HP Pump noises

[Linegeist]

At first I thought it was a small-end bearing letting go on the petrol Athena - a characteristic light tapping at engine speed. It was when I got a stethoscope out that I found it was the pump making all the noise.

So I bought a recon one from Pleiades and fitted it, carefully priming it and bleeding the system. Unfortunately, the replacement pump started howling like a banshee after about 10 miles, and clattered like a tap dancer with parkinsons to boot. That and the steering kept cutting in and out .... THAT led to a few All Bran moments on the way home.

So I put the old one back on and asked nicely for another pump - which Pleiades duly sent by return. 10/10 so far.

I fitted the replacement pump today - the temperature in the workshop finally went above 3deg C out here - and this bloody pump taps as well when the engine's taken above 2,000RPM. Not as loudly as its predecessor or the original one - and the bag 'o spanners clatter's not there .... the car rises a lot more smartly than before and the steering's smoother as well, so a result - ish. But there's still this noticeable small-end sound that, if I disconnent the HP pump, disappears.

Can someone tell me that Citroen HP pumps make this background tap-tap-tap sound as a characteristic part of their daily lives, please? My Mk1 GT never did it, and my TZD doesn't, so why have I got 2 pumps that do?

Or does God just hate me?

All suggestions, offers of euthanasia or gifts of hemlock gratefully accepted ........

[Way2go]

Just a thought, I take it that you have manually fully primed the pumps with LHM? Otherwise noise could be caused by trapped air maybe?

[Linegeist]

Yeah ... I kind've thought I might be indulging in some terminal stupidity. It wouldn't be the first time.........

But no - I pre-primed the pump on the bench, topped up with a large hypodeemic nerdle before I fitted the supply pipe, then ran the whole shebang with the dump valve open for a good 5 minutes while I tidied up, then did the Citaerobics thing half a dozen times (puzzles the hell out of the cat, that does ).

Then I took it for a road test - which is when I heard the familiar tap-tap noise again. Quieter than the original pump - and MUCH quieter than the first replacement - but still there. So I popped back to the workshop, popped off the belt, and restarted the engine = noise popped out for lunch.

[Defender110]

What about the other (drive ) pulley or any damage on the belt?

[Linegeist]

Hmmm. Worth a shufti that! Hadn't occurred to me that a belt could make a tappety noise - but I've seen stranger stuff happen under bonnets ......

I'll have a squint tomorrow. Thanks for that.

Footnote: Took the Athena for a longish drive today (80 miles). Amazing difference with a new pump. The biggest change is in the way the car leaps to its 'feet' when the engine's started.

Nice.

[Linegeist]

Ho Hum .............. checked pulleys and replaced both belts.... still doing the deathwatch beetle with castanets thing. It must be one of the pump elements - the stethoscope says it deffo the pump ... the noise is loudest when the probe's on the pump casing.

Bugger it! Will it get worse, or do I cut my losses, swallow my pride and keep this pump on the basis that it's better than my old one (not to mention the one it was sent out to replace ) .............