Morris Minor Owners Club

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:17 pm**

Hi,
A tapping / knocking noise has developed at the front end of my Traveller. It seems to be from the fan / belt / water pump area and increases in rapidity with increased road speed and almost ceases at idle.
Any suggestions as to what it might be and what course of action I need to take?.

Many thanks.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:27 pm**

Do you mean it only happens when you are moving, or does it make the noise with the car standing still and you revving the engine?

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:34 pm**

Hi Axtolotl
The noise is slower and quieter when the car is stationary and idling.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:51 pm**

A couple more questions.

Are you sure it's coming from the engine and not from something hitting the bodywork somewhere? e.g. a loose bit of wiring flapping in the breeze and hitting something.

If it's definitely from the engine, and definitely at the front, it could be (in ascending order of seriousness):-

A lump out of / something stuck to the fan belt, ticking as it goes over the pulleys.
Tappets need adjusting on cylinders 1 or 2.
Worn dynamo / alternator bearings.
Worn water pump bearings.
Loose or boken bolts holding fan onto water pump.
Worn little end bearing(s).
Worn big-end bearing(s)

How "heavy" is the noise? Does it get worse when the engine is under load, or is it just speed related?

Did anything special happen or were any new bits added just before you first noticed it?

Posted: **Fri Oct 05, 2007 7:29 am**

RogerRust wrote:To work out where the noise is coming from Use a very big screwdriver preferable 15 to 18 inches long put your ear to the handle and touch the pointed end on different points as you work your way around the engine. Start with the rocker cover bolts learn that noise, then the cylinder head bolts, the water pump and perhaps the biggest cause of "engine" noise the dynamo so listen to each end of it.

The distributor has my favourite sound like a fast beating clock.

As you can tell I really enjoy the experience.

Just be careful near the fan belt and blades and make sure you don't have any loose clothing or hair that might get caught.

I have got a proper stethoscope, but I prefer the screwdriver. I remember my father listening to the rails at a level crossing to see if a train was coming I suppose that’s where I got it from! .

Roger

Posted: **Fri Oct 05, 2007 8:39 am**

which should be named the RogerRustethoscope

Posted: **Fri Oct 05, 2007 8:42 am**

It's the neighbour's cat trying to get out from under the bonnet.

Posted: **Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:15 pm**

Pop the fan belt off and then try it - should eliminate lots of things. Is the oil light/oil pressure gauge behaving ok - it could well be big-ends as already suggested. Also - just check the starter dog is tight on the crank - they can rarely work loose.

Posted: **Fri Oct 05, 2007 4:28 pm**

could it be a noisy timeing chain

Posted: **Fri Oct 05, 2007 7:11 pm**

Maybe - but usually more of a rattle than a knock.

Posted: **Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:19 pm**

Thanks for all the replies folks, I'll have another listen (with a long screwdriver!) over the weekend and see if I can narrow the source down.

Posted: **Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:10 pm**

Hi Folks,

You may have seen in another thread that I finally got round to (well Petee did...!) replacing the waterpump which seemed like it may have been the source of the knocking noise...unfortunately it was not

The knocking is fairly raipid and comes on when as I accelerate, it disappears when I decelerate and it cannot be heard when stationary (either at ide or when revving).

Axolotl made a number of suggestions as to what it may be,

If it's definitely from the engine, and definitely at the front, it could be (in ascending order of seriousness):-

A lump out of / something stuck to the fan belt, ticking as it goes over the pulleys.
Tappets need adjusting on cylinders 1 or 2.
Worn dynamo / alternator bearings.
Worn water pump bearings.
Loose or boken bolts holding fan onto water pump.
Worn little end bearing(s).
Worn big-end bearing(s)

Any suggestions how I can check these things out (short of taking it to a garage)?.

Thanks again, Mike.

Posted: **Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:18 pm**

1) Look/remove
2) Check/adjust tappets
3) Fanbelt off, wiggle the pulley laterally to see if it moves
4) Just done that one

5) Have a look at them/tighten of them
6) & 7) I'll leave that to the engine gurus

a

Posted: **Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:36 pm**

Take the fan belt off and give it a short run up the street. Does it still do it ?

Posted: **Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:49 pm**

Check the bottom pulley, mine made some strange noises and then disintrigated, lodging a nice big bit into the radiator. Was making the noises for about three weeks before it broke, breaking off at the rivets

Posted: **Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:14 pm**

The combined might of 3/7ths of SADMOG listened to the rattle this evening and have diagnesed dynamo replacemnt required. New alternator will be going on the birthday list

Thanks to Carlo / Dan / Paulk for coming out for the ride and listening in!.
And thanks to Axolotl who pointed out this as a possibility some little while ago.
Regards, Mike.

Posted: **Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:20 pm**

Well done, and thanks for posting the cause. Always good to get feedback on the cause of faults.

Posted: **Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:23 pm**

Did you 'prove' this by taking the fan belt off ? Hard to imagine 'knocking' from a dynamo - unless it's actually loose on it's mountings?

Morris Minor Owners Club

Front knocking noise - advice sought...

Front knocking noise - advice sought...