wierd Engine noise?

Atomic Pineapple

hey i noticed a wierd engine noise from under the bonnet in my car over the last few days, its kind of a whining or sqeaky noise.

i took a video of it and its on youtube so you can listen for yourself,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJMA21oFve8

it seems to be coming from just above where the timing belt runs, under a black housing or cover, its goin in on friday or saturday to get checked but i will need to drive it tomorrow so was wondering if anyone knows what it is and how serious?

thanks
D.

E@gle.

If it is the timing belt it could snap and thats bad

Atomic Pineapple

E@gle. wrote:

If it is the timing belt it could snap and thats bad

i know but i checked the belt as best i could and it doesnt seem worn to the piont of snapping anywhere.

BarryM3

sounds like a bearing in a pulley maybe??!!

Keep an eye on water temperature and don't rev it hard

Atomic Pineapple

BarryM3 wrote:

sounds like a bearing in a pulley maybe??!!

Keep an eye on water temperature and don't rev it hard

yeh it sounds more like that alright, after taking it for a 30 second spin and the water temp shot up to normal temp really quickly but it didnt go higher than it normally goes

Esel

draffodx wrote:

hey i noticed a wierd engine noise from under the bonnet in my car over the last few days

Under the bonnet is usually whree engine noises come from! Sorry, had to say it.

Atomic Pineapple

esel wrote:

Under the bonnet is usually whree engine noises come from! Sorry, had to say it.

was waiting for that :cool:

crosstownk

Yep - sounds like a bearing noise alright. Could be the coolant pump or maybe the timing belt tensioner. The fact that the noise is momentary has me thinking that it's the tensioner. But, just in case it is the coolant pump, do as others have said and keep an eye on the coolant temperature - if it rises more than normal pull over and stop to allow the engine to cool. As the metal in an engine conducts sound much better than air, it may not be coming from where it appears.

Atomic Pineapple

if it is the tensioner, whats the risk of damage if i continue driving it?

Avns1s

draffodx wrote:

if it is the tensioner, whats the risk of damage if i continue driving it?

High!!!

crosstownk

draffodx wrote:

if it is the tensioner, whats the risk of damage if i continue driving it?

How long is a piece of string? The safest option is to assume it's a high risk.

bushy...

If the tensioner bearing is worn and the belt is a bit loose , it can make the belt jump teeth ( possible bent valves and maybe more fun). Seen it happen to something once , take off the cover, the belt is tightish but its out of synch.

Atomic Pineapple

no the belt isnt loose at all, it runs smoothly too no jumpimg or anything