seat alhambra alternator belt

[Belle427]

ive got a 2003 1.9tdi alhambra in the family and lately the alternator belt has started slipping slightly with a large electrical load on it
i looked under the bonnet yesterday and the tensioner pulley was dancing around a lot more than it should be and seemed to be making a slight noise from cold. I thought it may be the tensioner pulley itself but have heard of the alternator pulley failing due to its clutch like properties, i have not taken it apart or tested anything yet.
Has anyone got info or experience on the pulley problem?
Thanks

 

[Burnerman]

If its a plastic tensioner and its waving around from side to side its ready to fail, mate. Can you grab it to give it a waggle?
Never had any issues with a freewheeling alternator though - I guess that pleasure won't be too far away!
John

 

[Belle427]

no noticeable play when i grab it and put pressure on it, i will have to take the belt off and have a better look

 

[gregers]

all your anwers are here,
www.fordgalaxy.org.uk

are there any strange noises comming from the engine bay?
mine is a free wheeling 1,and i had to change the tensioner and pulley.
tensioner was iirc 40? quid from vw
and the pulley was iirc 20?from gsf
you will also need the pulley tool to remove the alternator pulley,which is a bind to track down as vw will not sell it to you,dealer tool only.
there is a way of checking if the pulley has seized but the info is in 1 of the posts and i cannot remember where within the galaxy forum,lol.

if you join the site above take a look in the faqs in the technical section of the forum,you will find various posts on the subject including mine.plus a hell of a lot more fixes to problems that these cars suffer from,and the gurus on there are a very knowledgabl bunch.
same name on there as here.

 

[Belle427]

sounds like exactly the problem im having, thanks for that

 

[Burnerman]

Will you post back about that one?
Never had any dealings with these alternator pulleys.
Cheers!
John

 

[Belle427]

will do, looks like its a new alternator pulley at around £50 and the special splined tool to undo it at around £13 (laser part number 3307)

 

[gregers]

yep thats the tool you need.ch427,also bear in mind you might also need a new tensioner,again i found this cheaper at vw.

john for you m8,unless youve joined the galaxy forum lol and found it anyway?


1. Disconnect the battery (we don't want any thermal incidents from shorting the alternator).

2. View the alternator from above.

3. Identify the pulley end and look through the ribs of the body of the alternator.

4. Identify the alternator fan blades which can be seen through the ribs.

5. Insert a small electrical type screwdriver in between the ribs and try to turn the fan clockwise and anticlockwise.

6. If the fan turns freely in one direction and tries to move the pulley in the other it is OK.

7. If the fan tries to turn the pulley in both directions it is faulty and is causing this issue.

N.B. The fan does not require much effort to freewheel.

 

[Burnerman]

Thanks for that
I've never come across failure of these pulleys, and I've looked after quite a few of these TDi lumps that have gone well over the 100k mark.
I find the automatic timing belt tensioners a right pain though, and don't trust them.
John

 

[Crickleymal]

Thanks for that
I've never come across failure of these pulleys, and I've looked after quite a few of these TDi lumps that have gone well over the 100k mark.
I find the automatic timing belt tensioners a right pain though, and don't trust them.
John

A work colleague had one fail on his Octavia and apparently it's not uncommon. I think he got his pulley from Eurocarparts

 

[Belle427]

i rang gsf this morning and the pulley is £31 plus vat which isnt bad.

 

[gregers]

yeah dunno if it just the pd engines or vag engines in general.

john there is a knack to changine the tensioner,again its in the galaxy forum,but iirc it requires a 17mm spanner on the knurl of the tensioner,with your 3rd hand holding summit else etc lol.

ch427 good price,have you joined the galaxy forum yet as i havnt seen your name come up?

 

[Belle427]

i didnt join as it let me view the technical threads without having to register. i may register anyway as it seems a good resource