Alternator Belt Replacement/Retensioning on VR6

[zoglet 0]

Hi all,

 

Sorry if this is a bit of a numpty question.

 

In two parts:

 

First part: I'm pretty certain I need a new alternator belt as I'm getting horrid alternator belt noises and the current one is horribly loose. If I'm gonna retension, I guess I may as well replace. GSF sell for 9.95. Can't bear the noise any more and can't get it looked at so gonna try doing myself over the weekend. Question: Is it a lot less trouble to retension than replace? Sometimes retensioning is about loosening one nut and rejiggling alternator whereas replacing involves removal of lots of bits.

 

Anyone who's done either, I'd appreciate a rough estimate on how long either job would take cos I'm f****d if I'm gonna be outside for more than a couple of hours if it's as cold as this over the weekend :)

 

Second part: Following on from first really. Is there a service manual I can get for a VR6 Corrado? There's no Haynes manual sadly and although I'm not totally incompetent with a socket set, I'm not brave enough to attempt anything without some guidance. Many years of tears as a teenager with Beetles taught me that you can often make a job a lot longer and more expensive if you attempt something the long way round.

 

Cheers All

[steve @ 0]

The belt has a self adjusting tensioner fitted so shouldnt be loose. So look at the tensioner first. As for the belt its pretty straight forward to change. You need to screw a bolt( M8 ) of the top of my head into the thread on the top of the tensioner, this will release the tension and allow you to slide the belt off. Fitting is just the reversal of removing.

[Supercharged 2]

Serp Belp on a VR6 is probably the easiest to change...

 

I would get the propper poly ribbed belt from VW and you will also need an M8x80 bolt to de-tension - you can't adjust the tensioner you will see the hole to feed the bolt into on the top of it.

 

Also check the tensioner bearing - you can buy it seperatly from a bearing supplier - search on here for the part number.

[zoglet 0]

Cheers guys

 

You say it's a self adjusting tensioner but the belt seems really slack to me. Am I assuming correctly then that the belts stretched as far is it should and it's time to replace?

 

You also say I should check the tensioner and bearing. Is this as easy to get at and deal with?

 

Again sorry if I'm stating the obvious but I want to know what I'm getting myself into before I start taking bits off.

 

Thanks :)

[Supercharged 2]

Belts don't usually stretvh that much but it could be a cheapo one on there....

 

The tensioner has a plastic wheel with bearing inside, you need to get the belt off to see if this spins freely - what might have happened is the bearing seized and the plastic wheel has melted, if thats the case then you need a new unit - £60 from VW and is held onto the head with 3 10mm bolts

[zoglet 0]

Thanks mate.

 

A final (I hope) question. I've taken a closer look at the belt arrangement and I don't see anything obviously plastic (braces for impact of abuse and groans). I'm looking down at the belt and wheels from the drivers side of the car. It looks to me like the only wheel that fits your description and is in an way accessible without major tears is the one at the very bottom. All the others look like the chassis frame is in the way. I assume the main wheel sits on this plastic bearing. Am I right?

 

I've attached a pic, looking down at the belt. Am I right in assuming the adjuster is the one at the bottom, partially obscured by that brightly lit tab?

 

 

It looks like I have to remove some panelling to get at it. Am I right?

 

I'm sorry to be asking the more basic questions but it's the first time I've attempted anything on this car so I'd rather get it right first time than spend half the day trying to get at it from the wrong side, if you know what I mean.

 

Again, thanks a million

[Supercharged 2]

Nah - the tensioner is the unit at the top, I think i'm wrong - must be a metal pulley... I think i was thinking it was plastic as if they are not maintained then you need a whole new unit but that must be for another reason...

[zoglet 0]

Thanks again supercharged, much appreciated. This might cause problems then as it looks like a real trauma to get at. I'll have to bite my lip and have a closer look over the weekend as it looks completely inaccesible to me from the engine bay.

 

re workshop manuals, do you know of any for the vr6? Would be a godsend as a reference.

[craigowl 0]

zoglet - I changed mine on my VR6 last year and I am 61 with no great car mechanics skills. It took a good part of an afternoon, but I will have been slow at it.

[craigowl 0]

Also, in "search" use "engine bay" as forum category and look for "serpentine belt" - that is the correct name of the component.

A couple of points in there will give you some ideas to start with.

 

The route the belt takes around alll the pulleys should not be comitted to memory only - draw a diagram if you do not have the Bentley manual.

[Supercharged 2]

This should help...

[zoglet 0]

Aha!!!!

 

It's all so painfully clear to me now, I didn't realise that top bit was part of the tensioner as well.

 

Thank a million all, I wouldn't have had a scooby without ya. I'll be on it this weekend.

 

And thanks craigowl for the pointer to the the Bentley manual, think this is a definite investment.

 

:salute:

 

 

I've just come back from GSF with a replacement belt, VW said it would take until next week to get and I can't wait another week to fix.

 

GSF also had the tensioner in stock. I took a closer look at this and see what you mean about the M8 bolt. I took another look at the one on my car and could see that the tensioner had closed right up, ie no gap between the main body and the bit the bolt would push against.

 

No guarantees (let you know next week) but I'd say it's a safe bet that if you can see an opening where the tensioner bolt pushes against then you've got a bproblem with the bearing, if like in my case the tensioner is completely shut, it's a safe bet that the belt has stretched to a point it needs replacing. Not sure about this of course but I thought I'd add my tuppeny's worth to the whole fault finding process. Saves you spending £70 just in case.

 

Thank again everyone

[zoglet 0]

Weekend's work:

Removed old belt, checked tensioner looked and spun ok. Put on new belt, started engine, lots of smoke and rubber smells. Switch off, look again to find tensioner couldn't deal with new belt and failed, wrecking new belt.

 

Mad run down to GSF for 2nd belt and new tensioner, fitted and worked a dream. Second time round, fitting took around 10minutes, replacing bit of plastic underneath about an hour!

 

Cheers for your help guys, would've been lost without your collective help.

 

8)

[TimVR6 0]

Fitted a new tensioner pulley bearing today - £7 quid ish for bearing and approx 3 hours careful work - the wikipedia instructions were spot on. Saved quite a few pounds thanks to the forum. So good to start the VR without that horrendous whining noise!

[Stan 24v 0]

Alternatively you could have just looked here

 

:lol:

[TimVR6 0]

Yeah that's the one :lol: