WD-40 and our Mr Whiz

Aug 31, 2008 3 Replies

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john d hamilton 17 years ago

My 94 corolla with 105 K miles on the clock developed a tapping/clicking sound; which to me in my ignorance sounded like a tappet or small end.

So it's round to our local ' Mr Whiz', who listens, listens more, revs up and listens some more.

Then he whips out the WD-40, sprays it at the alternator.... Noise gone, smiles all round, and off I go.

Perhaps someone might educate a novice about my preconceptions. I would have thought that spraying a liquid on to a working alternator might create problems with it going inside and shorting something? Also to the extent that WD-40 does have some lubricating properties (albeit for a short time) might that not have caused the driving belt to start slipping and playing up?

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Mrcheerful 17 years ago

most likely it was the belt he sprayed it at, they can make all manner of noises. the noise will probably return and a new belt is the right cure. I had a focus diesel in the other day, from the noise you would have thought that a bearing was going, a quick spray of belt spray showed that it was just a noisy belt, clean the pulleys and a new belt fixed it.

Mrcheerful

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Duncan Wood 17 years ago

NOt generally, & specifically not WD40

If you get it on the belt it can.

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Graham 17 years ago

It was most likely the belt. I used to rub chalk on the edge of my fan belt when my old MK1 Escort used to make that slight squeeky sound. It stopped it for a few months, but then reappeared after damp weather. Oil is a good insulator and won't do any harm to the alternator from an electrical point of view. Get a new alternator belt. It will cure it.

Graham

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