[Vwdiesel] TDI alternator pulley

[Shalyn Shourds]

  A while back, I saw that my '00 Jetta TDI accessory belt pulley was 
bouncing all over the place.  I searched the TDIclub site and there 
seems to be a history of alternator pulleys failing causing the tension 
on the belt to exceed the dampening ability of the tensioner.  Tonight, 
I pulled off the belt and looked over the system.  The typical alt. 
pulley failure mode appears to be that the one-way clutch doesn't lock 
in either direction.  I did establish that the pulley locks in one 
direction.  I also noticed that in the other direction, it has far more 
resistance than I would expect from a bearing, but I don't know what's 
typical of this kind of clutch.  Should it be completely free-wheeling, 
zero resistance?  I also ascertained that the little hydraulic strut on 
the tensioner is completely blown--oil leaked out everywhere.  I 
definitely need to replace it, but did it die, or...was it murdered by 
the alt. pulley?

Thanks,

-Shalyn