Tightening Your Belt.Text - Robert Rawson |
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| An important feature of the Air-cooled VW engine is the belt driven cooling fan, a broken drive belt could cause the engine to seize up - it is therefore very important to keep the drive belt in good condition and at the correct tension. Here's How. | ||
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One
of the easiest and important adjustments to be made on the air cooled
Volkswagen engine as fitted to the Beetle and many van models is the
tensioning of the generator drive belt. Because the belt drives both the
cooling fan and generator, the belt must be kept in good condition, a
worn, damaged or stretched belt must be replaced otherwise belt failure
will cause problems, which are expensive to rectify. |
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To
replace the belt is easy if you use the correct method. (I have seen
people try to force the belt on and off with a screwdriver without
slackening the top pulley off first, this ruins the belt)
To
do the job you will need a few simple tools which are as follows:-
When
referring to the front of the engine I am talking about the flywheel end
which is nearest the front of the car and the right side of the engine
is on the right side of the car when stood at the rear. Always
disconnect the battery before attempting this type of work on your
vehicle as some one may try to start the car whilst you are behind it
with your fingers in the engine bay.
To
change the drive belt first slacken the generator pulley (top one) nut,
you will need to stop the pulley from turning by putting your large
screw driver in one of the slots in the front (Nearest the engine) half
of the pulley and use this to lever against the generator case. Slacken
the nut with your 21mm spanner but do not remove it altogether. The
pulley halves should separate and allow the belt to drop between them,
this should give you enough slack to remove the belt altogether.
Fitting
a new belt is the opposite, first put the belt in between the generator
pulley halves and then ease it over the lower pulley. If this is too
tight remove the generator pulley nut and remove the pulley. This should
allow you to fit the belt to the lower pulley first and then refit the
generator pulley halves together with the belt in between. Be sure to
refit the spacer washers correctly. Tighten the pulley nut being careful
not to trap the belt between the pulley halves. Rotate the pulley to
allow the belt to seat itself in the correct running position and
retighten the nut. If the belt is too tight undo the nut again and put
one or two of the spacer washers from under the nut between the pulley
halves, if the belt is too loose then take one or two spacer washers
from between the pulley halves and store them under the nut. Tighten as
before and keep rotating the pulley as you go to make sure the belt
doesn't get trapped. To make sure the belt is at the correct tension
push the belt at the half way point between the pulleys and take note
how far it moves. The correct distance is about 12 - 18mm and should be
adjusted accordingly. If you have access to a torque wrench tighten the
pulley nut to 40 - 47 lbs/ft. These figures should always be checked in
your workshop manual as they can sometimes differ between models and
years. Double check the tension by rotating the pulley to locate the
belt and check the tension, if it is not right do it over again because
this adjustment is important for a long service life of your engine.
Always
get expert help if you are in any doubt about your ability, if you are
shown for the first time you could do it yourself next time. |
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Copyright © 2003-2004 Robert Rawson - All Rights Reserved |
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