Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:55:41 -0400
Reply-To: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: V-Belt tightness -- how to determine?
In-Reply-To: <CAEuQn0bAHbj5eV05E7AxFRPtvoxs7rF+RNSCBNvHVYHAkYofFw@mail.gmail.com>
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It caused mine to fail within minutes! (It must have been on the edge,
apparently and that was the last straw)
I was hearing a new squeal after snugging both belts a bit, so I broke out
my mechanic's stethoscope and that confirmed that it was coming from inside
the W/P.
I decided to take it on along trip the next weekend, figuring that it
wouldn't cause any immediate problem, as it wasn't leaking a drop. Well, I
was wrong!
About 50 miles from home cruising down the highway @ 65 mph, with my 3 kids
on board, I though maybe I had smelled burning rubber, and wondered why. A
minute later the charging light came on and confirmed my suspicion that it
must have thrown the alternator belt. I slowed down and considered pulling
over on the Mass Pike, but traffic was heavy, so I figured that I could make
it a few more miles to the next rest area with no alternator. It'd probably
run on a good battery for a lot longer that that, so I figured no problem,
right? Well, I forgot that the alternator belt was also the W/P belt, and
within another minute I heard a pop and saw steam fill my rear view. I
immediately shut it down and pulled over into the breakdown lane and coasted
to a stop. I got out to survey and saw a lot of antifreeze pouring out from
the right rear side of the van. I opened the decklid and found the belt
laying there and all else looked good. I poured a whole gallon of
antifreeze into it, in hopes of limping to the Ludlow rest-stop. I ran the
engine for very short bursts and coasted the majority of the way into the
rest-stop. I couldn't see the source of the leak, and had no extra belt, so
I called triple-A. The MA state trooper said that they had to handle any
tows off the Pike, so I got them to arrange towing it off the pike. They
towed it all the way to my house (AAA PLUS!), and when I finally got a
closer look, I found that the right plastic octopus (hiding behind the
firewall) had blown out one of the large plastic plugs that's glued-in. I
took it out and found that the dealer still carries them. I may need a new
large hose, as I may have damaged it removing it. It has a molded tee going
over the top of the auto trans and it looks hard-to-find and expensive, not
to mention difficult to replace.
So now, I need a W/P, a belt, an octopus, a molded hose, some jugs of
coolant and then I'll see how it goes from there. No money available right
now, so it'll have to wait a bit. Oh well.....
Mike B.
-----Original Message-----
From: Roland
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 12:11 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: V-Belt tightness -- how to determine?
I've wondered about this also:
- too loose, and the belt may squeal (maybe other problems if it is too
loose).
- too tight, and the water pump bearing might wear out more quickly (pretty
sure an overly tight belt caused my last water pump failure).
Roland
On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 7:13 AM, Rocket J Squirrel <
camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
> Something I've never understood about tightening the belt. Instructions
> usually say something like:
>
> "Be careful not to get the belts too tight. You should have
> slight (1/8" - 1/4") deflection in the belts after they are adjusted.
> This of course depends on the length of the belt."
>
> <http://www.vanagonauts.com/**printable.phtml?&catid=215<http://www.vanagonauts.com/printable.phtml?&catid=215>
> >
>
> How much pressure do you put behind your thumb when testing? I can
> deflect the belt anywhere from not much to a lot more by pressing harder!
>
> --
> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
> Bend, Ore.
> 1984 Westfalia. A poor but proud people.
> 1971 "Ladybug"-brand utility trailer ca. 1972 from a defunct company in
> San Clemente, Calif., now repurposed as The Westrailia.
>
> Sent from my kitchen.
>
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