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Weird belt\bearing noise at idle and in gear


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I'm getting a weird "metallic rubbing" type noise which is only really obvious in the cabin. It's there when the car is idling but seems to be worse when you're in gear, and moving, and take your foot off the throttle (for example to brake on the motorway).

Any ideas? It's booked into the local specialist for Friday but thought I'd ask on here if anyone has had the same prob? The specialist mentioned a tensioner but I'll have to wait and see.

Hope it's not too expensive. Nice post-wedding gift mad.gif style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":angry:" border="0" alt="mad.gif" /> .

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i got a similar nice in mines wen u came off the accelerator. ma car wiz in at the garage nd they found out tht the cat had gone. tht could b the problem. not sure if tht wiz actualy the noise hurd inside mines, but seemed ok aftr

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It'd better not be that, it had a new cat last year mad.gif style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":angry:" border="0" alt="mad.gif" />

Did yours do it when the car was just idling too? And I've noticed that when you turn the engine off you hear the sound gradually die away which lead me to think it's a belt or bearing (or something moving).

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it wiz ma mum drivin it at tht time cos i hadnt even turned 17, but i hurd it aswel, nd wen she came off the accelerator, nd wiz like the noise u described, but it stoped it soon aftr we had the cat replaced, may have just been the car was getin run more tho.

hope tht helps at all

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This is true on a van with a fan belt, I do not know if its the same for a petrol engined timing belt tensioner.

But I wouldn't have thought it would be a tensioner.

A tensioner is under more strain when idleing, so getting louder while moving wouldn't make sense.

As I say, I do not know, mirror Tims advice, get it checked out asap mate.

Hope its something simple buddy.

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It might be the 'flexi-part' of the exhaust?

The 'flexi-part' is the metal mesh like 'joint' that is found between the CAT and the front of the engine.

You can check for this by getting under the car and shaking the 'flexi-part' and listening out for a rattle (like a metal marble in a metal tin).

There is a pipe within that mesh that can break and then rattle - sadly to fix it you need a new front section of exhaust - which includes the CAT.

I think it is a design fault on the 1999 and early 2000 cars as I had this problem more than once on my two 1999 1.4's. Cost is around £165 if I recall.

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why is it gear box failure john?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Reading again, if it's idling and out of gear and making the noise it's unlikely.

But from the other symptoms - noisy when coming off the gas, it sounds like it could be cogs missing teeth in the gearbox. I had these symptoms (although no noise when idling) in my Beetle which had been stationary for about 18 years of it's life prior to me driving it. It needed a new gearbox.

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No, the noise is definitely there when idling out of gear, but is worse when coming off the gas when in gear. Putting your foot on the accelerator again makes it disappear.

Also (as I said before), stop the car, put into neutral, then turn off the engine and you can hear the noise "die" away so that to me indicates a moving part somewhere.

Good mystery though innit. Will I be sobbing on Friday or not?

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Clutch release bearing???

They rattle when idling (quite common on Gti I think) and can also make a noise when you engine brake (though it wont rattle if the car is in gear it may make another noise). The release bearing will then go quiet when accelerating as all the components in the drivetrain will have their play "looseness for another term" taken up so will be tight.

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Car has done 25K miles and is 4 years old in October.

As for clutch release bearing, I had a noisy one on an old Polo I had and it sounds nothing like that. Plus you could only hear it on the Polo when you depressed the clutch.

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Update time!!

After cacking myself about it being timing belt related I took it into the specialist last week and after having it all day they rang me up and said they couldn't hear a noise. Went back at night and the noise had gone. Hmmm, confused.gif style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":confused:" border="0" alt="confused.gif" /> I was and a bit peeved as it had been making the noise for weeks before it went in.

Next day I took it out and the bstad noise had returned. So, in a fit of pique, I gave it some beans on the way up to Exeter (about 20 miles), got there and the bloody "check" light came on. ******!!

Took it back into the specialist today and they found out that one of the servo pipes on the brakes had spilt and was "whistling" which also triggered the sensor.

Anyway, it's not the cam belt so phew!

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