Chirping type noise

[D2011]

I own a diesel 1.6 110bhp 207 57 plate with approximately 38k miles on the clock. In the last couple of months I have noticed a squealing or chirping noise coming from the engine. I took the car to two garages of which one just said not to worry as it was quite normal for a car of this age, whilst the other garage physically checked the auxiliary belt & concluded it was in great condition (sprayed it with wd40) and advised only to worry if the noise becomes really loud.

Is this really normal? I noticed yesterday the chirping type noise becoming audible within the car so I am still concerned. How long do these belts last for? I don’t push the car hard (goes into 5th gear asap) & very rarely go over 70mph. Do I need to worry about this sound?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[davidireland]

Did anyone check to see if it was coming from the timing belt area?

[D2011]

Originally Posted by davidireland

Did anyone check to see if it was coming from the timing belt area?

Well I'm guessing the auxiliary & timing belt are one of the same? But yes the chap simply said the belt was in good condition & simply sprayed it with WD40.

This reduced the noise for a while but alas it seems to have come back.

[risky1]

If the chipring sound emits when you let up the clutch on take off then its your dual mass flywheel...very common on the 407 1.6 hdi's...Mine is at it for the last 50k mls...

[D2011]

The sound is there when idle & in gear.

[Gibbo]

Originally Posted by D2011

Well I'm guessing the auxiliary & timing belt are one of the same?

Nope. The aux belt is the modern name for the fan belt.

[stuart j]

I have the 16 HDi 90bhp and have got the same noise coming from it, but not all the time. Mine too is on 38k

I took mine to a garage that I always use and couldnt really find anything wrong with it but sods law when I got there it had quitened down. You could still just about hear it.

Mine seems worse since this cold weather as come and is more noisey when the engine is cold in the morning etc.

If you do have any luck finding out what it is please let me know and I will do likewise.

Stu

[D2011]

Well I went to my Peugeot dealer this afternoon & had a technician come & listen to the noise. Once I had explained what had happened previously (belt checked with another garage, WD40 used etc etc) they are pretty sure it is the auxiliary belt which simply requires changing although they will check the other parts associated with it at the same time.

I now have it booked in with them this week (after they agreed to honour an existing quote I had elsewhere) which they will also check the condition of the Cam-belt. I don’t expect the Cam-belt to be at fault as that should be good for some thousands of miles yet. But anyway hopefully this should eliminate the ‘finches stuck under the bonnet’ type sound & finally put my mind at rest.

I will post here once the replacement has been completed, for those that are interested in the cause & elimination aspect.

[stuart j]

If you could please I would appreciate it if you let us/me know if the Aux belt cures it

Stu

[D2011]

Well I am bloody amazed at the resultant report. I took the car in today for what I thought would be a simple change of an auxiliary belt. Unfortunately after 1.5 hours later the report came back that the actual cause of the noise is due to the cam-belt! I mean I am absolutely flabbergasted that the cam-belt needs changing at just 39k miles on a 4 year old car! The reason (as I was informed) was because rust / dampness has crept in thus degrading it. Their quote for replacing this along with the water pump etc was around £580!

I have got another quote (of which I have accepted) elsewhere for £379 for a complete replacement (it’s not just the cam that needs changing, it’s a kit apparently). To say I am not happy about having to fork out for a cam-belt at just 39k miles is an understatement but unfortunately that’s life & little I can do about it. So I am without a car for the next 4 days until the work can be carried out (or risk damaging the engine).

My advice to anybody else suffering from a similar noise is to get the cam-belt checked as soon as possible as the auxiliary belt appears to be just a red herring.