timing belt

[nickuk8]

hey all,

i got my timing belt and water pummp changed today by a friend of mine, as youd expect the car ran perfectly in the run up, in fact it runs fine still however i have this loud tapping / ticking noise everytime the throttle is touched, it gets louder the faster the engine goes. the engine is in time and runs fine but its really loud, like an old fiesta sort of noise,

any ideas?

regards

[davelowe]

Diesel or petrol?

Your friend might have made a mistake installing the belt. Did he/she check the belt tension using frequency measuring equipment? If not, you could be in trouble.

There are so many reasons why you have this problem, I can't list them sensibly. The manuals (in this forum) show in great detail how to do the job. I suggest you (and your friend) read them in depth.

Let us know how you get on.

[nickuk8]

sorry should have mentioned its a 1.5 dci. my friend is a trained mechanic and it isnt his first time. i wasnt about when he did it as i had an appoinment to go to. like i said the car pulls fine and idles spot on its just the ticking noise.
how can i tell if something is not right with the frequency? obviously i have a noise which is usually a good indication that somethings wrong. i have driven the car about 40 miles since its been done and the only problem seems to be the noise. my problem is i need the car at the weekend as im going away and he still has work. he followed all the tech notes he got from work to the T and also has a book which tells you how to do every cars belt with torques and measurements etc.

a local mechanic said he reccomends taking it apart and starting over and wants to chage me 200 for the privelage. he hasnt been that busy lately so mayeb he just wants something to do...

thank you for your reply.
any further thoughts?

regards

[AlexB]

Thoughts? - You'll have to pay anyway, a fault is already there, and you don't sound like someone who can fix it.

[davelowe]

Alex's reply might sound a little terse, but it is without doubt, free from any error!

Can you isolate from where the sound comes? The reason is that the fault you describe coincides with the work done. The factory manuals are meticulous in their detail - for a reason. It could be a loose lifter, bad oil, a belt hitting something, bad alternator bearings, bad coolant pump, ad nauseum....

To be honest, if you have the time and expertise, I would re-do the job from scratch - much as your underemployed mechanic suggests, if you have the skills required.

This might sound like a daunting prospect, but if you have a set of sockets and spanners, a jack and a few pieces of wood, a luggage weighing gauge, a laptop and mic, and the ability to follow written instructions carefully, you will not have a problem.

I'm no mechanic, and I fitted a new set of belts on my old car. Don't let the fact that your mechanic has changed successfully hundreds of timing belts stop you from investigating for yourself.

Good luck.

[nickuk8]

there is a noisy bearing in the alternater however the sound is is rather intermitant in the sense that it only makes a sound when the engine is revved above sort of 1750, at idle there is no noise out of the ordinary. today ive invited him round so that we can that it all off and start from scratch. i did wonder if the belt could be hitting something like a cable. i also thought it could have been a faulty water pump or something but i assume the noise would be there at idle also. i have the haynes maunal and ill print off the manual too.

the noise is coming from the left hand side of the engine which is why i first thought it could be a cable or something.

[AlexB]

The belts are on the right side, aren't they?.. We are talking about the starboard of the vehicle and not about your right leg or the right ear of your cat...

No, the new pump is unlikely to make such a noise. This engine doesn't require a frequency tension tool and it has no hydraulic lifters (it's shim and bucket), as Dave suggested... On the other hand, the procedure of tightening the pulleys is non trivial, and the tensioner has to be replaced with an OEM part... Consult with the manual regarding the fasteners which have to be replaced as a part of the procedure. It is also known that the crankshaft locating pin must not be abused when tightening the bolt.

All together there are too many things to go wrong if someone unfamiliar with this system attempts the job. I am worried about the sound that appears at the elevated revs. It may be caused by the valves "kissing" the pistons, which spells the loss much higher than the quoted figure...

The best course of action is to repeat the job while investigating the causes of the trouble....and read the manual first!