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1500 whistling noise near/in distributor?

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1500 whistling noise near/in distributor? #1
RJP1 Rikki P Birmingham, UK Sign in to contact	Topic Creator (OP) Mar 1, 2015 10:36 AM Joined 14 years ago 257 Posts

Hi guys,

I had a case of a whistle coming from around the alternator/distributor area. It's a new alternator though so discounted a high pitched whistle at low revs. It might be present at higher revs but the car is too loud to be able to tell! Sometimes it goes away if you blip the throttle.

I thought it was a worn out distributor cap and rotor and replaced both which seemed to fix the annoying sound last week.

Today the whistle came back and I have no idea what it might be... it's a '77 1500 Midget...

Does anyone know what it might be?

Cheers for the pointers!

Rikki

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Re: 1500 whistling noise near/in distributor? #4
refisk Rick Fisk Frankenmuth, MI, USA Sign in to contact	Mar 1, 2015 10:53 AM Top Contributor Joined 12 years ago 14,672 Posts

You said the noise was gone for a week after working on the distributor. How much side-to-side play is there on the distributor shaft?

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Re: 1500 whistling noise near/in distributor? #5
purpleGT Bud Osbourne Pittsburgh, PA., USA Sign in to contact 1956 MG MGA 1500 1972 MG Midget MkIII 1972 MG Midget MkIII 1974 MG MGB GT "The Grape" & more	Mar 1, 2015 11:15 AM Top Contributor Joined 16 years ago 4,501 Posts

In reply to # 2930325 by RJP1 Hi Bud,

I'm inclined to say it's not the alternator as it's less than 500 miles new. Saying that though when I first put it on it was kind of loud. I thought it could be the bushes cutting in.

Hmm...

Well, to confirm that, you could simply remove the drive belt and start the engine just long enough to determine whether or not it's still making the noise. Then you will be able to rule-out the alternator........or determine the alternator is the culprit.

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Re: 1500 whistling noise near/in distributor? #6
Billm Bill Masquelier Santee, CA, USA Sign in to contact 1960 MG MGA 1600 1965 MG Midget MkII 1966 Austin-Healey Sprite "Sprite" 1966 Austin-Healey Sprite "Sprite"	Mar 1, 2015 11:27 AM Top Contributor Joined 17 years ago 4,473 Posts

Put a tiny drop of grease on the distributor cam (inside the distributor that the points rubs against) and see if that makes it a bit quieter
BillM

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Re: 1500 whistling noise near/in distributor? #7
RJP1 Rikki P Birmingham, UK Sign in to contact	Topic Creator (OP) Mar 1, 2015 11:38 AM Joined 14 years ago 257 Posts

I'm running a hell effect sensor, so no points... I'll try removing the fan belt, it's dark and started raining now though so can't have a look tonight.

Cheers guys,

Rikki

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Re: 1500 whistling noise near/in distributor? #8
jmac Jere McSparran Greenup, IL, USA Sign in to contact 1970 MG Midget "(SOLD)" 1978 MG Midget "Therapy" 1978 MG Midget "(SOLD)"	Mar 1, 2015 05:52 PM Top Contributor Joined 16 years ago 3,269 Posts

You might pull your distributor out and see how freely it is turning. You should be able to spin the shaft and it should move easily. I had one that for some reason would get gummed up a bit, i'm guessing from hot oil. I would spray a little WD-40 on it and it would immediately loosen up. Then I would make sure it has some oil on the shaft and put it back together. I had to do that occasionally, not sure why. But when it made that whining sound I would do the little procedure and it would be fine for a long while.

Jere McSparran
JMAC Engine Shop
Website: http://www.jmacengineshop.com
email: jmacengineshop@gmail.com
Phone: 217-232-7303

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-01 05:53 PM by jmac.

JMAC Engine Shop jmacengineshop.weebly.com

MG/Triumph engine rebuilding. Specializing in the Midget/Spitfire 1500 engine.

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Re: 1500 whistling noise near/in distributor? #2
purpleGT Bud Osbourne Pittsburgh, PA., USA Sign in to contact 1956 MG MGA 1500 1972 MG Midget MkIII 1972 MG Midget MkIII 1974 MG MGB GT "The Grape" & more	Mar 1, 2015 10:48 AM Top Contributor Joined 16 years ago 4,501 Posts

Re: 1500 whistling noise near/in distributor? #3
RJP1 Rikki P Birmingham, UK Sign in to contact	Topic Creator (OP) Mar 1, 2015 10:51 AM Joined 14 years ago 257 Posts

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