[Vwdiesel] winter hijinks

[Nate Wall]

Shalyn, you didn't move to Dallas, did you? I have the same car (no P/S
either), and I get about 20K miles or less out of the alternator belt. I
think its a combination of the tight radius bends it has (its a small belt)
and the diesel vibration at idle. That belt just vibrates like crazy, when
properly tensioned, at idle. My belt never seems to sudenly fail. I just
have to retension it about every three weeks, or so. At some point, the belt
will develop cracks on its underside, and that's when it gets replaced. And
boy is that a pain, even in warm weather, since the A/C compressor belt has
to come off to change it. Not fun!

--Nate

Shalyn Shourds wrote:

> Well, here in Dallas, we got our every now and then icing.  Neither the
> state nor the city own a snowplow, so you can imagine the fun that
> followed.  Only problem I had was weaving my way between all the trucks
> and SUV's that were all over the place.  Particular idiots think that if
> the highway is too slow, they'll just cut across the median to get to
> the service road.  Some people I might offer to help push out, but I
> really think those people need the time to sit and think about exactly
> how stupid that was.
>
> Fate laughed back, though, and ate my alternator belt on the way into
> work.  No real problem, I have a spare set of belts.  Wasn't real happy
> to be doing it in the 20 degree parking lot of a sewer plant, though.
>  Now, anybody else out there with an A2 Diesel with a/c have a problem
> of eating alternator belts?  I'm pretty sure the problem is pulley
> mis-alignment.  The alternator is about 4mm off the plane of the other
> two pulleys.  I think the alternator is stock, Bosch and everything.
>  Last time I rebuilt it, I tried everything I could think of in
> re-arranging the pulley hardware to get the thing in-line, but to no
> avail.  I have lifetime belts so the money's not a problem, but it's
> annoying, happens at inopportune times, and this time there was nothing
> left of the belt so I may have to look for a while to find a blown belt
> in the road for an exchange.
>
> Any ideas how to arrange the pulleys?
>
> -Shalyn
>
> -85 Jetta TD
>
> _______________________________________________
> vwdiesel mailing list
> vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel