200 TDI: Wooshing noise @ startup

[manic]

I have been getting belt squeal on startup, brief - been meaning to check on the belt tension.

Today started her up and heard a new noise amongst the cacophony. It was like white noise, whirring whooshing. It was not the heater blower or the rad fan. I could not pinpoint where it was coming from in the engine bay. It seemed like passenger side but not enough time to locate amongst all the noises. A few revs and it went away - around the same time as the belt squeel. May or maynot be related. There was nothing interferring with the belts. Has not done it since.

Can the alternator or starter motor make a whooshing noise if its on the way out?

Any ideas?

[steveG]

Have you removed the belts and checked all the things that are running on them (including idler pulleys) to make sure they rotate smoothly/silently?

If its on startup and then goes away very quickly the most likely causes of the squeal (in conjunction with possibly slightly loose belt) are alternator and viscous fan IME.

Steve

[Sitec]

Yup, exactly what Steve suggested.. Start with the 'Kiss' theory. Belt off (from cold) then start as normal and listen for your noises, (your charge light will remain on and keep an eye on your temp gauge).. If the noises are not there then its somewhere around the alternator, water pump, pas, idlers area etc. let us know what you find.

[manic]

Cheers

It has not made the noise since, but I bet it will be back at some point if left as is. I do not have a vicous fan so can rule that out. There is no idler, just PAS - ALT - CRANK - W.PUMP. Tension set by PAS and ALT adjustment.

I suspect the alternator. Its shabby, pretty rusty, not sure how old it is. I have been getting a glow on the battery warning light at startup until revs. I get 14v when running but that drops to 12v with fans and lights on. Battery is new, old one had an early death.

Perhaps it is time I swapped the ancient 45Amp alternator for a new 100Amp unit.

For some reason I thought it might have come from the starter motor getting stuck, because it was immediate on startup - instant noise no ramp in volume or pitch. It seemed to come from that area behind the firewall. Not sure if it is possible for a starter motor to make a whooshing noise though? I've never head anything like it before. It had me running about but it soon stopped.

I'll see how it goes with new ALT and re-tension of belts.

[damzy]

When PAS pump went on my 200tdi the belt would squeal on start up, and eventually smoke. As the bearing was broken and causing the pulley to jam temporarily before it would spin again. might I add it was a lot more expensive to replace than a 300tdi PAS pump