[Vwdiesel] Alternator bracket mods

[Val Christian]

> 
> 
> After an ongoing struggle with the alternator belt on my 91 NA, I tried new
> HD  "Gatorback" belts for both the AC and alt.
> They must be slightly bigger than stock, because with the AC belt tensioned
> correctly, the idler for the alt belt goes to the end of its adjustment
> without getting the belt tight enough.
> 
> Has anyone modified their Alternator brackets to accept a wider range of
> commercially available belts, and if so, how?
> Thanks,
> Mark
> 

Mark,

After years of wrestling with the belts on my 91 NA (ac and ps), I learned
the following:

-use no belt other than the conti belt supplied by VW, and obtainable 
through some parts houses.  autohausaz has then very reasonably priced.

-tweak the belt up firmly

-readjust after 1 hour

-readjust after 5 hours, and then every 10 hours of use, until readjustment 
is not necessary

-when tightening the belt, tighten just enough, so that the alt fan can
be moved just a little bit.  You need to back off on the tension so that
the belt just slips a very little.  Too tight, and you stretch or break the 
belt.

Once setup correctly, checking the belt should happen every time you check
the oil.  All you need is a long 17mm box, and a long 13mm box.

This summer, when my daughter was driving the 91, I noticed the belt was 
slipping...and I didn't think I had time to tighten it.  Three days 
later, it slipped enough so that somehow it broke when she was on
the expressway.

I've used Dayco, Springfield, and probably three other major brands of
belts.  Conti works best.

As an aside, my 03 TDI has a serpentine belt.  Nice concept.  Not so nice
implementation.  My daughter helped me replace the alternator on that 
car this past weekend.  It turns out that the alternator has an overrunning
clutch, and it failed.  I wish I had known that, because I pulled the 
regulator/brush assy to service that.  Oh well.  Pulling the alt was a 
couple of hour ordeal, because it's in the middle, boxed in by the 
PS pump, the AC compressor, and the radiator assy.  Got it out, and 
replaced it.  The reman alt has a fixed pulley.  I wonder what will 
break now?

Good luck with the 91.  For what it's worth, about 1/2 the life of the car,
I've carried a 17mm box, and a 31 mm box with me at all times.  The spare belts
are always in the trunk, but the only one I've ever broke is the alt 
one.  More than a half dozen times.

Val