[anthropolyte]

My CTR has suddenly developed a nice new noise to worry me (to add to the existing noises...).

I can only describe it as a continuous chirp, a bit like a cricket. It seems to be located around the belts / pulleys, and doesn't vary with engine speed. It does vary in volume though, but again, not with engine noise - it's just random. It doesn't go away when the clutch is depressed, and doesn't change if the AC is switched on.

My guess is a bad pulley bearing, but I'm not sure which one; and I'm concerned it could be the alternator, or water pump.

Any thoughts? Advice on diagnosing the issue further?

 

[Voodoo-Nachoman]

Go look for a rubber hose that comes from the top of the intake manifold and runs to a valve to the right of the pullys. Squeeze it firmly and seee if tge noise stops.

If it stops then its the pcv valve and nothing too worry about and around 40 quid in parts to fix. But a few people that have fixed it have the noise come back a few weeks or months later.

 

[anthropolyte]

PCV was changed not long ago, and I've checked it by squeezing the hose (no change in sound).

I just popped out to stick a bar against the various (accessible) pulley bolts and put my ear against it - can't pinpoint the sound to any of them. Also held the bar to the engine block, rocker cover and various peripherals on that side - nothing.

It's getting pretty loud :/ I'm surprised that it's cropped up so suddenly, too - it was fine up until yesterday, and now suddenly there's a cricket stuck in my engine bay somewhere...

 

[anthropolyte]

Hmm. Just decided to pop to my local garage to have them take a listen. For the first few minutes of driving, it was no longer a chirp, but a rapid fire tapping that got faster with engine speed. Pretty loud, too. And now, with a warm engine, it's totally disappeared. I'm waiting for the engine to cool down a bit to see if it starts again.

Any ideas?!

 

[hondacivicnut]

Loose exhaust manifold nuts?

 

[rrockettman]

Sounds like the chirping could be coming from your little hens! ;-()
Little ends on an old MGB I had used to make that noise, rapid fire tapping until warm.
Russ.

 

[anthropolyte]

Well the garage reckons it's either a tensioner or a pulley giving up. It's going in for some diagnosis next Tuesday.

I don't think it's small end noise, as it quite clearly squeaks to a stop when the engine is cut - so highly likely to be belt or pulley related. Plus a couple of squirts of wd40 on the belt quietens the noise down temporarily. Fingers crossed it's a tensioner and not the alternator!

 

[anthropolyte]

Results are in - shot idler pulley and a worn tensioner. I'm getting them to replace the belt as well, because why not.

Price all in including labour and vat is £209, which isn't desperately bad. Still pretty annoying though!