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Engine Squeal

  • Kizzy--wizzy
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08 Nov 2020 10:25 #229813 by Kizzy--wizzy
Replied by Kizzy--wizzy on topic Engine Squeal
My understanding is there were no obvious signs of damage on the pulley, yes it was brand new, as was the alternator which we changed as we thought it may have been this previously and as it was being worked on we did it at the same time.
Yes my husband is very competent, he had worked on cars for years, he is at the point of pulling his hair out as he cannot see what else would be causing the problem and now the battery light is on constantly (it is dimmer than the other lights on the dash).
Totally understand your questions, as I'm sure you can tell, I'm not mechanically minded but assure you my husband is, we checked in the Suzuki website for tensions and followed this
Thank you

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08 Nov 2020 10:44 #229814 by DrRobin
Replied by DrRobin on topic Engine Squeal
Belt squeal could be something on one of the belts, like oil or water, but is nearly always that the belt is too slack.

The tension is 6-9mm movement either side in the middle of the longest length, on the bottom is the easiest place to measure. Or try twisting the belt with the fingers, it should twist through 90 degrees either side and no more.

I was surprised just how tight the belts need to be.

Alternator not charging is more of a problem, with the bonnet up and the engine running at idle is the alternator going round? If you have a multimeter is it generating any voltage? You might just have a faulty alternator, it does happen even with a new one.

Try the old alternator back on, it will only take an hour to swap over. Whilst it is off you could try running the car quickly and check for squeal this would tell you if it is the PAS or alternator belt.

2020 blue SZ5
Ex 2011 Blue Jimny SZ4
Northumberland Jimny Blog

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08 Nov 2020 10:54 #229815 by DrRobin
Replied by DrRobin on topic Engine Squeal
With the belts off did the alternator turn easily? What about the water pump, the PAS pump and the tensioner did they all run free and smooth?

Just out of interest what was the old crank pulley like, did the rubber in the middle show signs of wear?

Did you fit new belts, it might be one of your belts that is causing the squeal?

Unless the alternator is not turning I think you might have two problems, one a little bit of belt slip and the other a faulty alternator, electrical connection or if the Jimny has one a regulator.

2020 blue SZ5
Ex 2011 Blue Jimny SZ4
Northumberland Jimny Blog

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08 Nov 2020 10:59 #229816 by mlines
Replied by mlines on topic Re:Engine Squeal
DrRobin, quite often you cannot see problems when you take the pulley off. A better way of seeing a failing rubber separator on the pulley is to look at the pulley rotating using a bright light, you will see a distinct wobble. Perhaps even film it with one of the modern smartphone slo-mo functions.

Another way to track down the source of sound is to hold a long hollow cardboard to your ear and (carefully) move it around to locate the loudest sound

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Martin

2003 M13 early KAP build.
3" Trailmaster lift with 1.5 Spacers on front
Customised winch bumper and roll cage
235/85R16 Maxxis Bighorns on 16" Rims, 4:1 Rocklobster, Rear ARB locker and on-board air
Corrected arms all-round, rear disks, Recaro seats and harnesses

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  • Kizzy--wizzy
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08 Nov 2020 11:46 #229821 by Kizzy--wizzy
Replied by Kizzy--wizzy on topic Engine Squeal
Hi all, thanks again for your suggestions and replies,

My husband has tightened the belt even more and fingers crossed it seems to have stopped the squeak. But we are both expecting it again tomorrow morning!

The battery light is still on dimly but it is charging as he's checked with a multimeter, will double check the wiring at some point to the dashboard.

Thank you
Kind regards Christine

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08 Nov 2020 11:56 #229822 by Roger Fairclough
Replied by Roger Fairclough on topic Engine Squeal
Keep a can of WD40 - or similar - handy when you start the engine. If the squeal is present, spray directly onto the belt. If squeal disappears, belt or pulley is culprit. Do one belt at a time. Also check pulley alignment.
Where are you based? You may be near a forum member.

Roger

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09 Nov 2020 10:44 - 09 Nov 2020 10:46 #229860 by DrRobin
Replied by DrRobin on topic Engine Squeal
My other car used to eat batteries, about 18 months for a quality brand. I am told these cars are heavy on the battery and I didn't use it enough to keep the battery fully charged.

After about 6 years (several batteries) I started getting the warning light on the dash at tick over. I realised the alternator was on the way out and since the car is mid-engined you need ramps to change the alternator (not like a Jimny). The garage changed the alternator for a new one, but they were not happy with the output of the new alternator and took it off, sent it back for an exchange and fitted a second new one, which they were happy with.

They had my car for 3 days, but only charged me for fitting one alternator, so it seems you can get faulty alternators even new quality items.

Of course if your battery is very flat, that might explain the warning light coming on, especially at tick over. Does it go out with a few revs?

It could also be a connection, usually the earth, where is connects to the engine or frame are the contacts clean? Does the joint/connection get warm, that is a sign of a high resitance joint?

Sorry this is the technical bit now. There is another issue with alternators, they generate power by a coil moving through a magnetic field and in a modern alternator the magnetic field is produced by 'field coils' which are charged by the alternator/battery. To get the whole process going you have to have some residual magnetic field in the alternator and if it is a new alternator that hasn't been run it might have lost it's residual magnetic field whilst it stood on the shelf and therefore you get a weak output.

There used to be a technique called 'flashing the field coils' to put the residual magnetic field back in to the alternator, but you might have to Google this for your specific alternator to see if it is possible to do safely.

I have only ever had to do this once and that was a long while ago.

I would still try the old alternator back on if the red light keeps coming on, unless of course your battery is flat or tired?

2020 blue SZ5
Ex 2011 Blue Jimny SZ4
Northumberland Jimny Blog

Last edit: 09 Nov 2020 10:46 by DrRobin.

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