alternator belt keeps disappearing

[harry_the_face]

What about a failing alternator bearing that is causing extra drag on the belt, or an overloaded alternator?

[woodrat]

ha!

I think I found the problem. I finally got to work on it in the daylight and I put a straightedge along the various pulleys. The tensioner pulley is off to the side by about 3-4mm, looks like there are a couple of washers under the little post that the pulley sits on. I think if I move those around to the back, it should line up.

Finding this belt out here in the boonies is a drag though. Local NAPA didn't have it; I have to drive the truck over to Astoria today to get one that will fit.

Hopefully it will be all back to normal again this afternoon.

Thanks for all the suggestions; it is comforting to see that I am not the only one who has had this problem. I will be carrying a spare from now on.

[hagar]

woodrat you should be so lucky and blessed. ---this is the "Year of the RAT" -----SO ? hagar will help you to the end. ---something special about hagar ? ---better believe it -----when it comes to " V " belts ? ----yes.

BUT you must MUST give us specifics in order NOT to waste our time --OK ?

ContiTECH belts Made in Mexico are common here ----like 068 109 119E 043..

Tell us are ALL your belts VW starting with 068 ? make sure..

Now as for the pulleys ? NO they do NOT carry a ISO number BUT they MUST have a WV or Audi mark VW ;s are ALL numbered. .-----do NOT forget the PO factor --EH ?-----how many PO's ?.

Do me a favor and rent "KING RAT" the movie --- Get the Rats from the grainery --the young ones they make the best meal,---and for Seagulls ? get the ones from the garbage dump ---the young ones are a gourmet food.---yes they are fuzzy eaters, NOW for the eggs ?---NO 2 sunny side up make it a bakers dozen sunny side up..

AH the WAR memories ? them were dark times (Black-out) ----Waldemort was giving us a hard time -----read my lips. and give us details on the Alternator --OK ?

hagar.

[woodrat]

The contitech belts that I have been getting say made in Germany on them, but I don't see an 068 VW part number, just the AVX 10x whatever the length is.

I don't see any numbers or symbols on the outside of the pulley, maybe it has one on the inside face, but I can't see it.

I am going to get a new gates belt today, line up the tensioner properly and try again. I have another German belt on the way from the city.

[surfcam]

If you can't find the # on the belt. You can measure the outside of the belt and determine the length of belt it is. You also have to make sure it is the right stile of belt (the cross section is the same). I have one pulley thats wrong on my alternator which doesn't allow the belt to ride down in the pulley. Its been riding fine for three year so I have left well enough alone.

[hagar]

rat I am waiting for details on the Alternator..

hagar.

[rcw7585]

The contitech belts that I have been getting say made in Germany on them, but I don't see an 068 VW part number, just the AVX 10x whatever the length is.

Yes, the newest spare Made in Germany Contitech alternator belt that I have here also doesn't have the VW part number inkstamped directly on it, but the size is. The part number 068 903 137 AQ is stamped on the cardboard sleeve the belt comes packaged in.

Sounds like you may have homed in on the problem with the shim washer issue! Now that I think about it, I recall mine having shims too that I had to move around... but it was a sorta reassemble blind thing since Dad had removed the idler/tensioner pulley and I was putting it back on...

I should look on ebay for a copy of ETKA or whatever that CD-ROM parts list with the diagrams.

[woodrat]

I managed to get another german contitech belt from town yesterday, and removed one of the shims under the tensioner post. I put it back together and the belt fits nicely in the alternator pulley, without sticking way up above it. It does ride a little high on the AC compressor.

I tightened it up and ran it here in the driveway, and revved it up and down a bunch of times and then shut it off and retightened it. So far, it has stayed on, but I am watching it closely.

hagar, I did not find any symbols or number on the alternator pulley, but the belt fits in it like it should. I'm hoping that the offset tensioner was the problem, and that I have fixed it. Would the numbers be in the inside face of the pulley?

[tylernt]

When I was dealing with belt issues, one thing that helped was to run a slightly wider belt -- say a 13mm instead of 10mm or a 15mm instead of 13mm. If your pulley is dished, the fatter belt will fill the dish and also ride up on the less worn part so should have more grip.

[woodrat]

so far, I've driven over 100 miles on the repair with no repeats of the failing belt. I think I fixed it.

now i just need to figure out the fine tuning of the engine.

thanks, all!

[Vdub-bub]

I got tired of always having my alt. belt squealing on start up, and always having to tighten it. Rigged up a flat tensioner to run on the other side of the Alt., so that it pulls the belt more around the alt pulley rather than away from it (like the original tensioner does). More contact on the pulley equals more power transfer, works like a charm even with the old belt on it. Will post some pics of the set up when I get a chance.

[woodrat]

yes, pictures please!