2005 Octavia has just started making a weird noise. The exact same noise our Kia Sorento has just started making funnily enough.

Sounds like something being tightened a bit too much and creaking/clicking. Not constant, but fairly regularly every few seconds or so. The kind of sound like when you would wind up a wind up toy or something and you wind it up past the limit?

Looks like it is coming from the alternator area, like with our Kia.

 

Any ideas? We are relying on the Octavia, so it'll need to be sorted asap if it is a big issue.

Here are some pictures of the area. Tried to get a video of the sound, but all I got was a hissing sound of that area, like an air leak almost?

 

 

Can't upload anywhere near what I wanted to upload due to file size.

There seems to be oil around this area too. Splattered onto the bonnet directly above? Can't really show what I'm trying to show with the picture it is letting me upload. Directly below the alternator there is an oily patch and on the pipe below. 

No oil is left on the ground however.

Edited 18 February, 20197 yr by gman88667733

Also, I have only just noticed it and the car was cold. I'll keep an eye out when it is warmed up, definitely hasn't done it when warm before today!

Just another thought. When you first start it up there is a clattery noise for a second or two.

Edited 18 February, 20197 yr by gman88667733

Managed to get a low quality video to upload. This doesn't show the main sound as it wasn't doing it during the duration of time that I filmed! However, there is a slight hissing sound in the background, not sure if that is normal either.

I can't play the clip but I would guess it's road salt that's making the auxiliary belt noisy on the pulleys.

 

A good hosing of the belt with the engine running should clean it or just give it time to clear itself.

Is that common? It is quite a loud creak when it does it

Just to rule it out, I would check the belt tensioner for wear.

 

Can I do that whilst it is in situ?

You need to take off the aux belt which will mean taking off the road wheel, wheel liner and under tray to gain access. 

Unless you are competent with the spanners, the rest is probably best left to a garage as it requires releasing the tension and locking the tensioner in place. 

As your belt looks a bit shiny due to oil or wear, an alternative is to ask a garage to replace the belt and check the tensioner for wear. When was the belt changed last?

Remove belt, run engine and if noise is no longer apparent then its either the belt, tensioner, alternator bearings or clutch if fitted.

I have no records of a new belt at any point. I got the car in July with 90,600 miles on it. It now has 99,800 miles on it.

I'll check again later, but I think it may be oil on the belt? There seems to be a splatter of oil in that area that has gone onto the bonnet as well. It last had fresh oil in September when it had a new turbo.

Edited 19 February, 20197 yr by gman88667733

Are any of the 4 jobs listed above particularly expensive at garage prices?

@gman88667733

Unless you record a video showing the issue described acting, we can't tell for sure what it is. I mean, if you can't tell when you have full and direct access to the car with all 5 senses, how would you expect us to help? I wouldn't start any repair/maintenance job unless you have at least pinpointed the area where the noise is loudest. In absence of the video we can only speculate for a tensioner/belt/clutch fault. That is not diagnose and can cost you money chasing red herrings.

Gotcha. I'll try and get a better recording this evening, may just have to be a mp3 file.

Is it worth using some sort of tube against different parts to see if that amplifies any sound?

A loud clicking might be a dry or collapsing bearing or tensioner.

 

At 100,000 miles, with no history of a cambelt change, that would be my first priority.

 

Whilst the belt is off it'll be easier to either diagnose or rule out the source of the clicking.

 

Plan for around £350 - £450 for a cambelt and waterpump including labour and VAT.

Isn't that a clutched pulley on that alternator? Won't it be that?

 

Edited 19 February, 20197 yr by Wino

Sorry, should've said. The cambelt was last done in 2014 at 36k miles I believe. Nothing since then.

As Wino said it could be a one way pulley as that was used in 1.9 L Mk1 Octavia. A failed alternator pulley will quickly cause the aux belt tensioner to fail too, so both will normally need to be replaced at the same time.

Just give the belt a splash from a cup of water whilst the engine is running, if it's contamination that's making it noisy it'll stop almost immediately and return as the water dries off.

Off-vehicle testing

If one of these tests fails, the overrunning alternator pulley should be replaced immediately:

Test 1 (left)

1. Hold the inner ring
2. Try to rotate the outer ring in the same direction as the belt would
3. The outer ring should not move. If it does, replace the overrunning alternator pulley

Test 2 (right)

1. Hold the inner ring.
2. Rotate the outer ring in the opposite direction as the belt would.
3. The outer ring should rotate. If it doesn’t, replace the overrunning alternator pulley.

 

On-vehicle testing

• Have the engine running at idle and check belt tensioner movement. If excessive, this may be the first indication of a worn overrunning alternator pulley.
• Rev up the engine to approximately 2000-2500 revolutions per minute (rpm). Then shut it off and listen for a buzzing sound coming from the alternator. If you hear a short buzzing sound (1 to 5 seconds), the pulley’s bearing may have worn out and the overrunning alternator pulley may require replacement.
• A short chirp noise during engine start-up or shut down is most likely caused by a worn overrunning alternator pulley. A worn overrunning alternator pulley often blocks and performs like a solid pulley. This will cause the belt to slip across the pulley surface during belt and alternator speed fluctuations.

 

Special test for overrunning alternator decouplers

OADs have an additional functionality and require special testing.

OADs should have a smooth spring feel in the drive direction and spin freely in the opposite direction. If not, the OAD requires replacement.

Note: The internal spring is strong and will require use of a wrench and special tool to properly diagnose the pulley.

 

So I've sprayed the pulley + belt with wd40 silicone lubricant spray and the background hissing sound went away immediately. I can't get it to reproduce the weird creaking sound now, but will keep trying. I revved the engine to 2k RPM and shut the engine off. All I got was a sound of air releasing, I assume from the turbo. No odd noises other than that.

One odd thing is, my radiator has a wet patch on it and behind it and in front of it on the bumper where the bonnet shuts there is a small patch of dark oil. Strange? I'll attach some shots of it lets me, if not I'll try and downgrade the quality and add them.

 

From the photos you can see the bonnet latch near the radiator has oil on top of it, so does the edge of the engine cover. Could this have been just spilt oil when the garage topped it up when they did an oil change in September?

 

 

Also, if the tensioner pulley is the bit that is diagonally backwards from the clutch pulley, then that doesn't have excessive movement, it moves maybe a very small amount each way, when the engine is running.

Edited 19 February, 20197 yr by gman88667733

You were supposed to wash the belt clean not add lubricant...

 

Honestly some folk are dangerous!

I figured it would be harmless?! I'd read in a few places of people using plain old wd40 for it.

Tonight's job will be to spray it with plain water then. 

The fact that the noise went away when sprayed (even if I used the wrong thing.. oops!), does that suggest a part is at fault? I sprayed the alternator clutch pulley first and that is when the noise pretty much stopped. 

I suppose a belt and pulley replacement is about £130 all in, so not too bad for some peace of mind.

 

Edited 20 February, 20197 yr by gman88667733

The last piece of advice I'm giving is give the running belt a good wash by pouring hot water with detergent on it and rinsing well with clean water from a hose or watering can.

 

As previously mentioned, the noise is most likely from age hardening/polished friction area and atmospheric pollutants such as road salt/grit and so replacement is not necessary IMO.

Managed to reproduce the creaking sound. It is when you turn the steering wheel, weirdly?

I'll attach a sound file, not sure if it'll show up, but should do.

Record-00111

 

Probably more like a clicking sound if anything. I've only noticed is when the car is warm.

Edited 20 February, 20197 yr by gman88667733