virfighter

Well, two problems with my new car. I don't think they're related but I'm really not sure.

Anyways, first problem is the belts squealing. They start to squeal at 3000rpm (even while just cruising) and go on up to about 5 or so. It doesn't matter whether the car has a load on it or not, I still get the squeal when just sitting in the revving it. My Dad and I tried putting some WD40 on the to see if that quieted it down any but nope, still the same squeal.

So, my concern is that this is something else. I did some searching and browsed through my hayne's manual and it looks the water pump could be one possible culprit and the other the clutch fan. My diagnostic skills aren't the best though (I lack the experience) so I've got no clue if its either of these two.

Its frustrating because the sound is so annoying and my Dad recommended I not drive the car too much until we figure out what this is (I just bought the car tuesday night, I want to drive it!). So any help here would be much appreciated!

The second problem is the car hesitates/stutters (I think the proper term for it is "cutting out") occasionally when I go up through the rpms like around 5500 or 6000, but its really bad when on the upshift when I release the clutch and get back on the gas. Maybe its better to describe it. I push the car hard in second gear it goes up smoothly (although sometimes it hesitates a little) to 5500 or 6000 and I upshift. I get back on the gas after I upshift and the car cuts in and out until I get off the gas pedal and wait a second then get back on it. Anyone experience this before or know what might cause it?

So could these problems be related? I really don't think they could be, but then my knowledge isn't the best. I'm looking for any advice or opinion I can get on the situation. I want to drive my car

Thanks a lot.

enigma32

Are you running the stock (nikki) carb?
If so, I imagine the accelerator pump is a possible cause of your cutting out....

I also had the problem with the belts.... I'll ask the stupid question... Are the belts themselves in good shape?

virfighter

Ooops, forgot that fact, yes I'm running the stock Nikki Carb, whole should be pretty much stock. Belts, well we tried the WD40 trick and that didn't help the problem any so I'm thinking its not the belts but who knows. Anything good signs of wear though (other than squealing, lol)?

As far as the cutting out problem, any way to confirm that it is indeed the accelerator pump?

Thanks

GUZZLR

I also had problems with my belt slipping. some belts will fit better in the pulley than others, I bought a brand new one to replace my worn fan belt and would never stop squealing!

It just needs to be really tight! do not put WD on it, try holding a bar of soap on the underside breifly while the engine is running although be careful!


Note: (this is more of a temporary fix as nothing should need to put on the belt.)

when tightening usa a large spanner underneath the alternater for leverage.

also with your hesitation, maybe try some carby cleaner.

hope i could help ; )~

enigma32

Yeah... for tighetening my belts I put the tire iron underneath whatever it is that I'm moving and pry really hard while tightening the bolt back up...

Let us know how you make out with both problems

virfighter

Hmm, I might try tightening the belts to see if that fixes things.

But about that, this might seem pretty basic (please bear with me), is tightening the belts just a matter of loosening the slip pieces, pulling them up to the highest position (or whatever place provides the most tension) then tighten them up?

My car experience is relatively minor but I've got the will to learn

enigma32

hehe

Yes, loosen the bolt on the "slip piece", probably the bolt at the pivot point too...
Then slide a lever of some variety underneath whatever you're tightening (alternator, air pump, A/C compressor) and pry up. When the belt is tense tighten the bolts again (probably the one of the slider first, then the pivot)

If you have the A/C compressor (it's the gizmo on the driver's side that's kinda all by itself, with a belt going to it) it may be easiest to just pop that belt off until you get the squeeling figured out. (Just loosen the belt a bunch and it'll come off)


Hope this helps!

virfighter

lol, yep I know basic stuff

Thanks for confirming though.

As far the AC goes though, my system isn't working right now anyways (electrical issue under the dash), but I can just remove that belt and it won't adversely affect any of the other belts? Just making sure.

Thanks for the help thus far, can't wait to get to started on this after work tomorrow.

enigma32

Yeah, Mine's been off for about a month now
I figure I might put it on once I decide to go with R12 or 134 for the coolant....

Good luck, and again, let us know how it works out

Ultralights

Try putting a Twin pulley setup on it! all you need is the twin pulley wheel for your alternator, and put on 2 belts, this will spread the load across the twobelts and stop the squeeling, not to mention reducing the risk of it overheating if a belt does break.

the clutch fan could be causing it also, by the clutch not releasing the fan is spinning at the same RPM as the engine, and a fan at high RPM will create HUGE amount of drag and strain on the belts! so mkae sure the cluch fan is releasing at about 2500 RPM

enigma32

2500? heheheh
Mine releases at, oh, about 4000 at times... =)

virfighter

Sorry for the simple question but how can I check this? I've skimmed through the Haynes manual and didn't see this, but I might have missed it.

Anyways, when I got home work today I went to work on the belts. I pulled off the AC belt and ran it and but that didn't seem to fix the problem. So I went over to check the belt on the air pump. When I was reaching to pull the belt off I felt some defects with my fingers. Upon closer inspection this belt is pretty worn in some places. Its hard to see but obvious when felt. In the morning I'm gonna pick up a new belt and try it. I'm crossing my fingers that this might fix my problem. If the belts are relatively cheap I may just go ahead and replace all three.

Now comes the issue of the hesitation/cutting out. I think this one might be a little beyond me as far as diagnosis goes. I may break down and get the car into a shop monday or tuesday so they can at least tell me whats wrong. If its not too tough then I'll attempt it myself, otherwise I'll just have them do it. Kinda sucks though, I hate paying someone to work on my car for me.

Thanks for all the help thus far fellas. I'll post an update when I get the new belts on.

virfighter

Update:

I picked up three new belts today, put 'em on and the squealing seems to have gone away Whew, I had myself thinking this was something far worse.

Now there's still the issue of the hesitation/cutting out. It only seems to happen when the car is pushed. My sister wanted to try my new car and when she took it out there was no hesitation at all, she didn't really push it all though.

The gameplan for tomorrow is to check out the fuel filter. When I was describing the problem to a friend he suggested that there was a good chance it could simply be the fuel filter or maybe even the pump.

As much as I hate that everything's not perfect, I'm glad I get to spend sometime "bonding" with my car

deeman111

Hey, i had the problem with my 7 that it would as i called it *cough and splutter*, extreme loss of power, had to clutch in and let it catch itself basiclly. Well i have goten it all fixed, and all i can say is check your ignition system and mixture. My sparks were getting very low, and i had a dodgey lead from one of the coils, i got new leads, new sparks and fiddled with the mixture and she runs like a dream, smooth all the way up the rpms. Su yeah, just have a look at the ignition system. also get a multimeter on the coils just to check that there still good.

Good luck, youll notice a whole world of difference when its going good

James

virfighter

James,

Thanks for the tips, I'll add to the now growing list of possibilities.

The guy I bought it from said the plugs and wires were fairly new, so maybe the coils are going bad on me? I've read about people upgrading their coils to better ones so maybe this is a good time to go ahead with that (or do I need an MSD ignition stuff to upgrade them?).

Zach

virfighter

Well, I put on a new filter today and everything seems to be going good. The car pulls strong all the way to 7000 and no problems after the shft. I'm amazed at how smooth this engine is, its really a treat

Thanks for the help guys. For anyone else thats experiencing problems like I had, be sure to check out the simple stuff first, its not always something big that needs to be done.

abeomid

Amen to that.

enigma32

Glad to hear you got it figured out.

Those fuel filters can be a real bitch

Wankelguy

Seems like it's ALWAYS the fuel system with these cars. BTW, the only belts worth using are the Mazda belts made by Mitsuboshi and those made by Gates. The cheap belts just keep stretching throughout their short lifetime. I use a piece of wood to lever up on the alternator so I don't gouge the housing.

virfighter

Well guys, it seems as though my belt problems are not exactly over with. Driving it today I noticed a slightly higher pitching but not quite as loud squealing from 4000-5000.

I've been thinking more about the clutch fan situtation, am I reading Ultralight's post correctly in that the fan should stop spinning at higher rpms? My fan definitely does not do this, the higher the engine spins, the higher the fan spins.... could this be the problem?

If so, what's the fix? New clutch fan? Replace it with an electric?