I turned on my car this moring and she was grumpy. its a loud rattling noise under the hood. Its hard to pinpoint it but it sounds like it coming from the fan assembly. I checked ot out but can't tell wht hell its coming from. When i rev the motor it gets worse. Its pretty loud. You can definatley hear me pulling up. Power seems to be ok. Anyone have any suggestins on what this could be?
engine noise...need some help
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Miles?
Engine Type?
It is difficult to tell, not being able to hear the car. Metallic rattle or plastic sounding rattle? Does the sound change proportionally with the engines RPM (I am assuming that is what you are trying to say with "gets worse")?
My plastic fan, the main fain, cracked; the piece that ties the tips of the blades together. It made a chattering sound that changed with the RPM. Rotate the fan by hand, car off obviously, and inspect the fan.
Engine Type?
It is difficult to tell, not being able to hear the car. Metallic rattle or plastic sounding rattle? Does the sound change proportionally with the engines RPM (I am assuming that is what you are trying to say with "gets worse")?
My plastic fan, the main fain, cracked; the piece that ties the tips of the blades together. It made a chattering sound that changed with the RPM. Rotate the fan by hand, car off obviously, and inspect the fan.
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I had the same problem, changed the timing belt, and their is no more noise. It was a lot of $$$ though.
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I had the same problem and couldn't pin point the sound. I got a mechanices stethoscope and found it to be the clutch fan assembly. I didn't see any any thing wrong with it. so i put off fixing but doing so costed me double the price 
. The clutch losened up enough to let the fan strike the radiator and had to replace it too . I went with the electric fan from evo vs. the stock
. The clutch losened up enough to let the fan strike the radiator and had to replace it too . I went with the electric fan from evo vs. the stockOh crap... I just spent $300 last week at the dealership to fix my window..$150 for a new ICM that went out the week before that, now this problem. I'm taking to my mechanic tomorrow. How much does a fan clutch costs and is it a pain in the @ss to install? After this problem she going for sale, I'm having too many problems lately.RacingEuroStyle said:I had the same problem and couldn't pin point the sound. I got a mechanices stethoscope and found it to be the clutch fan assembly. I didn't see any any thing wrong with it. so i put off fixing but doing so costed me double the price
Have you replaced your timing belt and tensioner!?!?!?!?! Your tensioner may be dying; what you may be hearing is your timing belt slap against the plastic housing.
I am not trying to make you paranoid; but if this is the cause, do not start or drive the car. I almost lost my 1.8T at 55,000 miles due to this failure. The TB tensioner for our year models (98/99) were under-designed. VW redesigned the tensioner to be more robust.
I am not trying to make you paranoid; but if this is the cause, do not start or drive the car. I almost lost my 1.8T at 55,000 miles due to this failure. The TB tensioner for our year models (98/99) were under-designed. VW redesigned the tensioner to be more robust.
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cost me around $1000 to get a new timing belt kit installed at the dealer.
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Almost certainly the timing belt slapping against the housing because the tensioner has failed. Do NOT drive the car as you stand the chance of having the belt slip some cogs and driving the valves into the pistons. Have it towed to the mechanic, or replace the belt and tensioner yourself.
Based on your model year, mileage, and sound indications, your timing belt is showing the signs of imminent failure. Until you can rule out the timing belt as the source of the problem, I strongly recommend that you do not drive your B5. I am not sure if you know what happens if your timing belt breaks: pistons ram into the unsynchronized valves, bending the valves, and usually damaging the head. Not driving the car and performing the following inspections may seem bothersome, but they will ensure you do not damage the engine.
If you are not comfortable working on car engines, take your B5 to a mechanic. Timing belt replacement at a dealer will run you $600, upwards. If the timing belt is the source of the problem, and you have a mechanic perform the work, have the water pump replace at the same time. The water pump is located directly behind the timing belt. With 75,000 on your B5, replacing the water pump concurrently with the timing belt will save you from paying the labor cost twice. I recommend a trusted VW mechanic in your area (possibly not the dealer; they are expensive). Post the question in the forum, I am sure someone will point you in to a good VW mechanic in your area. Have your car towed to the mechanic.
If you are handy with tools, there should be some inspections that you can perform to verify the source. A mechanics stethoscope should isolate the sound to the timing belt cover. Or, remove the upper timing belt cover and press on the timing belt. I am not sure if you can perform the second, upper cover removal, without removing the front fan and serpentine belt. Looking at the procedure in my Chilton manual, you may be able to remove the upper timing belt cover without too much interference removal. The TB replacement kit costs $170 or $270 (depending on the kit you desire). There is a write up in the info forum. If you do not have a Chilton or Haynes manual (~$16.00), I would buy one. They are not as good as a Bentley, but they will get you through most light to medium jobs. The manual will pay for itself after the first minor job you perform.
If you are not comfortable working on car engines, take your B5 to a mechanic. Timing belt replacement at a dealer will run you $600, upwards. If the timing belt is the source of the problem, and you have a mechanic perform the work, have the water pump replace at the same time. The water pump is located directly behind the timing belt. With 75,000 on your B5, replacing the water pump concurrently with the timing belt will save you from paying the labor cost twice. I recommend a trusted VW mechanic in your area (possibly not the dealer; they are expensive). Post the question in the forum, I am sure someone will point you in to a good VW mechanic in your area. Have your car towed to the mechanic.
If you are handy with tools, there should be some inspections that you can perform to verify the source. A mechanics stethoscope should isolate the sound to the timing belt cover. Or, remove the upper timing belt cover and press on the timing belt. I am not sure if you can perform the second, upper cover removal, without removing the front fan and serpentine belt. Looking at the procedure in my Chilton manual, you may be able to remove the upper timing belt cover without too much interference removal. The TB replacement kit costs $170 or $270 (depending on the kit you desire). There is a write up in the info forum. If you do not have a Chilton or Haynes manual (~$16.00), I would buy one. They are not as good as a Bentley, but they will get you through most light to medium jobs. The manual will pay for itself after the first minor job you perform.
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