Annoying Squeak

Potter · 10-01-2002, 03:41 PM

My '73 914 2.0 has a terribly annoying squeak at roughly the front of the engine on the driver side. If I lean my body weight on the engine I can make the squeak stop. But I cannot figure out what exactly is causing it. I happens both at idle and at speed. Suggestions???

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Does it depend on what part of the engine you lean on?

Could be something as simple as a loose piece of engine tin.

Could be something like a sheared motor mount "hockey puck". Or a loose bolt on one of the bolts on the engine-mount-bar-to-body bracketry.

--DD

Dave Bell · 10-01-2002, 04:20 PM

Ahhhh.... guessess... loose alternator belt...... loose sheet metal screws or any other odd metal to metal rubbing contact... a small metal to metal rubbing can make quite a loud squeak..... rodents nesting in the engine area upset at the fact your 914 is back on the road..... a cheap stethescope setup from your FLAPS is a great way to localize the orgin of a sound.

- Dave

Will98D · 10-01-2002, 04:28 PM

I'd be happy just to have my car quiet enough to hear a squeak!

Potter · 10-02-2002, 07:51 AM

Excellent suggestions. I am leaning toward the "hockey puck"....just a gut feeling....but wanted to hear somebody else say it too.

Had not thought of the stethscope......I will try that.

Thanks!!!

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Does the car make loud "THUD" noises and lurch at high throttle settings in 1st gear? That would be a strong indicator of sheared motor mounts.

Does the gear shift lever move around on its own when you get on the brakes hard? That is another typical symptom of sheared motor mounts.

You can check yours by putting the car up in the air and then using a jack to try lifting up the engine. If it moves more than a little tiny bit, the mounts are busted. You can look up in that area with a mirror and flashlight to verify.

--DD

pbanders · pbanders's Garage

The range of suggestions you've gotten are what you would expect - old cars can and do make a ton of noises. If you really want to track it down, get a stethoscope, or in lieu of that, just use a length of PVC tube you can stick your ear up to to isolate the source.

It gets much more interesting when the noise only manifests itself during driving.

My car's current noise that I can't find is a scraping/rattling noise that happens in my engine compartment at about 2K. Damned if I know where it's coming from, I just turn up the radio.