Pug 106 (Remeber those?) Noise in Engine Bay

[Pete731]

I have a Peugeot 106 which I am trying to keep going for now. Took it for a head gasket change and now it is intermittently making this noise when cold.

When I rev it a bit the noise stops. Took it back to the garage who said it was the alternator belt or the alternator and they changed the belt. It seems slightly better now but it is still making the noise.

They had the cambelt off when they did the head gasket so this makes me suspicious. I might take the alternator belt off and try it.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this type of noise.

https://youtube.com/shorts/5710mNJtK5I

(The video clip was before the garage changed the alternator belt).

Edited by Pete731 on Monday 23 January 16:57

Edited by Pete731 on Monday 23 January 16:58

[Krikkit]

I think you're right to be worried - take the aux belt off and start it again, see if the noise persists.

Being an 8v TU engine all you'll need to do is loosen the alternator with a 10mm or 13mm (can't remember which), 5 minute job.

Edited by Krikkit on Monday 23 January 17:07

[Pete731]

Thanks for that. I will, and duly report back findings.

[Pete731]

Just reporting back. I have been using the 106 this week and the noise seems to have stopped by itself. Or if it is still there it is too quiet for me to hear.
Really annoying in a way as I want to get to the bottom of it. Plan of action is to just keep using it and see if noise starts up again.

If I were to change the alternator belt and alternator it couldn't be anything else than the cambelt or tensioner, could it?

Also, there is a plastic cover on the top half of the cam. Looks like 3 bolts to remove it. Perhaps it might be worth removing it to see if the belt is running on the centre of the cam pulley, just for some peace of mind.

[Pete731]

Right. Went to drive it this morning and it whined like a good'un on startup. Immediately turned it off and slackened the alternator belt. Still whined. Took the belt off completely and still whined. Videoed it on my phone and will call in at the garage with said video. Put the belt back on and moved the car after (to get to the tumble dryer) and no whine, so intermittent.

Can I insist the garage sort it at their cost as they had the belt off when they did the head and it was fine before?
They did say previously that IF it did turn out to be cambelt related then I could safely ignore it as the guy telling me this had had a car with a noisy tensioner that he ran for ages (not a Peugeot) without fixing it. I gather the tensioners on these engines can completely fail so I do not want to leave it.

Edited by Pete731 on Saturday 28th January 10:43

[Old Merc]

You don’t say , is it a NEW Cambelt? No one ever puts an old cambelt ( including aux belt ) back on.
Any reputable garage, when replacing a head gasket, would fit a cam belt kit, everything in one box. 2 belts, tensioner, idler pulley and water pump.

[Pete731]

I will go back there tomorrow and see what they have to say.

[GreenV8S]

Pete731 said:

slackened the alternator belt. Still whined. Took the belt off completely and still whined.

That rules out a whole load of problems which are safe to ignore and/or cheap to fix.

What's left is not safe to ignore and potentially expensive.

[Pete731]

Went round to the garage yesterday. I have to leave the car with them for the next few days for them to diagnose and sort.

[TwinKam]

Old Merc said:

You don’t say , is it a NEW Cambelt? No one ever puts an old cambelt ( including aux belt ) back on.
Any reputable garage, when replacing a head gasket, would fit a cam belt kit, everything in one box. 2 belts, tensioner, idler pulley and water pump.

Yes in principle, no when it comes to paying for it all!

[Krikkit]

Pete731 said:

Went round to the garage yesterday. I have to leave the car with them for the next few days for them to diagnose and sort.

Should be easy enough, sounds like the belt's too tight to me, or the cambelt covers have warped/not been quite fitted properly.

[JONATHAN_11_80]

Hi,

The old TU engine is a simple little beast. I reckon the cambelt has been over tensioned which is easily done. Originally these needed a special tool to tension the belt however most dont use this tool and twist the belt 90 degrees to check the tension. The garage need to go back in and check the belt tension.

[Pete731]

I took the car round last week. Still waiting for a response.

[Pete731]

I have the car back now, finally. I asked them what they found and the garage replied that they were unable to find anything wrong and they attributed the noise to the cambelt possibly being a bit tight to start with and that it has bedded in now so should be OK.

I read this as they checked the cambelt tension, found it to be too tight and rectified it. Maybe I am hoping too much here.

[E-bmw]

Pete731 said:

I read this as they checked the cambelt tension, found it to be too tight and rectified it. Maybe I am hoping too much here.

Unfortunately, getting a garage to admit they fooked up & made a schoolboy error is very rare.

[Pete731]

Still not right. It was OK the first two or three times I started it but then on the next startup the whine was back. I don't know if to take it back a fourth time or get someone else to look at it. What annoys me is that they have had the car for a fortnight and said that they could not get it to make the noise in the time they had it. Got it back and the noise was evident on day 1. Not happy.

[Pete731]

Right, just an update.

Just to recap my 106 engine whines on startup from cold for about a minute or so. (Links to videos in earlier post).

I can get the whine to stop by revving the engine, and it won't do it again on that journey.

Can make the noise when stationary and also when moving.

Doesn't usually make the noise when I start it again later in the day.

The problem started after a cylinder head gasket change.

Since my last post the 106 has been back to the original garage for a fourth time. Still not cured so I have also taken it to a second mechanic.

So, by now I can say with some confidence that the source of the noise would not be from the following:-

Cambelt (replaced again) along with water pump and idler. Cambelt tension double checked.

Not the alternator or aux belt - makes noise with aux belt removed.
Plastic cambelt cover inspected for signs of contact / burning but appears to be OK.

I would strip it down myself if I had more time (not to say that I would do anything different to what has been done already).

Any TU gurus have any suggestions apart from turning the radio up in the morning / ignoring it / scrapping it? lol

It still sound like a bearing to me but it can't be from the cambelt although it does sound to be coming from that side.

I have a cheapo mechanics stethoscope and the first poke around with it was inconclusive. Might try placing it around the bottom of the cambelt side next time, which I didn't try before.

[Krikkit]

Where are you mate? Sounds like the kind of thing that needs to be heard.

Do you start it with the clutch in or out? I'm thinking it might be up the other end of the engine given how much has been changed

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

there's a bloke who lives around the corner from me with a TU engined Xsara Picasso ( think it 1600 petrol). It makes a very similar noise. The noise from outside is louder than the engine when passing my house at 20mph. I've often thought it doesn't sound healthy, but it's a station car and he doesn't care. It's been making the noise for a at least a year. My first thought was that something was rubbing against something else, like the cambelt touching the cambelt cover, but I also wonder whether the exhaust manifold gasket isn't blowing.

It doesn't seem to stop this Picasso , so annoying, but maybe not terminal.

[Peanut Gallery]

Wild thought - is your start motor disengaging properly?

Revving it might cause it to disengage, and being warmer might make it less sticky, so it can disengage later in the day.