I Have A Squeak In The Engine Bay And Not A Mouse To Be Seen!

[steve2006]

My sepentine belt idler pulley has had an intermittent squeak for some time especially more so in colder weather but it has now got to the point where the noise is there more than not so action needs to be taken,people are turning round and looking at the car for the wrong reasons!

The complete pulley assembly is available from Lexus of course for around £80.00 but the bearing is actually removeable so I have gone down this route.

After a bit of research I found the correct replacement bearing from a UK supplier based in Birmingham.

The cost was a meagre £1.35 with 60p P+P, incase of any problems I ordered 2 ( if not I have a spare ready in another 19 years!)

I will get my local garage to replace the bearing for a couple of beer tokens.

So if everything goes to plan the job should be done for under a tenner.

I will post up some pictures/tutorial when the job is complete.

Another gadget I bought recently was an engineering stethoscope for £4.00 to diagnose the noisy bearing when it wasn't sqeaking, it worked brilliantly you could actually hear the roughness of the bearing when you stuck it on the casting behind it.

[The-Acre]

Excellent. look forward to the next instalment. I love the idea of replacing a part within a part (if you know what I mean)

[Titch LS]

Instead of a stethoscope I use a really long screwdriver. Place the sharp end on the casing/bearing etc., and your ear on the handle end and you can hear any roughness, squeaking or whatever, really clearly.

[Bluesbreaker]

Titch LS

A very old tried and tested practice, I first watched in the middle 60's, my Father using it on his '47 Jaguar SS100,

(Listening to the big-ends knocking, which he replaced himself, I might add)

The-Acre

That's something that a lot of todays Car Mechanics cannot, or just can't be bothered to do, -strip something down, remove, and replace the worn part, then reassemble, (worn bearings, seals,bushes,whatever) -easier to just replace the whole part, -Alternators being a typical example, it was 'easier' to lash out a lump sum of dosh to get a completely new one, sometimes costing a small fortune- when it was usually just needing the Diodes replaced, generally, only costing a few quid, -thankfully, this is something that can get done easily these days at a comparatively low cost.

[Malc]

hmmmm .......... I remember changing the carbon bushes on dynamos ................ am I really that old !!!

Malc

[IHgs300]

Cor dynamo's that's a way back.. Kids today just think it's a magician.. :)

[Bluesbreaker]

Dynamos....... took about three days to charge the Battery after a strenuous starting procedure on a cold morning-engine finally firing on the last revolution before the Battery finally packed-up, youngsters with cars these days don't know how lucky they are with modern auto-technology- anyone on here ever use a starting handle.....?

[Bluesbreaker]

Hey Malc- I've done that also, at least the dynamo was relatively easy to remove in those days, ( though not on a Jag)

[bigjap]

yes, iv used starting handle a few times,when i started driving 1965, most of the cars i could afford then come with handle very useful in those days, cos the Battery would'nt last long,useful for timing the engine as well,changing the points another lost art,i think the last time i used handle was bck in late 80s on a land rover.like iain when i was a boy my dad was always stripping cars, rebuilding engines,i learned so much from him,it was him i have to blame or thank for my passion of cars

i had a 1937 rover 10 once that had preselector gearbox and freewheel,don't see them anymore

[Lexmanic]

Dynamos....... took about three days to charge the battery after a strenuous starting procedure on a cold morning-engine finally firing on the last revolution before the battery finally packed-up, youngsters with cars these days don't know how lucky they are with modern auto-technology- anyone on here ever use a starting handle.....?

Yup me My 1st car was E-type..........Morris 12hp side valve with suicide front doors, running boards, cable brakes, swinging arm indicators AND built in hydraulic jacks! Oh and the engine temp gauge was also the filler Great car!

[Malc]

starting handles on my Wolseley 16/60 and Wolseley 6/110 in the late 60's and 70's ...................... points on my 1932 Triumph Southern Cross Sports Tourer that I now have too .......... .. but that's another story !!!!

Malc

[Lexmanic]

I also had a 2 door Ford Popular (known as a sit up & beg) It started jumping out of 2nd gear (3 forward gears) In the box a reamed on bush brass bush was worn. To repair it you had to drop the rear suspension, draw the prop-shaft from the gear box THEN release the gearbox, strip the box, fit the new bush cost, in old money 5 pennies, then reassemble the lot two man job taking a day

[ipwn]

I swear you replaced your own timing belt? Why don't you just replace it yourself?

[Lexmanic]

The propshaft was in one piece without a centre bush hence the need to drop the suspension

[bigjap]

happy days,prob golden age of motoring,not all the rules and regs, not so much on roads,tho you had to be handy with spanners

cars were,nt really reliable,but it was just great having a car back then

[Malc]

Makes us truly appreciate the luxury and reliability of the LS400

Malc

[Lexmanic]

happy days,prob golden age of motoring,not all the rules and regs, not so much on roads,tho you had to be handy with spanners

cars were,nt really reliable,but it was just great having a car back then

Yeah! but if you broke down someone ALWAYS stopped to help AND the AA/RAC Patrolmen always saluted

[Malc]

And the AA and RAC guys could always repair the problem at the roadside too !!!

Malc

[steve2006]

I remember my late Father who had an Austin A35 and whilst travelling through Derbyshire heard a slight knocking noise from the engine.

After carefully driving back home it was looked at by a local garage who diagnosed worn big end bearings.

Thirty odd pounds later the engine was rebuilt plus you got the "Running in Please Pass" sticker for the rear window.

I would imagine the sticker nowadays with high performance cars would be "Running in TRY and pass me!"

[steve2006]

Forgot to say, the bearings have arrived today and I have now removed the pulley so it's going to the garage near where I work in the morning.

With it raining I decided to get the car halfway out the garage so I could work in the dry, pushing it back in required the most effort!!!

You can hear the roughness of the bearing if you spin the pulley and hold it near your ear so well gone.

More updates to follow.

[Lexmanic]

I remember my late Father who had an Austin A35 and whilst travelling through Derbyshire heard a slight knocking noise from the engine.

After carefully driving back home it was looked at by a local garage who diagnosed worn big end bearings.

Thirty odd pounds later the engine was rebuilt plus you got the "Running in Please Pass" sticker for the rear window.

I would imagine the sticker nowadays with high performance cars would be "Running in TRY and pass me!"

Yes the A35 was known as a 'baby' Austin I had a A35 Van followed by a A50

[steve2006]

Ok the job is done.

I took the pulley to the garage close to where I work and they replaced the bearing FOC.

Most of the job is detailed on www.lexls.com as the sepentine belt replacement tutorial so I won't go into too many details.

The pulley bolt is normal thread so anticlockwise to remove and clockwise to refit at 29LB/FT, if you wish to do the tensioner pulley this is threaded the opposite way i.e clockwise to remove so don't get it wrong and shear the bolt.

As I sad the bearings cost a mere £1.35, they look well built so it will remain to be seen if this one lasts as well as the original which has certainly got play in it and rough running hence the squeal.

[IHgs300]

Good job there Steve and you get the satisfaction of saving a bit of money.

[The-Acre]

Titch LS

A very old tried and tested practice, I first watched in the middle 60's, my Father using it on his '47 Jaguar SS100,

(Listening to the big-ends knocking, which he replaced himself, I might add)

The-Acre

That's something that a lot of todays Car Mechanics cannot, or just can't be bothered to do, -strip something down, remove, and replace the worn part, then reassemble, (worn bearings, seals,bushes,whatever) -easier to just replace the whole part, -Alternators being a typical example, it was 'easier' to lash out a lump sum of dosh to get a completely new one, sometimes costing a small fortune- when it was usually just needing the Diodes replaced, generally, only costing a few quid, -thankfully, this is something that can get done easily these days at a comparatively low cost.

Well not wanting to be beaten I took a small plastic motor apart on my Vectra (the air recirculating motor) and found a tooth broken on one of the nylon cogs. I repaired the broken tooth with a piece of old tooth brush handle and Araldite. 3 years later still fine. It's not that I couldn't afford £75 for the part it was the principle!

BTW, A brilliant job on the bearing replacement, which is what this old timers thread is all about!

[Maduggo]

What is the bearing details, part number, size etc ?