Diesel crankshaft pulley noise /failure?
 

Car is 75 CDTi manual, with 100,000 miles on the clock.

The symptoms are occasionally when starting from cold after being stood overnight there is a noise which I can best describe as a 'tin of nuts and bolts being rattled' which seems to come from the front offside of the car, the noise isn't present on first starting, but when you put the car in first gear and move off the noise is present for five or ten seconds and then it is quiet and you don't hear it again, until the following morning, it doesn't happen every time and it seems to be worse if the car has been stood a few days.

I read a few threads about the pulley failure and people describe a ticking noise, but this noise isn't a ticking, it sounds like a metallic rattling, as I said, as though you're rattling a tin with nuts and bolts in it!

Steve

HI Steve.
Does it sound anything like this below, hopefully Rob (trebor) will post up as he as this last week had to change his for the same reason.
https://youtu.be/sifkMU4uLjE

Hi Artic,
It's similar, but it only occurs when I pull away first thing in the morning, when the car is stationary, there is no noise and revving the engine doesn't seem to trigger the noise, as soon as the car moves the rattling starts, but with 5 to 10 seconds it's quiet and doesn't do it again, until the following morning. Sometimes it's only for a second or two, but the car had been stood for about five days recently and as soon as I pulled away the rattling started and went on for 10 - 15 seconds, then it was quiet for the rest of the day, despite the engine being stopped and started several times. If I brake as soon as the rattling starts and stop forward motion, the rattling stops.
I've been thinking about this since the initial post and I'm now wondering if this is something to do with the drive train, rather than the engine. I don't think it's a CV joint, I've tried driving round a car park with the steering on opposite locks and there isn't any sign of the usual knocking you'd associate with a failing outer CV joint,

Steve

My crank pulley failed recently car is on 196k so it's had a good innings

Video of mine rattling below, my symptoms were the noise was present on tick over but not when driving, I looked along the pulleys in the daylight with the engine running and could actually see that the crank pulley was running slightly out of true

https://youtu.be/E0gjicrw6fU

If it is your crank get a Corteca pulley and beware of cheaper variants

.

Hi Steve.
Try and take a video & post it up for us, i have a feeling the pulley is in the early stages of failing, as time goes on it will get worse, have the wheel arch liner pulled back and see if you can see any damage lines on the rubber.

As Rob says above if it turns out to be the pulley do not purchase any after market cheap pulleys as you will end up paying twice.

Corteco is the one to go for.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151487666547

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see if I can get a video of the pulley noise, hopefully it'll stop raining long enough for me to get out and video it!
I'm aware of the issues of using cheap pulleys - I've read plenty of posts on here about them failing prematurely.

Steve

So the noise is only heard when you're in the car and pulling away. The pulling away factor suggests it's associated with the lower tie bar, which involves the engine rocking/vibrating. The fact that braking seems to stop the noise would also be consistant with this. A failing crank pulley certainly sounds like a tin can of nuts, but tends to be worse at tickover, settling down when it's revved. You might try the hosepipe test. Spray water onto the crankshaft and see if the noise reduces or disappears. It won't affext the noise from a rattling tie bar.

TC

None of the symptoms mentioned in your first post sound like a failing crankshaft damper.

Nor like a lower engine tie bar. This will make a clonk each time you pull away in first gear.

It's more like something loose like a brake disc backing plate or maybe an item on the exhaust system.

At the first opportunity, when it stops raining for an hour or so, I'll remove the front o/s wheel and have a careful look around the suspension, brake and drive shaft to see if I can see anything that's obviously loose or has signs it's been rubbing / fouling other parts,

Steve

Hi, Steve. Just read your post about the 'nuts and bolts in a tin' rattle. That's a very good description of the problem! I took my 75 tourer for it's MOT at the end of November. Since I got it back, the engine sounds exactly as you've described. The fault is almost certainly the crankshaft damper/pulley on it's way out.
Obviously, the garage has to rev the gut's out of the engine when carrying out the emission test; so I guess it stressed out the pulley on my car. At 146,000 miles, I can't really expect them to cough up; so I'm going to look for a top quality kit and replace it.
(My brother-in-law had exactly the same problem with his 75 tourer, and recognised the rattle straight away.) Hope this helps!