As said above, squealing is where it is too loose or knackered, been there with both, eliminate one at a time, 30 seconds with out any of the belts won't hurt and a mechanics stethoscope has turned out invaluable I've found

Thanks, everyone - very much appreciated

There is no squealing, it's just a loud rattling / flapping, as if something is unscrewing itself or coming off (although, nothing actually seems to be doing that!) It WAS squealing until I tightened up the top tensioner.

The noise must have something to do with the alternator belt, as there was no noise when that was too loose to rotate. The noise only began when that belt was tightened and began to rotate.

Todor, I will check through this in order, however, the aircon is deleted from the car, so the alternator belt is only attached to the alternator pulley, and crankshaft pulley (of course, it touches the tensioner pulley too, it runs underneath)



So, I think the problem must lie with those pulleys. As the crankshaft pulley and alternator pulley haven't been touched, logically I think the problem must lie with the tensioner pulley - I will check that again tomorrow, first, perhaps it is out of alignment

S

wow hang on, if you tighten the 17mm it should turn freely because of the bearings(if the belt is off). if you lock it up when its tight then the bearings have failed. that will also give you a rattling when running if you've loosened it to be able to turn. As I said before, I snapped my tensioner bracket on every v6 I've owned. I can only hold the tension on the belt by tightening the 17mm as tight as i can while a jack pushes the pulley up enough to tension the belt.

Sorry after thought> Also check you have the spacer behind the tensioner pulley and you're not tightening the pulley against the bracket

Yes, I agree with brucie, as mentioned above my money's on the tensioner bearing being shot.

OK, so we're possibly talking about a bearing being shot, here?



I will double-check for the spacer tomorrow

S

[EDIT]

Took the pulley off - bearing is fine.

SPACER WAS ON THE WRONG WAY

It goes this way (the smooth black side towards the tensioner bracket)



NOT this way (silver side towards the tensioner bracket)



Easy to get it wrong, as it fits the pulley more snugly this way around. But then, it doesn't act like a spacer!

Pulley now spinning fine.

Still a bit of noise but that might be just the belt tension - fingers crossed

S

Hi Serena (& brucie)

Well done, now for that MoT!!

good to see its sorted.

It was you that put me onto spacer, though ... I hadn't even thought about it!

S

very easy to overlook especially when its not visible. I was more along the lines of bearing problem and while I was re-thinking my own experiences i wondered if the spacer had fell off while attaching the pulley which would have pushed the pulley against the bracket, so I nearly missed it too, hence the after thought comment lol.

Well done Serena,

was thinking it might end up being a bearing...which is was in a way. But I did not know about the spacer though!

Patrick

So the V6 is finally up here in Staffordshire with me (trailered the other day).

EDIT: (as I wrote about having issues with the tensioner)

Engine now running fine, no squeal on startup. I faffed about with the tensioner and think perhaps the vertical screw was in the wrong starting position (the bracket had fallen apart once before and I had to re-thread it).

So, now to bleed the PAS, and if I can fix the tiny leak on that, then perhaps I can get it through a MOT.

S

Butch, this afternoon at my new place, finally looking presentable.



I started to load up some new gold wheels (new to me; they were on Minnie before), but the existing rear offside wheel has decided to stick to the hub. I've tried everything short of dynamite (penetrating oil, bashing the wheel with a rubber mallet, kicking it, rocking the car with wheel on the floor, swearing at it), but the bloody thing won't move.

I'm desperate to get the car to Donnington, though, which is only the weekend after next, and of course I also have to work. So, as I don't have time to mess about with stubborn wheels, I'll probably forget the niceties and just spend every minute of the little time I have left trying to resolve the PAS leak - and there IS still a leak somewhere - so I can attempt to get a MOT

Of course, it doesn't need PAS to get a MOT - PAS is only an assist, it's not safety critical - but the car is a pig to drive without it and I don't intend to try.

I don't know where the fluid is coming from, as the pump is unplugged at the moment, so the fluid isn't being forced around the system when the engine is running; yet it's dripping off the subframe underneath. The connectors at the steering rack are sealed up tighter than a duck's y-fronts, so I'm presuming something's come loose at the pump and the fluid is literally just spilling out.

However, I've eliminated the engine rattle and the belt squeal, and the engine's sounding fantastic, so perhaps after 18 months we're finally crawling towards a conclusion

At least now I'm finally living in the same place as the car, I can actually get some work done on it; rather than having to plan the work around occasional trips to my folks' place, which - apart from the great British weather, of course - is mostly what's been holding me up.

S

For the stuck wheel, get a breaker bar or a crowbar between the wheel and something solid underneath - the rear wheels on my old Mazda 6 used to get stuck on too

Fingers crossed you can get the leak sorted!

Or drive it with the nuts loose, (not right undone though!!) you'll know when it comes free as it'll rattle or even clunk when it comes free

Cheers guys.


I'll try that when I have it off the floor again, if the WD40 doesn't do its job


While I can see that working, I'm not sure I want to drive with loose wheel nuts, even a short distance - can you vouch for safety?!

The other thing is ... it has no tax or MOT and I can't take it off the drive, even to test the PAS!

S

most extreme i've ever had to go with a stuck wheel was a piece of wood and jack from other wheel, I can usually belt them off with a mash hammer from behind

So, a few days ago, with the car finally on my own drive, I thoroughly bled the PAS ... but it didn't work. I tried again, manoeuvred it around the drive ... nothing, it still has the manouvrability of a sinking oil tanker.

At that point I was close to washing my hands of the car, as I'd finally stopped all the leaks and stopped the belt squealing, and I was planning to get a MOT today and take it to Donnington on Saturday.

After whingeing on WhatsApp - sorry Lerch, Hughie, Andy, but I desperately needed some common-sense input or that point I'd have done something unwise involving petrol and matches - I had some good advice. Then AndyM came over yesterday to have a look, and as there's no noise from the pump, it seems likely that the pump has failed.

Which means dismantling the entire PAS system yet again and replacing the pump. Fortunately I have a spare from the donor car, I just hope it's in working order.

Usually I'm fairly upbeat about these things, and when resolving problems I have the tenacity of a rottweiler, but after 18 months of owning and insuring a car I can't drive, right now I'm prepared to openly admit that I'm depressed and exhausted with it, and bruised by the constant disappointments of planning to take it to shows or on the track, and then being unable to. Andy is urging me to just attack the job, one more time, and get it done, which is the best advice. But right now I'm so frustrated with it, that if I try to do it again I'm likely to throw a fit at the first annoyance and permanently walk away.

So, I think the best thing is to back off, leave it until my anger and frustration subsides, and find a day when I dare to go almost back to square one, take everything off, and reinstall the PAS for what must be the 5th or 6th time. At least I won't have to deal with the steering column connections again.

Apologies for the downbeat and perhaps too honest update, but for the moment that's where we stand with it. As and when I do find the inclination to "JFDI", I'll update here

S

Serena,

sorry you're having so much trouble with the P/S (that's the Aussie abbreviation). But is seems you're so close to having it finished (after all it runs, is registered, etc) that you really don't want to walk away and let someone else finish it off "in 20 mins". A couple of suggestions:

1) Stuck wheel:
a) Once you have the car securely supported on stands and the wheel nuts are off, check that the wheel isn't being held on by bent/twisted studs.
b) You'll need a stout whacking mallet or 3lb club hammer (metal) and a piece of e.g. 70x35mm pine Pine's good as it's cheap, relatively soft (absorbs impact shock) and light (easy to hold). Place the pine against the inner rim, across as much as possible. Whack the pine with the club hammer- I tend to hit "one-TWO!" with the first hit being a stout tap that acts as a practice swing to gauge how hard to actually hit the second time. Sometimes the first tap is enough. Go around the rim repeating the process until it comes loose. You can gradually increase the hit strength as required. The pine will protect the rim from damage.

2) P/S. This one's obviously now taking the enjoyment out of the car for you and that's a bad thing for what is effectively a "hobby" or "toy". Perhaps you could just let someone else finish this bit off for you? Last thing you want is to get in and remember "That #*&% power steering!"

You're almost there! No, really!! Stick with it!!!

Patrick

Hi Serena, as Patrick says, you're just about done, i know the feelings you have only too well, twice now ive been so close to getting my car how i want it only to fall at the rusty hurdle.
As much as i prefer to work on my own cars at all costs, sone times its wise to just say f**k it, give someone the keys and tell them to give you back a working car. Youve torn down the PAS so many times now it must be driving you crazy.

Then when you get the keys back, enjoy the drive, its it's closer than you imagine

Wow amazing little jem of an F that

Sorry to read about the P/S system being buggered.
On the positive side you've stripped and rebuilt it that many times, you can do it blindfolded as your now a zen master.

If you want a chuck just give me a shout.

Hi Serena,
Stick at it!!!!!!
You & Andy must have so much time on your hands now you've been knocked out of Wimbledon.

You've had the car only 18 months? My project BA has been around longer than that, and isn't working yet!
The V6 is a lovely car when it's working. Think of that ....

Serena stop doing a John After Donington tomorrow, set aside a single day to just crack on - whip the pump off (at least you don't have to touch the rack or anything), throw the spare pump on and see where that gets you.

If it's still knackered after that, scrap it

Thanks one and all, I'll stop whingeing now

Patrick - re wheel, I'll do that. The inherent problem is not being male and not quite having the strength to hit the thing hard enough. Embarrassing, but biologically inescapable!

Paul - yep, at least the rest of the car is in one piece, and in that respect I have nothing to complain about

Jinglebells - cheers buddy, that really did make me laugh

S

Sod off and go wash your brown car

That's the plan, although I wish whipping the pump off and throwing a spare pump on was an accurate description of the b*d job!

S

I may be male but I'm the proverbial "150lb weakling" with a suspect back and real dodgy shoulders. You don't get strong, you get smart: you get a longer lever!

A 3lb hammer's not heavy but can be awkward to swing in a confined space under the car. Get an axe (with a ~4 ft handle, not a hatchet) and a 6ft piece of wood- even a fence paling will do. Jack the car up. Wedge the wood up against one of the spokes on the inner side of the wheel near the hub. Prop up the other end of the wood outside the vehicle. With your long-handled axe take a nice, long, gravity-assisted swing and hit the exposed end of the wood with the back of the axe head.

Another option: If you can access the hub directly then sharp, tapping on the hub (not the wheel) with a normal hammer can be enough to jar the corrosion loose that's binding the wheel to the hub. Can't tap directly with the hammer? Hit a straight metal bar held against the hub.

Patrick

I have once, experience with a stubborn wheel like that.
One hidraulic jack and piece of wood made everything easier than i thought.
I used the jack lying under the car to push the wheel outwards, pressing one wheel from another(using the wooden bar to fill the space between the jack and other wheel of the car) so it has support from wich will push.
Only took 5 minutes and the wheel was off.
I suprised myself , realy.
Easier than i thought!
Serena, try that if you have the oppotrunity(hidraulic jack, bottle one)
And forget about scrapping the car!!
Pay for a ticket for me to come and make the V6 work for you
Just kidding.
But realy, don't give up like that for something so small(yet it might took you much time, but the joy from driving it when you realise that you made it work by yourself is Priceless!!)
Excuse me for typing errors, i'm drunk right now.. but i'm right!
I think so..
Cheers!

Serena,
Just a thought about your PAS - the symptoms could also indicate a failed power steering control valve, not necessarily the whole pump. Google it for a bit to see if you agree (i.e. a small leak when the car is parked, and heavy or non-operational power).

Also, silly question, but are the pipes all connected up to the right bits, and not the wrong way round!!

Dont give up you're so close, there are only a few things in the manual to check, hard steering=steering gear to column misalignment or lower coupling flange rubbing against steering gear adjuster plug. Low pump pressure =flow control valve stuck or inoperative or pressure plate not flat against cam ring.