coming from Euro car parts as the ford ones seem to be made from plasticine.