Fabia 1.4 TDI 2007 BNV Engine.

 

I have narrowed the noise down to the auxiliary belt but don't know whether it's the tensioner or the alternator pulley. The tensioner roller/pulley has a slight bit more play than my other car has and I am suspecting it is therefore the tensioner, but obviously don't want to buy the wrong part.

 

Is there any way of testing either unit to be sure ?

 

DB.

Edited 26 July, 20169 yr by mogwye

You can check to see if the alternator pulley has seized by trying to turn the internal cooling fan with a small screwdriver. It should turn one way but not the other.

Mechanic's stethoscope would soon tell you. Inexpensive to acquire.

If it's the tensioner pulley, consider removing just the pulley, lifting the grease seal on the bearing and re-greasing if it has all gone. Nice free fix.

Edited 26 July, 20169 yr by Wino

If it is the tensioner pulley, is this a separate replaceable part ?

 

DB.

Probably. Pretty sure there was a part number on mine when I took it off the tensioner, which yielded search results on ebay, even though VAG show the whole tensioner as the minimum replacement usually, I think.   But I didn't bother ordering one, because having lifted the grease seal and found it dry as a bone in there, I was fairly sure a bit of grease would quieten it down.  It did, totally.

 

Must give a credit to sepulchrave here. It was him saying that this was an easy fix that led to me trying it.  It feels at first as if you might damage the seal as you try to prise it off, but once you see it off, you realise that it's more robust than it first appears.

 

This all assumes that your pulley/tensioner is similar, but I can't see it being hugely different.

Probably. Pretty sure there was a part number on mine when I took it off the tensioner, which yielded search results on ebay, even though VAG show the whole tensioner as the minimum replacement usually, I think.   But I didn't bother ordering one, because having lifted the grease seal and found it dry as a bone in there, I was fairly sure a bit of grease would quieten it down.  It did, totally.

 

Must give a credit to sepulchrave here. It was him saying that this was an easy fix that led to me trying it.  It feels at first as if you might damage the seal as you try to prise it off, but once you see it off, you realise that it's more robust than it first appears

 

This all assumes that your pulley/tensioner is similar, but I can't see it being hugely different.

 

 

 

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Good call Wino & Sepulchrave - Excellent tip - After struggling to remove the torx mushroom headed bolt I eventually resorted to a hammer & drift, I removed the seal, dosed it up with HT grease and it's now nice and quiet.

 

DB.

Edited 26 July, 20169 yr by mogwye