I have a feeling I need to replace the tensioner pulley assembly ( spring and wheel ??? ) Could anybody tell me if this is a fraught task or relatively simple, please. It looks like an aluminium structure which I am always wary of as it is easier to strip thread here and I am a bit agricultural in my approach to things :-))
...and Hirsty's spake unto the tribes of Usenet, saying...
20-minute job. You will need a 15mm socket and a long bar (and preferably a glamorous assistant). Put the socket and bar on the nut in the centre and turn to relieve the tension on the belt. Wiggle the belt free of the tensioner (no need to take it off). Undo nuts on tensioner body, remove. Refitting is the reverse of, etc. The assistant comes in handy to manipulate the belt off or on while you stand grunting by the side of the vehicle taking the strain of the tensioner, which is considerable.
If it's the bearing that's gone, these can be rebuilt (there was a thread on this a few months ago), as the assembly is £60+ as I remember. If the spring has gone (two markings cast into the body of the tensioner line up when the belt is on) then it's buy new time. Depends on the symptoms - a certain amount of squeaking is normal, or so I'm told.
On or around Sat, 01 Apr 2006 09:48:29 +0100, beamendsltd enlightened us thusly:
how, FFS? if the nut jams then it undoes the stud instead, IME.
but yes, doddle. You can also unbolt the tenioner wheel (LH thread, IIRC) and press the bearings out of it and replace them - depending on whether it's just the bearings that are kaput.
Yes mine squeaks but stops if a little water is dribbled onto it, so I have assumed it is the belt slipping laterally on the pulley whell because the tension is poor
"Hirsty's" wrote in news:WZqXf.12902$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net:
If it is a squeak coming from the tensioner area, 10 to 1 it is belt squeak caused by the belt becoming glazed and setting up a high pitched vibration. (Sound is vibration, hence the noise). To test, splash some water on the belt. If the squeak goes, it isn't the tensioner.
"Hirsty's" wrote in news:5yEXf.1453$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe6-win.ntli.net:
I phoned a belt manufacturer a while back and asked to be put through to the technical department. The technician I spoke to described the problem as I stated in my previous post adding, "It is the same thing as chalk on a blackboard. Or dragging your finger down a piece of glass. Or squeaking windscreen wipers".
He suggested sticking some coarse emery paper to a small flat board and applying that to the glazed tensioner surface (watch your fingers!) with the engine running. That worked for me but the squeak eventually came back (as it will do eventually even with a new belt and tensioner).
But I have since developed occupational deafness and won't bother until I come to sell it! But it is your choice.
The marks line up when the tensioner is kaput - if you operate the tensioner you will see that the stronger the tension, the further the marks are from each other. When the spring inside has had it, they will line up, and time for a new one. Yours sounds OK.
On or around Sun, 2 Apr 2006 11:40:27 +0100, "Richard Brookman" enlightened us thusly:
Actually, I thought that was the belt... belt stretches and the tensioner rotates further, if it gets as far as marks-aligned, that's the limit of belt life. BICBW.
As far as I know, it's typical for 300 TDi's. Every 300 TDi Disco and Defender I know, has a squeaking serpentine belt. Some (the MOT-guy) say it's due to a worn tensioner, others (dealer) are convinced it's rust. I've tried the original OEM belt and a Gates one, but both squeaked, squeak and in all probability will squeak for ever more. Silicone spray works wonders. Usually keeps it silent for some 1000 kilometers.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.