recently, my 1990 2ltr TD townie has been making a whirring / gurgling sound when accelerating.

According to my wife there is now also a smell of burning rubber.

Does anything come immediately to mind before I have a look?


Steve..

- (#8541) Steve Lewis, 15 Feb 04 12:03

Hello Steve.
It could be the beginning of a seized bearing on one of the ancillaries like the alternator, Power steering pump etc. If its seizing up the belt will start to slip and squeal and melt, thus causing your burning rubber smell

- (#8541) dave Bright, 16 Feb 04 07:08

Hmmm, the fan belt has slipped occasionally recently, but it does not sound as if it does this very often.

Steve.....

- (#8541) Steve Lewis, 16 Feb 04 10:15

yes It is proberbly your fanbelt slipping, I have just tightened mine up because it had become so bad.
you have to lift the passenger seat to access the engine,remove the drivers seat, remove the H-L gear knob,remove the 4 screws from the gear shift cover and lift it off,disconect the linkages from both gear levers and all wireing looms,this will then enable you to remove all the bolts and lift out the floor pan from under the drivers seat,once into that side of the engine bay you then remove the fan to radiator cover by removing the top 2 bolts .
You can now get at your fan belts with ease,
good look, its quite easy really (i'm no macanic)

- (#8541) kevin Bateman, 19 Feb 04 13:57

Seems to me that it only happens when beginning to accelerate, so I think it may be something to do with the turbo???

It's more like a whirring sound with a shhhhhhhh at the same time.

I will retighten the fan belt just in case, but I do not believe it is the problem.

I have a problem as I am deaf in one ear so cannot tell where sounds are coming from. I have heard this noise before but cannot remember what the cause is.

Anyone into hypnotism?


Steve...

- (#8541) Steve Lewis, 20 Feb 04 14:32

Hi Steve.
Does it sound like radio interference on an unsuppressed engine?
Does either turbo light come on?
It could still be a baring that is seizing up so it might be worth stripping the front out, removing the belts and spinning each pulley to see if one is tight.

- (#8541) dave Bright, 21 Feb 04 03:23

If it does turn out to be a bearing on one of the pulleys, how do I cure that?


I won't have the time to strip it down for just over a week.


Steve......

- (#8541) Steve Lewis, 21 Feb 04 11:58

replace...

- (#8541) david miller, 21 Feb 04 12:44

As mr Miller suggests replace. However it may be the idler pulley, this can be taken off and soaked in oil overnight, dried and greased and back in use the next day. I did this with one on my spacecruiser lasted two more years before a breakers one replaced it, it was still going but with the odd screaming banshee!

- (#8541) Clive (Bristol), 21 Feb 04 13:34

Forgot to answer the question from "Dave Bright".

It could be argued that it may sound like radio interference, but it's not exactly like it.

Forget the smell of rubber burning, it must have been a coincidence, as it has not been smelt for some time now.

We are going on a longish run tomorrow, so I will try and work out exactly when it happens. It is my wife who uses the Townie most.


Steve......

- (#8541) Steve Lewis, 21 Feb 04 15:14

Steve,
What would help is, if you could identify where the noise is comming from. I appreciate that if your deaf in one ear, that location is a problem. Get your wife to sit in the back and help identify where it is - front, back, right, left. Lift the engine cover and drive it to see if it gets louder etc: What about getting a long screwdriver and placing it against the engine in various locations ( Rev engine ) and put your good ear against the other end. Like an improvised stethoscope. I have found this has helped identify an exact location for engine noise.

- (#8541) stephen judge, 21 Feb 04 16:25

Hi Steve,
I had a similar problem last Wednesday. Returning from London I got almost home when I heard a similar noise. It wasn’t radio interference but sounded nearly the same, and appeared to be coming from the back of the van. It was pegged to the engine speed with no overrun so I figured it wasn’t the turbo, but the turbo definitely wasn’t working. My guess is that it was something to do with the vacuum pump and it sounded like it was at the back of the van because the pump is right in front of the rear heater air intake. I have no idea what caused it because as I managed to exit the outside lane to find somewhere to pull over, the noise stopped, and hasn‘t returned since.

- (#8541) dave Bright (Bournemouth), 22 Feb 04 02:09