Technical Horrible noise from a mk2 JTD

[mars103]

Hi Everyone,

my punto has got this rattle/tapping. Its on an X Reg, been round the moon and back (123k miles) and is only just starting to have a few problems,

So this rattle/tapping, it happens very loudly on startup, then once the engine is running it quietens down a bit but is still rather loud, if the steering wheel is turned quickly the noise gets louder, but it goes away once the engine is revved above about 1500 rpm, it also seems to go away when the car has been driven for 30 mins or so...

the sound seems to be coming from the drivers side of the engine

This got me thinking, could it be the alternator, with it having electric power steering, if the wheel is turned quickly there is more demand for electricity so the noise gets louder, i can only assume the bearings have gone, when it gets hot everything expands and stops the noise, and when the engine revs up it all balances out as the engine has stopped rocking around so much


had a look on the fiat technical CD and the alternator looks like a horrid job...

any other thoughts will be greatly appreciated....


Cheers

Matt

 

[mars103]

any ideas ??

 

[toad101]

could be the tensioner's, when was the cambelt changed? i'd get them checked as you don't won't them to seize and snap the belts

 

[mars103]

I've had it sorted now but I thought it might be helpful to post what it actually was

Turned out to be the bottom auxiliary pulley part cost £85

 

[wejohnson]

sorry to bump an old thread what will happen if you don't fix this part

 

[a1ant]

Hi mate,

If you don't fix it, eventually the two halves of the aux pulley can seperate. If your lucky it will just mean ur aux belt will come off and the alternator will stop charging and as a result you will lose power steering and of course air con if you have it.

If your unlucky, when the pulley breaks it will also take the cambelt with it as it smashes through the cambelt cover, and cause a whole lot more damage possibly resulting in severe engine damage.

If you fit the new upgraded pulley, you will also need the upgraded bolts that go with it as they are slightly longer than the originals.

A good way to test if the noise is your bottom aux pulley is to remove the six drive belt and start the car. If the rattle is still there it's not your aux pulley. Whilst your at it, check the condition/play in the aux belt auto tensioner as these are also prone to failing.

Alan

 

[wejohnson]

Ok thanks when I was pulling into my drive after driving home from work my power steering went turned it off and back on and it came back working the light come up on dash aswell x

 

[wejohnson]

But the belt is still attached to alternator :/

 

[wejohnson]

Could it be a differnt problem I have to use the car today aswell

 

[wejohnson]

Hi mate sorry to bump this again but its not the part on the alternator its the spool on the engine still for the alternator belt but not the one directly attached to the alternator if you get me lol whats this part called x

 

[a1ant]

Hi mate,

The one Im refering to is the crank shaft pulley (aka axillary drive belt pulley). Its the biggest pulley out of the lot connected directly to the engine that drives the auxiliary drive belt. Its metal in construction with a rubber anti vibration core and held on by 4 torx bolts. in the centre of it.

You then also have an auto tensioner and idler wheels depending on if you have air con or not. These have black plastic wheels.

In the above pic its the large pulley top right of photo.

Going back to the OP, they are referring to the cam belt tensioner. I suggest disconnecting the auxiliary drive belt (the one that drives your alternator) and start the car. 9 times out of 10 on these it will either be the alternator, auxiliary belt tensioner or the auxiliary pulley itself. If the noise is gone, then you know its one of them and you can inspect and replace as necessary. (all easy)

IF the noise is still present, then you can rule them out and you know you need to investigate further.

IF it were the cambelt tensioner, then if it were to fail then potentially the belt would brake or fall off and severe damage could be done to your engine. When was your cambelt last changed? Is it due?

Alan

 

[wejohnson]

Hi mate really appreciate this all ive got my bro filling me with loads of rubbish and I got my arm in there and its definitely the crankshaft pulley as there is a lot of play can wobble it slightly with my hand my power steering has failed now and my light on the dash has xome up the one saying a bulb has gone can this all be due to the crankshaft pulley many thanks mate x

 

[a1ant]

Hi mate,

The EPS and bulb failure warning lights are "unlikely" the be linked to the failing crank shaft pulley. There is a slight possibility thAt the EPS failure is linked if the crank shaft pulley is so bad that it's not turning the alternator properly.

When you replace the crank shaft pulley, you will more than likely get the upgraded version. Make sure you get the upgraded set of 4 bolts ASWELL, as the old ones will no longer fit.

Alan

 

[wejohnson]

Ok thanks mate another one for you sorry about all this, I ran out of diesel and now my punto wont start after putting more in whats the solution to this as really need my car for xmas many thanks will x

 

[a1ant]

Hi mate, no worries,

Keep turning the key to MAR but do not start. You should hear the LP pump under the rear seat kick in. When it stops, turn the ignition back off, wait a second, then turn it back on to MAR again. Do this several times. When you stop hearing bubbles returning to the tank, try and start the car, hopefully this time it should start.

If not let us know as there are a few other things to try.

Good luck,
Alan

 

[varesecrazy]

:idea:also prod the button under passenger seat..bumping up a kerb to get off road can be enough to kick-in this fuel cut-off system

let us know how it goes,
Charlie

 

[wejohnson]

Just keeps on bubbling wont stop ?

 

[wejohnson]

And there is no buttong under the passenger seat:/

 

[a1ant]

Hi mate,

If the pump is priming then you don't need to worry about the inertia cut off button. On a punto mk2 it's located underneath the glove box in the passenger footwell, but as I say, if the LP pump is priming when the key is turned to MAR then the inerta cut off switch won't have tripped.

Did you run the car untill it completely ran out of diesel and the engine stopped? If so it will have emptied a lot of the fuel lines etc so will take a fair bit of priming.

You could remove the fuel filter on the bulkhead and fill it with fresh diesel and replace it to speed things up a bit.

Also make sure that you have a fair bit of diesel in the tank, ie not 5l out of a fuel can, so that the pump is properly immersed.

Alan

 

[chaos]

I was under the impression that it was possible to airlock the injectors on a JTD and that might require going to a dealer to sort...