BXProject

T'was a sunny day on Saturday so I decided to crack on with the BX... armed with my new cranked 21mm spanner, bought off Amazon with a voucher

Disaster struck once I'd removed the hydraulic pump.... only to find that my spare one - the one I've had for years sitting in my shed - is different!!! It's got the input port pointing at a different angle and a larger diameter pulley.... so what does that make it?? Serves me right for not bringing it over to the car to compare first... So I had to put the original one back. In comparison with the "spare" pump, this one makes loud clicks when you turn (rock) the pulley back and forth... which means...? (there's an old post on BXC by David R about this but I can't find it).

So I refitted it, with my new belt ... The old belt's teeth were cracked when I bent the belt back on itself, so it was on the way out. The new belt was slightly smaller than the old one and required levering on, even with the jockey wheel released as far as it would go. Fitted the alternator back etc. etc. started it up and there's still some chirping ..... so I can only assume it's the pump or jockey wheel bearing.....? The brand new belt is as nice and tight as the old one. Also when I refitted the alternator belt I adjusted it slightly tauter as I thought it was a tad slack (I could see a bit of whip in it with the engine running).

This chirping is annoying because it's inconsistent. Sometimes it doesn't happen. When it does, it's most noticeable from cold, then usually disappears as the car warms up... but sometimes I've noticed it re-occuring when the engine is hot, near the end of my journey to work (c 30 minutes). I'm just going to have to get the bonnet up again after work and try again to pinpoint where the noise is coming from. Last time (under the assumption the belt was slipping) it seemed to be coming from low down in the direction of the jockey wheel.... (It's not a constant squeal).

Mark.

Ok - having listened again, I now believe the sound is coming from the alternator...

Mark.

disconnect the small wire from the alternator and see if the noise is still there. Dont leave it running long without the wire or you'll get a flat battery.

This theory assumes that the alternator is not self exciting!

ahh, sounds like the nose bearing on the alternator then. If it shuts up when it's hot.

The alternator has it's own belt right? In which case take the belt off and fire it up from cold.

Noise gone?

That said, I suppose it could be the slip ring on it's last legs?

Tired HP pumps can chirp when a load is placed on them too..
Sadly, I dont have a 16/19 XU pump.

You used to be able to get a new rectifier bridge and the brush box for about £9.

Do they still do them? Most times that's all that's wrong with a failed alternator. Usually the ign light flickers when it's that.

Philhod wrote:Do they still do them?

Yes, more like £20 the set, but i was also thinking bearing in which case swapping out the electronics wont make any difference.

Yeah I know what you mean Vanny and if it's chirruping your probably right.
It was more of an aside really to find out if anyone knew if the bitz were still available...

I remember the first time I did one. It took me 1/2 an hour to realise you had to stick a rod through that little hole in the endframe, to hold the brushes down. duh!!

Well, whatever it was, it's stopped doing it. I've not done nuffin', and the temperature in the mornings and evenings isn't that much higher than it was in the middle of Feb. In fact the frost has returned these past two nights.

Wierd.

Mark.