1.6DT Top tips & Alternator belt- what is it?

[singlewestfalia]

Hi, just joined,

I have now had my 1.6 Diesel turbo (1989) for 6-8 months and am still very much a novice. Have recently had it serviced and have got further questions about the maintenance regime I should set up to look after a diesel engine of this age (bearing in mind that i am a novice, have never had any diesel vehicle before but can fix most things on a bicycle).

So, my starter-for-10 questions are:
- What things should I get in the habit of/learn how to check myself (oil-yes, water- yes, brake fluid??, what else) and how regularly?
- The alternator belt- what does it do? and is it correct that 1) if it snaps then the engine is toast? 2) roughly how long should it last in miles? 3) if i don't know when it was last changed would it be wise to change it so i know where I am at (especially if I am off on a month long road trip)? 4) being as i am not going to be doing it myself, does £300-ish sound an outrageous amount for it to be replaced?

Muchos Gracias for any tips

singlewestfalia

[Grumpy Midget]

Hi, just joined,

I have now had my 1.6 Diesel turbo (1989) for 6-8 months and am still very much a novice. Have recently had it serviced and have got further questions about the maintenance regime I should set up to look after a diesel engine of this age (bearing in mind that i am a novice, have never had any diesel vehicle before but can fix most things on a bicycle).

So, my starter-for-10 questions are:
- What things should I get in the habit of/learn how to check myself (oil-yes, water- yes, brake fluid??, what else) and how regularly?
- The alternator belt- what does it do? and is it correct that 1) if it snaps then the engine is toast? 2) roughly how long should it last in miles? 3) if i don't know when it was last changed would it be wise to change it so i know where I am at (especially if I am off on a month long road trip)? 4) being as i am not going to be doing it myself, does £300-ish sound an outrageous amount for it to be replaced?

Muchos Gracias for any tips

singlewestfalia

------- fill a little bit more info in your sig now there a good chap. Look in the Wiki above. it will tell you all you want a know --------

[Steve T]

Altenator belt is important, they are not expensive £3 to £4 (http://www.justkampers.com/search2?loca ... submit.y=8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)fitting is simple, couple of 13mm spanners / socket 10 minute job, if someone has quoted you £300 you are being ripped off.

This belt is run from crankshaft pulley driving the altenator, water pump, and poss other equpment like power steering, not sure of the set up on diesiel engine but sure others will point out

NOT to be run without belt as it is important to keep the coolant pumped around the system, worst case scenario new engine....

Steve

[peasant]

The alternator belt does what it says on the tin ...it drives the alternator (generator) and nothing else. That's the least of your worries. Any AA man can fix it by the side of the road, plus a light comes on in the dash if it breaks. (belt for water pump is separate)

The belt you're thinking about is the timing belt. It is always a good idea to have a timing belt of unknown vintage replaced to be on the safe side ..because if that goes, it usually does pretty terminal damage to your engine. 300 pounds sounds like a fair enough price. The belt itself isn't that expensive ...it's all the work that drives up the cost.

Top tips for a diesel:
Check oil at least once a week but also during a break when you're doing a long motorway stint.
Same goes for coolant.
When driving, keep an eye on the temperature gauge. If it goes very high, ease off . Avoid overheating.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Yes, it will do 70 ...but it will last much longer if you keep it at 60 or slightly under.