JX td alternator drive belt issues

[rivage5]

Hi All

I recently helped the brother-in-law seek out and buy a 1989 JX td powered T25 and all is good except that the van has an apetite for eating / destroying / loosing the alternator/water pump drive belt. To be fair the previous owner advised that it had been a problem and thought the alternator might be wrong and sure enough 200 miles later - 1 missing drive belt.

Is this a common issue?

The alternator is correct (correct part number and turns freely as does the water pump) - but looking down from the top of the engine the three pulleys don't appear to be quite in alignment or located in the same plane - making the belt wear on the middle pulley wich appears quite abrasive anyway ? (there is a pile of rubber debris on the water pump). i suspect thatthe flailing belt is also responsible for wearing a hole in the oil filler tube previously repaired with duck tape!

The alternator pulley appears to be ever so slightly closer to the back of the van than the others. For some reason the pivot bolt on the alternator (cylinder head side) seemed to be in the wrong way round (alen bolt end facing the front of the van?) and nut on the drive belt end with a tired looking washer on each end clamping it together. I reversed it and the Alen bolt end now sits in the recess in the bracket on the block (without a washer). I was also able to move the alternator back into alignment the same plane( well better anyway) by tightening up the adjustment bracket up quite tightly and then bolting the alternator to that.

it seemed to pull it back into alignment - but time will tell.

Can anyone offer any advice or am I missing something? he is hoping to go on a trip this weekend (now have three spare belts).

any suggestions well received

Regards

[Porkscratching]

Hi rivave5, my van use to eat V belts but that was due to the crank pulley. I can't see in my minds eye what your setup is however if you PM me an email address I'll happily send some pics of my JX alternator set up.

Regards, Max

[rivage5]

Many thanks for the speedy reply. Any images you have will be a help - much apreciated - you have PM.

cheers.

[Cecil]

Have a look to see if the crankshaft pulley is running true whilst engine is running.
On some / (all ? )models v pulley I believe has a rubber section within which may have become distorted.
The 4 Allen bolts that hold the v pulley to the timing belt (toothed)pulley may be loose.
As with my jx the timing pulley bolt had become loose in the past ,damaging the end of the crankshaft.Took quite a bit of ingenuity , luck,skilled help and time to True that up with the engine in situ !

[lefty67]

Does yours have the tensioning spring that sits under the alternator?
Mine didn't so alternator kept dropping down and belts got chewed up or jumped off.

[clift_d]

Does yours have the tensioning spring that sits under the alternator?
Mine didn't so alternator kept dropping down and belts got chewed up or jumped off.

Tensioning spring? Not sure I've ever seen one of those.

[lefty67]

Does yours have the tensioning spring that sits under the alternator?
Mine didn't so alternator kept dropping down and belts got chewed up or jumped off.

Tensioning spring? Not sure I've ever seen one of those.

Don't know if they all have them. It's a spring that sits under the alternator to help keep the belt under tension.

[clift_d]

The parts catalogue doesn't seem to show a spring - might be a third party accessory.

https://volkswagen.7zap.com/en/usa/vana ... 03-131020/

[lefty67]

The parts catalogue doesn't seem to show a spring - might be a third party accessory.

https://volkswagen.7zap.com/en/usa/vana ... 03-131020/

Can't find any reference to it either. Wonder if it's to do with the aaz conversion.

[mm289]

I believe the spring under the alternator is an AAZ thing, not seen on a standard JX.

Pulleys should be aligned with very little wobble, you will see some but not enough to trash belts. I would be checking the alternator to alternator bracket mounting bolts and also the alternator bracket to engine block, if the alternator is out of alignment can you move these?

Is the water pump running freely? Other than that bottom pulley on crank( is it tight, has the outer part come loose), but I would have thought that would show up on watching it spinning at revs.........

Cheers,

MM

[Mr Bean]

Long shot but I have seen cases where the sides of the pulley "V" have worn or so that the belt contacts the central flat part of the pulley. This would normally require excessive belt tension in order to prevent slipping which in turn might cause premature belt failure. Too narrow a belt would give the same result.
Like I said - a long shot.

CS

[Gary.]

I can confirm my pulleys also do not line up, but the belt seems to be holding out for now. The previous one snapped, but it was 20 years old! I also struggle with tightness, it squeaks now and then, which is remedied by a lever bar tighten up!

[rivage5]

Many thanks for all your replies and to Dubdog&Max for going out and taking really close up images of his standard JX td alternator set up. I will check out all the tips you have given and post how we get on. New belt fitted and stayed on for now.

Kind regards.