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Engine Specific Info and Questions => IDI Engine => Topic started by: Steve2017 on October 19, 2017, 11:22:37 pm

Title: Tighten alternator belt
Post by: Steve2017 on October 19, 2017, 11:22:37 pm
Hi,  i have a 1993. 1.9td golf and the alternator belt is slack feeling and bouncing around.  Is there a way to tighten it?

Thanks
Title: Re: Tighten alternator belt
Post by: Steve2017 on October 19, 2017, 11:26:17 pm
Woops,  think i have maybe posted in the wrong section?
Title: Re: Tighten alternator belt
Post by: burn_your_money on November 11, 2017, 12:18:22 am
You're in the right section. You may need to replace the tensioner. It also may just need a clutched alternator pulley to reduce/eliminate the bouncing.
Title: Re: Tighten alternator belt
Post by: Norsker on November 11, 2017, 08:39:24 am
Had the same problem, some of the teeth on my alternator adjustment bracket were broken.
If you pry up on the alternator with a prybar, you should be able to bolt it tight while the belt is tight.
Title: Re: Tighten alternator belt
Post by: libbydiesel on November 13, 2017, 03:00:08 pm
AAZ had the serpentine belt system with spring loaded tensioner.  Burn is right, replace the tensioner and replace the clutched alt pulley or install it if it is still the solid pulley and you don't want your engine to self-destruct.
Title: Re: Tighten alternator belt
Post by: vanbcguy on November 16, 2017, 11:40:06 pm
The AAZ came with two different serpentine setups depending on whether the car had AC or not. The AC setup has a tensioner, but the non-AC setup with the lower amperage alternator does not. On the non-AC setup you just loosen the alternator mounting bolts, use a pry bar to put tension on the belt then tighten everything up again.

Now, that said, are you chasing down a belt squealing type noise, particularly when cold? Very good chance your harmonic balancer is toast. The original ones had a rubber isolater between the hub and the outer ring, as they age the rubber decays and the outer part starts to slip. It usually starts with a chirping sound then eventually degrades in to a constant squeal.

If you scribe or paint a line on the balancer across the rubber ring. Fire the engine, see if the lines have moved, replace the balancer if they have.

The balancers were redesigned so they can't fail, any new one you buy should be the redesigned version.

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