BigD

yes there is a common fault with these i guess you tried it with bonnet up but lock shut as if bonnet was closed???..it could be either barrel try wd40 into the barrel.it could be the link bar or lock itself hope this is some light on subject

Do not put WD40 in the lock, as it is not a lubricant - its a penetrant.

WD40's lubrication properties are very short-lived. When that wears off in just a few hours, the WD40 will be sat in the lock, collecting all the dust dirt and filth that goes anywhere near it. The upshot is that your problem will soon return and be 10x worse than before.

To lubricate a lock i'd recommend a light oil or heat resistant PTFE lubricant.

Stupid question but did you check the brake fluid level, and replace and tighten the brake fluid filler cap? Its surprisingly easy to forget, especially if you only loosened it and didn't fully remove it.

All done, now.  New pulley on, replaced belt too, all quiet again.  Under an hour, start to finish.

Thanks guys - I'm going to grab one from Unipart on Monday.  I did know about Transit Parts on eBay (I have their pulley on my watch list, just in case), but I need the car to get my daughter to nursery Tuesday so unfortunately I can't wait for delivery as it wouldn't be here til maybe Wednesday.

 

My mate is picking it up for me cos I only have one car, so I took the pulley off the alternator mount so he can take it with him.  Was less than surprised when a load of metal shards fell out of the bearing when I took it off.

 

I'm replacing the belt too.  I only did it a bit over six months ago but already there are a lot of cracks along the ribs, so I might as well.

Difficult to say, but my first port of call would be the hose between the intercooler and EGR as they are prone to splitting.  I don't know much about your car, but it's a very common problem on the Mk3 Mondeo and as such, most folks replace them with non-splitting silicon equivalents.

 

If it isn't that, then the only other places I've ever heard such a noise would be brake pads worn down to the metal, or running with insufficient coolant/liquid in the system.