help!

So on the way home from work tonight my bug ['54 with a '69 1600 engine ] was making this strange whining noise from the engine... Didn't seem anything too major [!] - it was absolutely fine this morning - so i nursed it most of the way home as it was actually driving fine - no loss of power or anything... just this weird noise... but it got majorly worse, it turned into a horrible screeching mechanical noise, a slight burnt smell. It still drove so i pulled it over and i got it parked on a side street.

I turned the engine off and had a poke around - turned engine back on - started fine but it seemed something was in the fan housing or something??? it was raining and dark so i couldn't see much tbh. So it's staying there for the night...

So now I'm home I'm *thinking* its the alternator - that was kinda where the smell was coming from and the noise seemed something to do with the fan housing... Just wondering what you guys think it *might be? - I'm off to pick it up tomo morning and get the NRMA to take it to a garage but its always good to have some idea whats up before talking with them....

any ideas?

thanks in advance...

Sounds like the fan is rubbing on the fan housing. Could have damaged the fan so get a vw shop to look. Should only be 1-2 hours labour for full repair.

yup that or alt bearings singing the death song

For the fan to hit the housing there needs to be movement in the alternator shaft..
and that means the bearings have worn out or dried out and overheated...

so, when the alternator stops...
so does any cooling of the engine...

You could take the alternator belt off and check if there is movement there and if You can spin the alternator OK...

cheers

LEE

take the belt off and start the car
No noise then you found your problem

had a friend with a terrable noise from fan turned out to be a broken fan only held on by a tiny tab of steel didn't we fish

yeah gotta love standard unwelded fans
rev limitied to 5.5Gs......😂

a bit hard on the equipment Joel

Joel wrote:yup that or alt bearings singing the death song

that was it... took a while to get round to doing it, but all fixed and good as gold now. cheers.