weird whine from mk3 1.2 16v

[Martin_172]

Hi guys, got a mk3 1.2 16v expression with 35k on the clock 2007 07 plate thats making a stupid whine noise, it started about 2 months ago and got louder and louder so i took it into renault under warranty (the joys!)

they said it needed an alternator belt?! so they changed it and it didnt fix the problem so they told me to book it in for a new alternator!

so it got booked in for a new alternator and came back out sounding much better untill i got home and it was sounding like a hair dryer again, opened up the bonnet and was still the same alternator, so phoned them up and they told me they replaced the alternator belt!! cheers!

so it went back in and got a new alternator, once again sounded a bit better for a week but its sounding the same again!

its deffo coming from the alternator/air con compressor area but i cant work out what it is!

any ideas?

EDIT: also forgot to add, this happens when in gear, in neutral, moving not moving, all the time basically! and gets more high pitched as the revs rise

 

[Mark One]

Ok, your right, a wine that has a pitch related to engine revs is something on either the aux belt or the cambelt.
Thank fully, you have a lot of room in your engine bay. One test you can do to locate it is a little test using a very long screw driver. With the engine running, carefully! place the tip of the screw driver on the axle bolt head (or any stationary part) of a tensioner/pulley/waterpump/altenator. The wine will be amplified by the screw driver and you may find it's the water pump or the PAS pump.
If it's still unclear have someone rev the engine gently while you do the screw driver test.

 

[Peperami]

Camblet too tight? Does the car judder at all on idle?

 

[Martin_172]

screwdriver test ive already done and no further ahead still cant pin point it! :S

cambelt too tight is kinda what it sounds like but surely it would have been like that from day one its less than a year old? and the thing that confuses me is the fact the second time it went in, to get a new alternator but they didnt actually change it, but it was better for about a day?! its weird! and then with a new alternator it was better for a week and its started again, its a weird one!

i cant say ive noticed any judder on idle but to be honest it does seem to judder when pulling away?

 

[Mark One]

mate. If you can't find it on the aux belt. It's going to be something on the cambelt.
If you can change it do it, then perhaps get someone else to tension it. Or get someone else good to do the cambelt. They are really easy on 1.2 16vs.

I would just say remove the covers, and check the tension. But even if it is too tight, the damage to the bearings will probably already be done TBH, so new pulleys and tensioners required.

Edit: Just noticed you say it's under warranty - Go into the dealer, and LAY DOWN THE LAW. make sure that they solve it and you don't get the car back until it has stopped wining. Don't let them fob you off

 

[Martin_172]

changing the cambelt isnt a problem ive done loads on the D4F its just because this is under warranty, only problem being because its one of our driving school cars we cant afford it to be off the road for more than half a day so really it needs to go in, get something changed and if it doesnt get fixed it needs to get re booked in for another time,

ill tell them i want a new cambelt kit on it see what they say, its just weird the noise dissapears for a day or 2 everytime it goes in?!

 

[Mark One]

gutted. That is a complication indeed

 

[Sean6545]

Its the auxillary belt tensioner. Iv done quite a few