peter deer Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Hi just replaced my vacuum pump this morning .It was working ,but there was a leak at the top end (the part furthest away from the engine ) there is sort of a lid attached with rivets and I think the oil was seeping through there ,one or several of the rivets must have become slightly loose Just a thought : one could drill the rivets out and replace them with bolts and nuts .This would tighten the lid and suppress the leak has any body done it ?would be a cheap way to resolve the issue ! Questrion now :i hear a sort of rumbling noise coming from the front of the engine ,with occasionally sort of a grinding impact First ,i thought a bearing had gone ,probably the alterantor one I took the secondary belt out ,started the engine :no noise at all. So the problem is either : Water pump :changed 3 month ago tensioner pulley steering pump alternator I have checked manually for any hard point on these 4 pulleys :everything looks normal,no hard point ,no noise ,no significant play Weird !have you ever come accross this ? Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 I wouldn't mess with anything to do with brakes because if it fails and you end up stuffed up somebody's tailpipe the insurers will (could) crucify you if the manufacturer says it is a non serviceable part... sounds like a bearing noise to me perhaps water pump? alternator bearing is usually a loud whirring/whining noise try taking off the viscous fan unit and see if it is the bearing in that, those bearings fail all the time had about 4 new viccy units on my 2.5 year old 90 all under warranty!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter deer Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 I wouldn't mess with anything to do with brakes because if it fails and you end up stuffed up somebody's tailpipe the insurers will (could) crucify you if the manufacturer says it is a non serviceable part...sounds like a bearing noise to me perhaps water pump? alternator bearing is usually a loud whirring/whining noise try taking off the viscous fan unit and see if it is the bearing in that, those bearings fail all the time had about 4 new viccy units on my 2.5 year old 90 all under warranty!! good point what you say about insurance !! Viscous fan ,I looked at it closely in situ ;i can turn it easily ,with no hard point ,same as alternator ,water pump ,steering pump and tensioner !! I'm starting to think it is a worn bearing in one of these but as this fault is recent ,it only shows at high revs/with tensionned belt i am trhinking of continuing to drive carefully In all logic ,it should become worse and worse ,and then i'll be able to see where it comes from By G ,what a relief when I could see it did not come from the engine itself peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco_Dunk Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I wouldn't necessarily rely on the logic of it getting worse until you can identify it properly. I had a similar experience - I knew the bearing was iffy in either my alternator or water-pump, but couldn't tell which one......... until the alternator seized, fan-belt snapped and I had a ride home on the back of the big yellow taxi (he was a very nice man). Is it possible to buy (or rig) a short belt that'll run just the individual units? - obviously only for test purposes in the garage, but maybe it'd help to identify which bit is on it's way out? Nick a pair of the missus' stockings Dunk good point what you say about insurance !!Viscous fan ,I looked at it closely in situ ;i can turn it easily ,with no hard point ,same as alternator ,water pump ,steering pump and tensioner !! I'm starting to think it is a worn bearing in one of these but as this fault is recent ,it only shows at high revs/with tensionned belt i am trhinking of continuing to drive carefully In all logic ,it should become worse and worse ,and then i'll be able to see where it comes from By G ,what a relief when I could see it did not come from the engine itself peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter deer Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 I wouldn't necessarily rely on the logic of it getting worse until you can identify it properly. I had a similar experience - I knew the bearing was iffy in either my alternator or water-pump, but couldn't tell which one......... until the alternator seized, fan-belt snapped and I had a ride home on the back of the big yellow taxi (he was a very nice man). Is it possible to buy (or rig) a short belt that'll run just the individual units? - obviously only for test purposes in the garage, but maybe it'd help to identify which bit is on it's way out? Nick a pair of the missus' stockings Dunk VERY GOOD ,YOUR IDEA OF TESTING THE PULLEYS INDIVIDUALLY I'LL TRY IT ! PETER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I have never tried it but you might also be able to test them by getting some thin twine, wrapping it round the pulley and then pulling it off quickly to accelerate the alternator or whatever to somewhere close to operating speed? The other thing that is good for locating noises is a mechanics stethoscope, mine has a metal "prod" you can put against things to detect noises inside them, or you can split it and use the "cup" half roving round the engine bay as a very effective and directional noise-finder. Just don't put it against a cold Tdi engine running Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 It is possible on a 300tdi to carry a belt which does not go round the alternator, and also one which does not run the power steering pump. I can get the numbers for you if you like. These were carried by a friend on a big trip up into Africa. Re the vacuum pump - many have tried to fix them but I don't think anyone has actually succeeded with one. They are definitely not made to be serviced at all. The piston that bears on the camshaft often starts to break up with age as well. I have heard of people fitting a blanking plate and then fitting an alternator off a Jap vehicle with a vacuum pump on it, rather like the TD5 setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter deer Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 Thanks for all the advice I do not have a sthetoscope ,but I use a metal rod :one end on the part to investigate ,and the other pressed against the ear It is quite useful Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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