Gavin Waddell 18 Posted July 24, 2006 basically im nearing complition of my mi and well the engine was rebuilt, fitted a new camblet and tensioners timed it all up and tensioned it, ptit in the car and voila. now this was 3 months ago and well finally got it started and it whines like its running a charger. now im thinking this is not good. is it possible to retention the belt with engine in situ?im assuming you need to take off the engine mount? cheers agvin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kyepan 291 Posted July 24, 2006 basically im nearing complition of my mi and well the engine was rebuilt, fitted a new camblet and tensioners timed it all up and tensioned it, ptit in the car and voila. now this was 3 months ago and well finally got it started and it whines like its running a charger. now im thinking this is not good. is it possible to retention the belt with engine in situ?im assuming you need to take off the engine mount? cheers agvin Just had the same thing myself, It is possible to retension in situe, you will need to take the alternator pully off but thats about it other than the top cover, second time round I didn't undo the engine mount. The back tensioner was wound up way too tight. What kind of tensioner bolts did you have? because the ones that fit alen keys are a pain. Pug sell the normal bolts for 90p a go and they are easy to get a ring spanner round even with the lack of access. if your lucky you can even get a swivel bar and shallow 13mm socket on the lower front tensioner. the only tricky bit is the tensioner takes a square section tool, you'll need a short square section held by something, we used an old micrometer. good luck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newdean0 0 Posted July 24, 2006 Yeah you can retension it in the car quite easily - can I just ask though, is the whine apparent from the moment you turn the key or does it appear once the engine has warmed up? I'm trying to fix a similar whine on my car but when the engine's cold it isn't there and I can't touch the engine when it's hot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pug_ham 242 3 Cars Posted July 25, 2006 Could it be the alternator bearings have dried out? Graham. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gavin Waddell 18 Posted July 25, 2006 the whine is only when you accelerate, but i will retension it over the next few days the ru n in the new engine next week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob_the_Sparky 9 Posted July 26, 2006 Easy to check if it is the alternator - take the drive belt off and see if ti still whines. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PumaRacing 1 Posted July 26, 2006 Yeah you can retension it in the car quite easily - can I just ask though, is the whine apparent from the moment you turn the key or does it appear once the engine has warmed up? I'm trying to fix a similar whine on my car but when the engine's cold it isn't there and I can't touch the engine when it's hot. The expansion of the engine itself as it gets hot puts considerably more tension on a cambelt. When the engine also has an alloy block that expansion is even greater. Sometimes a belt needs to be a tad slack when cold to be the right tension when hot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ALEX 98 1 Cars Posted July 26, 2006 Easy to check if it is the alternator - take the drive belt off and see if ti still whines. Or just spray it with WD40. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob_the_Sparky 9 Posted July 26, 2006 The expansion of the engine itself as it gets hot puts considerably more tension on a cambelt. When the engine also has an alloy block that expansion is even greater. Sometimes a belt needs to be a tad slack when cold to be the right tension when hot. Very useful info, mines whines once warm but sounds OK when cold - I detect a good reason why... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gavin Waddell 18 Posted August 2, 2006 that is what i was going to ask next. i thing that both my tensionerse are a full do you think if i slacken them a bit it will whine less? alsowhen i rebuilt the engine it started and didnt whine then lefy it for a couple of monthe and it whines? will try the losening trick tomorrow gavin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GLPoomobile 958 Posted August 3, 2006 Sorry to hijack, but I have whine as well on my 8v since putting the head back on a refitting the belt. I thought maybe it was rubbing something. Seems to only do it when the idle drops below 1k rpm. At least now I know that when I redo the belt I should retention it with the engine warm. My belt seems to slack but I haven't tried it when the engine is warm. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ALEX 98 1 Cars Posted August 3, 2006 Sorry to hijack, but I have whine as well on my 8v since putting the head back on a refitting the belt. I thought maybe it was rubbing something. Seems to only do it when the idle drops below 1k rpm. At least now I know that when I redo the belt I should retention it with the engine warm. My belt seems to slack but I haven't tried it when the engine is warm. Check it's not catching on the cam belt cover. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matt1900 0 Posted August 4, 2006 hmmm, seems to be a common fault then as i have an 8v 1.9 that has had the belt, tensioner and waterpump replaced but starts to wine at 1100 rpm when the engine gets hot. so this explanation of engine expansion seems like a very good one, just one thing though, would it be better to slacken the auto tensioner so it's a bit loose when cold, or just let the engine heat up and then re -tension - or would it not make a difference? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bonzai 2 Posted August 5, 2006 how bazaar, mine has started to whine in the last week or two. but only on startup from cold, and it only lasts a minute or two, its undetectable when warm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest CB-Dave Posted August 5, 2006 the thing is, haynes says to turn the engine over two full rotations by hand, then start it up, run it till the fan cuts in and then slacken the tensioner and retension the belt - it's not like it's anything new! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob_the_Sparky 9 Posted August 7, 2006 Done that and it still whines like a trooper...time to put my new tensioner on me thinks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matt1900 0 Posted August 8, 2006 the thing is, haynes says to turn the engine over two full rotations by hand, then start it up, run it till the fan cuts in and then slacken the tensioner and retension the belt - it's not like it's anything new! ah, nice one for that bit of info - have to say ive never looked at a haynes manual in my life, might be worth investing in one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gavin Waddell 18 Posted August 12, 2006 finally got it sorted, after speaking to a mechanic friend, and look at old pictures of the engine in dismantling state i worked out that the cambelt was waaaaaayyyyyy to tight. so i loosend it and it does whine any more. gavin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niklas 1 Posted August 14, 2006 ...then start it up, run it till the fan cuts in and then slacken the tensioner and retension the belt... Are there actually people doing this?? Even mechanics say they don't do this.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matt1900 0 Posted August 20, 2006 Are there actually people doing this??Even mechanics say they don't do this.. most people probably dont bother, especially if it's not their car, i never did. ive done it now though and the whine has definatly quietened down, although is still there slightly if you really listen out for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
