Repair And Fix it

The Volkswagen (VW) belt tensioner pulley tightens the serpentine belt that turns the engine accessories, such as the air-conditioning compressor and water pump. The newer model VWs have an automatic tensioner pulley that tightens the serpentine belt as it stretches, but the older model VWs have a tensioner pulley that needs to be adjusted. The tensioner pulley shows symptoms when it is going out or requiring replacement.

Serpentine Belt Squealing

The VW belt tensioner pulley can become too tight or too weak, allowing the serpentine belt to wear prematurely or slip under normal operating conditions. The belt begins to squeal when the tensioner pulley is not tight enough, causing the engine to overheat because the water pump is not operating efficiently. This symptom can be caused by the tensioner pulley spring, which weakens over time and does not place enough tension on the belt. The serpentine belt can also begin to run too hot and prematurely fail. The tensioner pulley needs to be replaced when these symptoms occur.

Engine Overheats

The engine in the VW can overheat when there is a problem with the belt tensioner pulley. This symptom is caused by corrosion building up on the tensioner pulley that does not allow the pulley to adjust the serpentine belt. When corrosion builds up, the pulley becomes jammed or does not rotate, causing the serpentine belt to stretch and loosen on the engine accessories. The corrosion does not allowing the pulley to adjust to the stretched belt, creating the water pump problem. This corrosion is generally caused by road debris and dampness splashing onto the tensioner pulley. Proper lubrication of the tensioner pulley periodically can prevent this corrosion build-up.

Dead Battery

Another symptom of a VW belt tensioner pulley going bad is the battery not charging properly. A failing tensioner pulley does not provide enough tension on the serpentine belt, preventing the alternator from recharging the battery. The loose serpentine belt does not allow the alternator to turn fast enough to charge the battery, and the battery can quit working or fail to provide enough charge to the ignition and electrical system to start the engine. The tensioner pulley needs to be replaced or inspected when the serpentine belt is replaced to ensure that the tensioner pulley keeps operating efficiently.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a two-door coupe or convertible, and is also sold as the Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser. It has been available in the United States since 1990, and the second generation of the Eclipse includes the 1995 through 1999 models. The timing belt is mounted on the crankshaft pulley and camshaft pulley, allowing the crankshaft to drive the camshaft. The removal procedure for the crankshaft pulley in a 1997 Eclipse also requires you to lift the engine in some cases.

Instructions

1

Disconnect the cable from the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench. This prevents anyone from starting the engine during the crankshaft pulley removal.

2

Remove the undercover for the engine with a socket wrench to gain access to the crankshaft pulley.

3

Raise the engine slightly with an engine hoist to remove some of the weight from the side engine mounts, and hold the engine in this position. Perform this step only if your 1997 Eclipse has a turbocharged engine or a 2.4-liter engine.

4

Disconnect the bracket for the engine side mount with a socket wrench to access the crankshaft pulley. Detach the accessory drive belts from the crankshaft pulley.

5

Disconnect the mounting bolt for the crankshaft pulley with a socket wrench. Remove the crankshaft pulley from the crankshaft.

Dodge Dakotas use a rack-and-pinion power steering system. This system uses a pump to drive power steering fluid to the rack-and-pinion. A pulley that runs on the accessory drive belt powers the pump. If the pulley is damaged, the pump will not move fluid into the steering system and the pulley must be replaced. In order to replace the pulley, you must first remove it from the power steering pump.

Instructions

1

Locate the diagram on the underside of your hood that depicts the drive belt routing. Use this diagram to help locate your idler pulley. This will be the lower of the two pulleys on the far right.

2

On the left-hand side of the idler pulley assembly, locate the tension adjusting bolt. Using a wrench, loosen the bolt until you can move the idler pulley assembly enough to relieve tension on the drive belt.

3

Locate the power steering pump pulley. This is the uppermost of the two pulleys on the far right, located above the idler pulley. Remove the drive belt from around the pulley.

4

Place the pulley puller on the power steering pulley. Place the arms of the puller behind the pulley and align the threaded end with the center of the pulley. Turn the nut on the shaft by hand until it is tight.

5

Place a socket and ratchet on the bolt head end of the pulley puller. Hold the ratchet in place and place a wrench on the nut you hand-tightened in Step 4. Turn the wrench counterclockwise to move the threaded shaft into the power steering pulley.

6

Continue to turn the nut until the pulley comes loose from the power steering pump. Remove the pulley from the engine compartment and turn the nut clockwise until the puller shaft comes free of the pulley.

Crankshaft pulley bolts are among the toughest bolts to break loose on vehicles, simply because they are constantly rotating, subjected to high heat and require a high torque value to stay tight. In order to prevent the pulley from turning while loosening the bolt, youll need a crankshaft pulley holding tool. This tool bolts to the inside of the crankshaft pulley using the holes cast into the steel pulley spokes. You can rent or purchase this tool from most auto parts stores.

Instructions

1

Alight the holes in the crankshaft pulley holding tool with the screw holes on the inside of the crank pulley.

2

Install the bolts that came with the crankshaft pulley holding tool with a ratchet and metric socket. Snug the bolts tight so the tool is firmly secured to the pulley.

3

Place a metric deep-well socket on a T-handle breaker bar, then slide a small diameter steel pipe over the breaker bar; the pipe will give you the increased leverage you need to break the crank pulley bolt loose.

4

Grab the crankshaft pulley holding tool in one hand, then grab the breaker bar and pipe in the other. Hold the pulley still with one hand while you break the bolt loose with the other. If the bolt is extremely tight, you may need an assistant to hold the pulley still while you focus on breaking the bolt loose.

The tensioner pulley on a 1996 Geo prevents the serpentine belt from flying off the engine when the car is running. The tensioner has a spring-loaded arm that applies pressure to the belt via the tensioner pulley. Since you cant service the pulley separately, if the pulley has a bad bearing or the pulley shell incurs damage, youll have to replace the entire tensioner. If you have good auto-repair skill and about an hour of spare time on your hands, you can save a few dollars by installing the new tensioner yourself.

Instructions

1

Drive the Geo onto the car ramps, turn the engine off and set the parking brake. Lift the Geos hood and rest it on the hood support rod. Check the belt routing diagram, printed on a sticker placed on the fan shroud, to find the location of the belt tensioner.

2

Rotate the belt tensioner away from the serpentine belt using your serpentine belt tool, which you can buy at your local auto parts store.

3

Slip the belt off the tensioner pulley by hand before allowing the tensioner to rotate back into position. Remove the serpentine belt tool from the Geos engine well.

4

Climb under the front end of the Geo with your socket set. Unbolt the belt tensioner from the engines front cover using the socket set. Remove the tensioner by hand.

5

Place the new belt tensioner on the engines front cover. Thread in the belt tensioner bolts by hand to prevent cross-threading them. Tighten the bolts with the socket set.

6

Climb out from under the Geo with the socket set. Reinstall the serpentine belt on the tensioner pulley, using serpentine belt tool. Close the hood and drive the Geo off the ramps.

Power steering pulleys are usually fitted on the pump shaft by pressing and the assembly is held together with friction. Hence, if you wish to remove the power steering pulley, it cannot be done by hand. The specific tool to be used is a puller that can remove the pulley from the pump shaft. This puller is different from the usual gear pullers with jaws. Various brands of the puller are available; there may be slight differences in the parts, but they function in a similar manner. A few brands also come with tools that can be used to fit back the power steering pulley.

Instructions

1

Study the parts. A power steering pulley puller consists of two half-parts that make up a split collar, a metal sleeve to retain the collar and a threaded bolt which is the puller. If your kit consists of tools to re-install the pulley, therell be a bolt nut assembly, too.

2

Fit on the puller by inserting the half-part that projects more inward below the pulley lip. Close the two parts so the pump shaft is held tight. Fit the metal sleeve over the ring formed by closing the two parts. Push the rounded end of the threaded bolt inside the pump shaft, until it touches the pulley shaft, and tighten it.

3

Position a wrench at the bottom of the threaded puller assembly. On the top side, near the threaded shaft, use a ratchet. Tighten the nut and bolt parts by screwing the puller assembly into the bottom portion; this will cause the pulley to move off the pump shaft.

4

Fit back the pulley by positioning it to sit squarely on the pump shaft. Use the bolt nut assembly provided with the puller kit. Insert the bolt inside the pump shafts internal threading and screw it on until the bolt touches the lower surface. Push the pulley on by rotating the nut assembly along the bolt. When the pulley has reached down completely, the nut assembly stops moving; remove the assembly and check that the pulley is flush with the level of the pump shaft.