Ford Fiesta mk5 1.3 Endura - Grinding noise from mk5 fiesta in traffic

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Fri 8 Jun 2012 20:38
Ford Fiesta mk5 1.3 Endura - Grinding noise from mk5 fiesta in traffic - AlSweetman
I am currently suffering an intermittent problem with my mk5 fiesta flight (189,000 miles 1.3 Endura engine). After being sat in traffic for greater than 10 minutes when progress beings to be made there's an intermittent grinding that's both heard and felt through the gearstick and steering wheel. It starts off sounding similar to a rubbing brake (in so much as it happens regularly, like it's happening every revolution "of something") then progressively gets louder and for a "longer" duration until there's a grinding sound all the time, akin to duff bearing (ie there all the time).

I've done some first principals diagnosis but am still confused:

1. It occurs when the car is moving regardless of whether: the is engine on, off, clutch engaged, clutch disengaged, brakes lightly applied, brakes off, handbrake applied, handbrake off.
2. You can hear it with the window open and closed - it's a rhythmic (and eventual constant) grinding / vibrating noise
3. It can be felt through the gear stick (the whole thing vibrates) and also can be felt through the steering wheel.
4. The gearbox has plenty of oil (I've checked by undoing the allen key bolt in the front of the transmission housing)
5. It's just had its front lower suspension arms changed as the bushings had disintegrated.

Given 1 and 5 in particular coupled with the fact it stops when the car reaches over 30mph I'm thinking it's got to be either related to the trackrods/drive shafts or the front diff. The diff, however, is in the gearbox and has plenty of oil (as far as I can tell) so I don't think it's that. The trackrods shouldn't have been touched (aside to drop them out for the arm replacements) and I'd have thought if CV joints etc. were not lubricated properly it would a). be a different sound and b). not cease when the speed was over 30 mph(ish).

To be honest I'm stumped! However, I haven't got the 3-4k for a replacement car so it's make-do-and-mend.

Thanks for any help.

Al.
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Sat 9 Jun 2012 11:30
Ford Fiesta mk5 1.3 Endura - Grinding noise from mk5 fiesta in traffic - Peter.N.

I think it will probably be a wheel bearing, see if the noise level changes when you corner from one side to the other.

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Sat 9 Jun 2012 12:53
Ford Fiesta mk5 1.3 Endura - Grinding noise from mk5 fiesta in traffic - bathtub tom

Was it happening before the suspension arms were changed? If not, then the noise is probably a result of that work.

Also consider engine mount.

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Mon 11 Jun 2012 14:12
Ford Fiesta mk5 1.3 Endura - Grinding noise from mk5 fiesta in traffic - AlSweetman

Was it happening before the suspension arms were changed? If not, then the noise is probably a result of that work.

Also consider engine mount.

Hi Bathtub Tom,

No the noise wasn't there before the suspension arms were changed, but I can't work out what would have been affected in the changing?! The previous arms were pretty knackered so I'm wondering if they caused the damage / "wore a groove" in something and when the new arms were fitted the "worn groove" was lost... FWIW The arms were own-supplied parts from myself which were fitted so the garage, although helpful, rightly won't "cover" anything.

Engine mounts - that's an interesting one. I've gone and done some more investigative listening and 'wiggling' and I think that either the gearbox or the engine mount is slightly loose as coming too hard off the accelerator causes a slight "knocking" sound to occur. Presumably "repeated" knocking would cause the drive-shafts to move and wear? I still don't quite see the connection to the intermittent behaviour (I'd have thought it would have been constant rather than intermittent) but it's certainly a good first port of call, and something that needs looking at.

I'm still of the mind that it's something caused by changing the suspension arms, but quite what has affected it I really can't guess.

Cheers,

Al.

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Mon 11 Jun 2012 19:17
Ford Fiesta mk5 1.3 Endura - Grinding noise from mk5 fiesta in traffic - Roly93

I like the engine mount idea also. A broken engine mount can cause a hideously rough noise and clunks when going from on-throttle to off-throttle.

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Mon 11 Jun 2012 14:03
Ford Fiesta mk5 1.3 Endura - Grinding noise from mk5 fiesta in traffic - AlSweetman

I think it will probably be a wheel bearing, see if the noise level changes when you corner from one side to the other.

Hi Peter, Thanks for the response. I had dismissed the wheel bearing because it stopped as the speed increased. In the past when bearings have gone or begun to go it's got steadily noisier the faster the wheel turns and it's a constant noise all the time, rather than an intermittent noise that becomes constant. Also, I was told many years ago by a garage that if you had the wheel off the ground you could feel when a bearing was going wrong by putting your hand on the spring as you rotated the wheel - the thought was that any vibrations would then be felt. I've done this, as well as the 12/6 o'clock and 3/9 o'clock "waggle test" but couldn't feel anything untoward. Are there any other "examinations" I could perform to further test the bearing?

Cheers,

Al.

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