Can anyone help? I have a problem

[Vecmaniac]

It all started off with a noise that sounded like a loose heat shroud that was vibrating on tickover. I had a look under the bonnet tonight and the noise seems to be coming from the vicinity of the high pressure fuel pump/timing belt cover area. I removed the air box and then the cover to reveal that the timing belt was off centre from the fuel pump sprocket and is about 2-3 mm over the edge which was causing the belt to rub ever so slightly against the plastic cover. However I thought that I would confirm that this was the source of the noise as I was a bit sceptical so I started the engine and with the belt cover removed the noise is still evident in the same area.

By this tme I realised that I had started the engine without the maf/airbox (only for 30 seconds or so) and this resulted in a management light appearing (no surprise there then!) However, once I replaced the air box etc and restarted the car the emissions light has illuminated and is staying on.

The car has no loss of performance at all either before or after I removed the air box.

Has anyone experienced anything like this before?

Have I knacked something by starting the car without the maf/airbox(Emissions light)?

Does anyone think the HP fuel pump is shafted? (I've just shelved out 700 sheets on the inet manifold about four months ago so I hope not!! )

This fault follows a long and sorry list of problems I have had with my Vec over the last eighteen months.

Read on...

OSF wheel bearing
Both front springs
Both front shocks
Anti roll bar drop links
Alternator
TWO egr valves (In 3 months!)
Inlet manifold

[vectragsi3.2]

try disconnecting the battery for about half an hour and if there is no fault then it will go off if there is a fault it will come back on!! try this before you take it anywhere or spend money on it!!

[barkzz]

try disconnecting the battery for about half an hour and if there is no fault then it will go off if there is a fault it will come back on!! try this before you take it anywhere or spend money on it!!

Yup, probably got a fault code stored as well, so get the battery disconnected!

[Ian]

take the car for a run. It needs to get up to working temp for the ECU to decide that nothing is wrong. Once upto to temp for shortwhile, stop the car and restart the igintion. The EWL should go out. This happened to me when the EGR packed in and I disconnected it to get home (I was in taunton, live in York!). Once I had cleaned the EGR and put the connector back the EWL was still on. A shortish drive later and all was fine, as above.

[Vecmaniac]

Spot on... Drove the car to work, light on. Parked up and picked up the office keys, restarted the car, no EWL. good call Ian. Thanks for all replies about warning lights.

Now, anyone got any ideas about the noise in the engine bay that started all this?!

[Vecmaniac]

I've been thinking... Is anyone of the opinion that the bearing holding the shaft from the HP fuel pump to the timing belt sprocket be noisy/worn thus causing the noise I have described?

[GazVXLINE170]

When I was getting my inlet manifold done last week they changed the timing belt as a precaution but noticed that the belt was starting to move off of the pulleys becuase of a poor water pump bearing although I didnt notice a noise but was shown the water pump when it was changed and it was knackered so that may be the noise??

Gazza4

[Vecmaniac]

On the advice of a vx mechanic on hearing the noise I have heard he said to take off the aux drivebelt and start the engine to possibly eliminate the pulleys etc associated with it. This I did and lo and behold the noise disappeared! I have discovered that my alternator which was replaced last summer by vx appears to have a dodgy rear bearing. ah well, off to the stealers tomorrow me thinks. Gotta be in warranty (I hope!) if not the it mustbe pretty damn close! Worth a try anyway.