18 replies to this topic

[miniboo]

the problem with doing that though is you are adding more possibles into the test. if you test the fan by taking the belt off it could still be the water pump or alternator making noises.

[Jammy]

You should be able take the four bolts holding the fan to the pulley off with everything in situ. This will then mean the water pump and alternator are still working, and will only eliminate the possibility of it being the fan. But only run your engine like this very briefly, you won't be getting much cooling at all without the fan!

If it still whistles then its either the water pump or the alternator, and I can't think of a way of running one without the other.

Saying that, from peoples posts already it seems to be leaning towards the water pump being on its way out.

[Purple Tom]

Its easy to fix. 3 bolts on top of rad and one big one at bottom (all 11 and 13mm)

Sorry to be pedantic here but make sure you use imperial sized tools (in this case they would be 7/16" and 1/2"). Metric tools may fit, but they are quite a loose fit and if studs, particularly in the cooling system, are tight, then using metric tools could cause you to round the heads off if/when the tool slips. The last thing you need when replacing a component is a rounded off stud/nut that refuses to come off.

The whistling sounds very bizarre, but I think everyone else has pretty much covered the possibilities! As a rule of thumb on the fan belt, to achieve the correct tension you should be able to rotate the longer section (underneath the alternator - between the alternator pulley and crank pulley) by 90 degrees using finger pressure.

[77LeylandMini]

Thanks for the help everyone! Im pretty sure that a mix of the fan and the belt not having the right "v" is where the noise is coming from. Over here in the US its hard to get mini specific parts if you are in a pinch, but parts that will work are easy to get.... Hence the right size belt with the wrong V. Thanks again!
Ryan