[Vwdiesel] 2003 Golf ALT symptoms - any other possibilities?

[Andrew .Libby]

Why would you remove the A/C compressor on an ALH in order to access the
alt?  Remove the serp belt, remove the electrical connector and then remove
the two bolts that hold on the alt, no need to mess with the compressor at
all.


On Thu, Aug 14, 2014 at 12:35 PM, Matt Alkire <malkire at gmail.com> wrote:

> Yep, I sure did.  It's really a tight squeeze.  Getting your arms up in
> there and holding the thing still while trying to wrench it off is
> ridiculous.  I gave up after fighting with it for 2 hours or so.
>
> -Matt
>
>
> On Thu, Aug 14, 2014 at 3:27 PM, Travis . <tgott at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I haven't done the 03-older cars pulley. Did you use the newest shorter
>> tool that makes it somewhat easier or the longer tool older tool?
>> Travis
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 15:16:08 -0400
>> Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] 2003 Golf ALT symptoms - any other possibilities?
>> From: malkire at gmail.com
>> To: libbybapa at gmail.com
>> CC: tgott at hotmail.com; vwdiesel at vwfans.com; tadc at europa.com
>>
>> Replacing the pulley isn't too bad on the 2004+ cars, but on the ALH,
>> it's a pain in the rear to get to.  I could not break it loose, and wound
>> up taking it to the local VW mechanic to try.  He was *just* able to break
>> it loose.  He only charged me $40 to R&R the pulley and install the new
>> belt.
>>
>> On the PD engines, the alternator is located at the top of the motor.
>> It's very easy to replace the pulley, but I wouldn't call replacing it on
>> the ALH a 'half hour' job.
>>
>> When I replaced my alternator, it wasn't terribly difficult.  It only
>> took around 2-3 hours.  You have to remove the compressor and one of the
>> rad fans in order to remove it from the car, though that wasn't horribly
>> difficult, just work.  As a side benefit, my hands were a lovely shade of
>> black when I was done. :-D
>>
>> Failure occurred at 260K miles, FWIW.
>>
>> -Matt
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 14, 2014 at 3:01 PM, Andrew .Libby <libbybapa at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> I have also found the pulley life to be MUCH shorter than the alt life.
>>  While replacing the pulley is quicker, I can't imagine replacing an alt
>> on
>> any of the vw diesels taking longer than an hour.
>>
>> I would add that there is an intrinsic conflict of interest with the
>> advice
>> given by 'shop guys'.  If speaking from their own self-interest, their
>> recommendation will always be to do more labor than necessary and replace
>> more expensive parts in order for them to make more money.  Another
>> benefit
>> is that they limit their own risk.  If speaking in the interest of the
>> customer it will be to replace only the parts necessary in order to
>> minimize the long-term cost of owning/maintaining the vehicle.  The two
>> points of interest are diametrically opposed and I have found that more
>> often then not, 'shop guys' speak from their own interest rather than the
>> interest of the customer.
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 14, 2014 at 11:47 AM, Travis . <tgott at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > The alt pulley takes 1/2 hour if you have never done one before. Taking
>> > the whole alt out takes likely 2 hours to do and the much greater parts
>> > cost. As for them failing at the same time-I replaced my alt pulley at
>> > around 70K miles. I was at 150K miles when my 04 started on fire
>> shorting
>> > out at -35 outside and there were no pulley issues yet nor alternator
>> > issues (fire near starter-not alt). I know I would only do the pulley
>> again.
>> > Travis
>> >
>> > From: tadc at europa.com
>> > Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 11:01:49 -0700
>> > Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] 2003 Golf ALT symptoms - any other
>> possibilities?
>> > To: malkire at gmail.com
>> > CC: tgott at hotmail.com; vwdiesel at vwfans.com
>> >
>> > Sounds familiar - my alt pulley started making funny noises and broke a
>> > few minutes later.
>> > The guy at my shop recommended just replacing the whole alt because it
>> > often doesn't last much longer than the pulley and the labor isn't
>> cheap to
>> > do twice.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > On Wed, Aug 13, 2014 at 2:55 PM, Matt Alkire <malkire at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> > This happened to me. My pulley started chirping, so I ordered a new one.
>> > The day after ordering, the old one exploded. Took the alternator belt
>> with
>> > it.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > It was around $30 for the pulley and $35 for the tool.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > The sad part is, 6 months later the alternator died.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > -Matt
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > > On Aug 13, 2014, at 4:56 PM, "Travis ." <tgott at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > >
>> >
>> > > The alt pulley is a clutched pulley. Sometimes they fail and lock
>> solid.
>> > Sometimes they start to slip and don't turn the alt over enough to
>> charge.
>> > Rarely but it does happen-the pulley explodes. Pull the belt off, put a
>> > screwdriver into the inside fan blades and then turn the pulley. It
>> should
>> > turn one direction only. If turns both or neither it is bad. $65 is
>> cheaper
>> > then $400. You need a special tool/s to get the pulley off (another $35
>> or
>> > can be rented from someone).
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > > Travis
>> >
>> > >
>> >
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