Guess the car problem……

morning all,

wife was just driving me into work for the last day and the car gave up.

52 reg Fiesta 1.4 TDCI

It was working fine last night,

Started fine this morning, ticking over while de-icing.

pulled out of street and there was a little whiff of burning rubber

drive out onto the street there was a 'slapping' sound coming from what seemed like the front passenger wheel.

got out had a look couldnt see anything.

carried on a bit futher, the slapping continued getitng louder then a dull THUD, then a scary, metal on metal screeching noise.

the car still turned over then common sense said, turn it off its ****.

answers on a post card please 🙁

i reckon its the timing belt snapped or there was no anti freeze.

its was serviced about 10 months ago.

the timing belt as far as i know has never been changed.

will keep you posted as i wait for mr RAC.

just before Christmas great!

If it's the timing belt, the engine would stop near enough immediately once it actually went. Hard to say from your description if that's what it was.

Otherwise, it could be a fan or alternator belt.

drive shaft?

Something is broken.

was the bad sound metal on metal etc, only when driving, or when stationary as well? From that you can isolate wheter it's the driving system so to speak, or the 'engine'

Some kind of auxillary belt, but unlikely to be the timing belt from your description.

I would have thought the timing belt should have been changed by now if it's a 52 plate. It's normally X,000 miles or X years. I'd get that looked into before long once you get this problem sorted.
If it's going into a garage anyway, I'd get it changed at the same time.

Turn the heater/aircon off and see if that fixes it.

We heard a big thud from ours last night, and the car lurched forward a couple of yards. I've had a good look this morning, and the only explanation I can come up with was it was the idiot in the Laguna that rear ended us while looking the other way. 🙁

My handbrakes frozen on so the rear wheels are locked…

Perhaps something like that?

monkey_boy How about lifting up the bonnet and taking a look at the belts? You could be wasting Mr RAC's time. Slapping sounds like it. It could be something like a jammed aircon compressor. Or something big like the timing belt.

My handbrakes frozen on so the rear wheels are locked…

Alfa 145?

brant – Premier Member

My handbrakes frozen on so the rear wheels are locked…

Alfa 145?

Corsa, W reg, 1.0 petrol.

could be a cv joint

the car hasnt got air/con.

it was defo metal on metal scrape SNAP.

we have tried to get hold of RAC for the last hour with no luck.

oh the bad metal on metal sound happned when it was stationary.

exploded diff ?

i reckon it was the wife wanting a new car as a baby on the way.

insult to injury we joined the RAC the other night, wife finally got through and they said we already had full monty cover with the bank account!!

will keep you updated!

Not sure if the 1.4 is the same but the 2.0 TDCi doesnt have a belt, its a chain. Possibly the Aux belt tensioner failed ?

Maybe it's a frozen waterpump? If so, when you started the car the pump was locked up with ice but the engine driven belt was still trying to drive it – giving the burning rubber smell? Until something let go and caused the metal on metal noise.

Have you got proper engine coolant mix or is it all water?

update… (god im sad but giving joy to those in work as im sat here waiting for RAC mans call)

called a freind of a friends, freind who works in a garage to check if we can take it down.

milesey, funnily enough the guy in the garage said the exact same thing as you, last night was hell of alot colder than previous nights, he said it is more than likely the waterpump.

thing is the garage closes at 5pm then shuts until the 5th, ah well atleast she will be in a warm garage with friends 😉

Water pump was my first thought, but should have had coolant checked at the service, and should be running a -20 mix in the UK really, poor servicing.

We heard a big thud from ours last night, and the car lurched forward a couple of yards. I've had a good look this morning, and the only explanation I can come up with was it was the idiot in the Laguna that rear ended us while looking the other way.

I hope that was in jest and you're aware enough of your surroundings/car to determine whether you were hit or had a mechanical failure!

yep thats a water pump.

make sure you use 100% coolant, no mixing with water.

be as well getting them to fit new timing belt and kit at the same time then. get back on the phone and ask for the extra work to be done (if it IS that)

well slap me in the face wih a wet fish….

we were all wrong!……. 😉

turns out it was the front passnger side suspension coil had snapped!!!

RAC man said it was probably on the way out, the freezing ice helped it along.

the slapping noise was the arch rubbing the wheel, the rubber smell well… was the tyre.

i actually found part of the coil down the road which hit the rear tyre causing a flat.

garage reckon £100 all in to fit a new one.

merry christmas one and all…

HURRAY!! (but check the cambelt schedule etc though- just to be on the safeside)

garage reckon £100 all in to fit a new one.

You'll have to do both sides. We had this happen on our last car, it's that same as when you do shocks – ALWAYS replace as a pair. 🙂

PP (as bloody always) is right. My Peugeot 306's suspension collapsed one side. Three months later the other did the same. I didnt own the car when this happened BTW.

You didn't notice that the suspension had collapsed?!

I'm very worried for the other people on the road near you/your wife!

How very odd!!

I had a phone call from the other half earlier. She had taken her parents into town as their car was in the garage.
They all got back in the car to drive home & there was a loud bang and the back of the car dropped.
She was after some advice on what it could be & what to do.

I suggested that it was probably a broken coil on the rear suspension. SHe doesn't have RAC cover, but luckily her mum's RAC cover worked for her even though she's in a different car. So, she's just gotta wait for them to turn up (they reckon 3-4hrs!!) and it's getting new coils tomorrow.

coffeeking – Member
You didn't notice that the suspension had collapsed?!

My thought exactly!

coffeeking – Member
You didn't notice that the suspension had collapsed?!

It's not as clear cut as that. When ours broke the only symptom was an annoying rattle, which after a lot of invesigation turned out to be a bit of the spring rattling in the mount. You'd have never have spotted it driving the car.

However, if you read the OP, you'll see he noticed it very quickly so less of the hasty judgement is needed, I think! 🙂

You didn't notice that the suspension had collapsed?!

turst me mate you wouldnt have noticed it, as it was the last thing you would have thought had gone wrong

thanks for your helpful comment anyway.

It's not as clear cut as that. When ours broke the only symptom was an annoying rattle, which after a lot of invesigation turned out to be a bit of the spring rattling in the mount. You'd have never have spotted it driving the car

and yes thank you PP that sums up exactly what happened, i bid you a good christmas sir

Bloody 'ate PP and his know-it-all ways. If I ever go on a gameshow- your going to be the phone a friend 😉

Love the total misdiagnosis from everyone followed by criticism because the OP didn't notice.

Reminds me of a trip to Birmingham with some mates in my girlfriends car. She pulls off the motorway and at the slip road roundabout can't select the gears. We blokes jump out and push the car to the side of the road.

Stood around explaining about a snapped clutch cable or loose clutch cable when AA man turns up and points out there is no clutch cable as it is hydraulic. Goodnes how stupid my girlfriend was for not noticing that. If only we had PP with us then

I was closest with CV joint 🙂

(and no subsequent moaning!)

Bloody 'ate PP and his know-it-all ways. If I ever go on a gameshow- your going to be the phone a friend

Hora, I just read what is in front of me and point out the obvious to those that haven't really understood. It's a talent of mine. 8)

i.e. Some are saying he's somehow foolish because he didn't notice the problem, and trying to belittle the guy because of that, when in fact he did notice pretty much instantly, if you actually READ THE OP PROPERLY! 🙂

You don't have to do both sides.

brant – Premier Member

"My handbrakes frozen on so the rear wheels are locked…"

Alfa 145?

Funny you should say that, my wife's 146 did this (again) over the weekend.

As for the coil spring, seems to be a more common occurrence these days, poorly maintained roads and speed humps. One went on the front of my Mondeo last year, you get the impression all hells broke loose.