aux belt tensioner noise

richard165

hi all

has anyone ever had a problem with the alternator belt tensioner sounding tough or knocking?

i used a stethoscope you listen and it sounded rough, it was an INA branded tensioner i bought from euro car parts.

so i thought it was a dud and bought another from autovaux. the guy said it was a good brand and that it should bre fine. when i installed it on the car it sounds exactly the same. a low knocking noise on idle which disappears after 2k revs.

can't find any posts on the subject don just thought to ask

Thanks for any help or advice in advance!

vocky

remove the drive belt and see if the noise goes away, might be the alternator ?

richard165

hi tried removing belt today. no noise, its most definitely the tensioner, however I'm not sure how i could have fitted it incorrect, its torque up to 20nm and only goes in one way. it's just odd how 2 brand new tensioner could bre faulty?

vocky

could it be the belt ?

richard165

hi there

after further investigation it Seems that the tensioner is vibrating side to side. the only way i can see this happening is through the movement of the drive pulley, which seems to wobble slightly. is this something to worry about?

Thanks

vocky

this might be due to a build up of corrosion on the engine block (well actually the oil pump), this can cause the tensioner to sit at an angle. I use a screwdriver to chip away the corrosion before fitting the new belt tensioner

richard165

hi!

from the amount of questions i have it must sound like i have a death trap! there's just a few niggles i want to address that's all.

thank you so much for your help and advice i really appreciate it

i wish i had the time to properly strip the whole damn thing down and clan up and replace everything but it's not an option at the moment!

Thanks again!