Hi, Im a first time caller so to speak.
I live in Adelaide and have a TR thats about 240 000 kms old. I have some new extractors and a decent sports exhaust (I know theyre not the brilliant and expensive ones, but they get the job done), and I have a K and N Air Filter as well.. So performance wise the old girl has certainly picked up a lot, and Ive got some better fuel economy as well....
However, yes, however, not long ago the car has developed some weird noise.. To explain it is hard, but I shall give it a go. It sounds like a cross between something boiling, and something tapping. It sounds a bit like the timing chain noise only i know what that sounds like as ive already changed a couple. and the last change was only recent. The noise sort of sounds like it may be a belt, or something like tape tapping something else.
All my gauges read ok, with only the battery coming on once or twice in the past month.. Ive cleaned the terminals and the battery is a year old. The noise may be from the alternator maybe? it seems to be in that area, however it can be hard to pinpoint depending where you are standing. As sometimes it sounds stronger away from the alternator, but it is coming from around there.
Im sorry I cant help much, but it has my mechanic stuffed, and so to the RAA bloke who said it was an unusual magna rattle..
Any sort of help would be appreciated.
and im sorry if i have posted this in the wrong section, but if i knew what the noise was i would have gone to the right one..
Thanks..
David. :)
ps its an auto efi. 2.6

Yup sounds like the alternator. Here's how you test it:
Start that car. If it's making the wierd noise push on the plug on the alternator so that your pushing the plug into the alternator. If the noise stops it's most likely the brushes or the plug for your alternator is worn (most likely brushes). I've heard brushes are cheap and easy to replace or you could just get a change over alternator for $150. If the battery light comes on then the alternator is not working properly and thus the engine does sound different when it's turned off. I had the EXACT same problem. You can use cable ties to push the plug into the alternator until you get it fixed, but this will only work for a week or so.

Thanks mate..
Well at least it has helped me to narrow things down a bit.
Im getting a service for the car soon, so I will put a new alternator on it.. I dont think i will go for a re conditioned one as i plan on driving this thing like Al Bundy has with his Dodge.
Im also planning on putting some NGK spark plugs, the ones up from platinum.
See how that goes.

Hi mate,
I am in the process of moving from melbourne to adelaide, if you want I am happy to help with any questions you need, I look after a lot of the vic cars.

Well my friendly mate the mechanic put in a new alternator (bosch, new, not recon), front engine mounts (genuine ones - nothing fancy) and NGK iridium spark plugs and bosch sports leads and the car runs very well now.. No noise is good noise so to say.. which is what happened to the old alternator..rattles everywhere.
ps. this service with the above done was 550 bucks..
and he knows what he is doing.
But thanks for the info that the alternator was stuffed!!
had me beat there for a while.

the alternator probably had issues with the bearing.