help an idiot - power steering belt

Discussion in '16-valve' started by dub303, Apr 15, 2012.

  1. dub303 Forum Member

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    Hello,

    I'm not cut out for this but will give it a try!

    I have a haynes - don't get it
    I have searched on here and web - still no luck

    So... which bolts do I need to loosen to then turn the tensioner bolt (1. in pics?) to tighten my power steering belt which is squealing? There is apparently 3 but I can't get the belt to go tighter. There is also a bolt holding in the tensioner screw -should this be loosened?

    Help

    (also, the bigger one of the double pulleys arrowed has play, is this fixable or normal?)

    Thanks, this really should be easy I know!!!

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  2. eightieshatches Forum Member

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    Number one is the tensioner bolt there is another bolt that needs to be slackened off to get the pump to move its on the back off the mounting bracket near the thermostat housing.
    You shouldn't need to undo the bolt holding the tensioner screw on.

    The movement in the pulley is possible play in the water pump bearing it could have been over tensioned before so may be a good idea to replace your water pump soon as constant tightening will just make it worse.

    Hope that all makes sense?
     
  3. dub303 Forum Member

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    Thanks for the rapid reply eightieshatches!

    Do you mean the one in the pic below? Just tried it and it is rounded off already which may explain the loose belt? What is this called as I need to find a new one and somehow get this one off now!

    As for the twin pulley, the water pump was replaced last year when the gasket was done. Are the pulleys re-used or will that be new too? It looks old, but the pump looks new so guessing you re-use the pulley? Is it easy to just unbolt and replace?

    Thanks again

    [​IMG]
     
  4. eightieshatches Forum Member

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    The bolt youve arrowed shouldnt need to be slackened off as the movement is the other end of it.
    if you look a bit further down near the power steering pipe in the pic its on the back of the main bracket under the thermostat housing/bottom rad hose. you will need an extension to get to it.

    the pulleys are reusable when doing the water pump so they woudnt have replaced those the play is always in the water pump bearing if its been over tensioned its really easy to do unfortunatly. you need a special locking tool to change the pulleys as its a right pig to lock the pulley in place and undo the hex head bolts.
     
  5. dub303 Forum Member

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    I'll have another look when I get chance, thanks for that. I can't believe I'm beaten by this, seems so easy but maybe I couldn't see it (head very close using sloped driveway to 'lift' the front of the car!)

    Was just looking on't web again... Is the bolt listed on this diagram... had instructions as below too, are these good?:


    [​IMG]

    There are 5 bolts that need to be loosed to tighten the belt. The bolt at the top of the bracket, the two pivot bolts going into the pump, 1 bolt that is up in the rear bracket of the pump, (bracket bolts to the block) and the bolt that holds the tensioning adjusting bolt on the front of the pump bracket. Turning the long bolt adjusts the position of the pump. All bolts should be 13mm head bolts. The "hidden" bolt on the back bracket xan be reached by using a deep well 13mm socket and a 3 inch extension. The others with a wrench or socket.
     
  6. alexisblades99 Forum Member

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    Sorry if I'm being stupid, but why is your water pump being driven by two different belts?
     
  7. dub303 Forum Member

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    No idea! Is that wrong? I have zero knowledge of these things, and Haynes is no help with incomplete drawings. Found out I'm not a natural learner at mechanics [:s]
     
  8. eightieshatches Forum Member

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    the instructions sound good to me i think the bolt is number 20 in the pic its not easy to see when on the car.

    i think the 2 belt setup is that if either belt breaks for some reason the water pump will continue to pump water around the engine.
     
  9. rubjonny

    rubjonny Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    some 16v use a slipper pulley on the water pump, nothing to worry about
     
  10. dub303 Forum Member

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    Well, I couldn't find the bolt because it was missing!
    Put a spare one in that I had knocking around but still can't tension it fully. Maybe the pulleys are goosed. Will get someone with more knowledge to look at it and go from there. Thanks for all the help, just glad I found that missing bolt.
     
  11. rubjonny

    rubjonny Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    tip for you if you cant quite get enough tension, mk3 golf pas pulley is same fitment but ever so slightly larger diameter. but! check everything carefully. I did the above mod on my mates mk2 just to get him back on the road as we assumed his belt had just stretched too much or was the wrong one. when i came back to look at it properly i found one of the brackets had snapped in half, and that was why we couldnt get enough tension! luckily i was removing it all anyway in favour of a mk3 golf setup so it was going in the bin anyway
     
  12. mk2bal Forum Member

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    If the alternator belt snaps, the water pump will stop turning too. It won't be turned by the pas belt. My 16v uses a 950mm alt belt and a 720/730mm pas belt if it helps. Both pas sizes will work, you have enough adjustment on the pump position to tension either. As rj said, my pas bracket is snapped too, misaligning it slightly. It snapped the belt on a fairly recent trackday, but has been fine since being replaced a few weeks now
     
  13. dub303 Forum Member

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    Thanks for all the advice, might just come in handy if it persists... However, I started to worry about running the car on my limited knowledge and took it to a specialist to get a service and complete look over and tune up. Just as well, as I'd not tightened 2 bolts on the long bracket and lost them on the journey to the garage, undoing my earlier efforts quite literally [:$]

    Also found out that the front springs had been chopped so having that sorted next with new eibach's.
     
  14. emery1990 Forum Member

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    This is near enough the same thread so, Ive got an abf with no power steering, just got a mk3 gti pump with the pulley wheel on it, do I just need 2 more pulley wheels the belt and lines and thats it. Or does something connect to the steering rack to give it the "power".

    As that diagram above doesn't show anything like that. My car had power steering so all rack etc is fine, just this abf hasnt got it.
     
  15. rubjonny

    rubjonny Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    so you have abf lump with standard mk3 alternator setup, just missing the pas pump? if so all you need is any 1.8-2.0 8v/16v mk3 golf pas pump and brackets, and the v-belt pulley on the crank (check your abf, it might still be on there!). the pas pump runs direct from the pas pulley so just the crank and pas v-belt pullies

    the exception to this is if the car has a/c, if so the waterpump pulley is changed for a v belt pulley and both the pas and waterpump are run off the pas belt
     
  16. emery1990 Forum Member

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    Cheers Jonny, yer got pump and bracket, no checked if I had pulleys left on the abf but the car it came from the owner must of been a tight wod or loved hard work!

    Can you get the v belt pulley setupd brand new?
     
  17. rubjonny

    rubjonny Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    yeah vw will sell you one but its the same on all 1.8-2.0 8v and 16v so its not exactly hard to get. only the ribbed belt pulley is 8v/16v specific
     
  18. emery1990 Forum Member

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    Looking on ebay and asking around on forums, I cannot find them! On ebay they normally just sell one pulley on it's own. Like the picture above, I definitely need 2 pulleys behind the pumps pulley yes. Guessing people would rather sell them with the whole setup etc and not split it.
     
  19. rubjonny

    rubjonny Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    do you not have a decent scrap yard local?
     
  20. emery1990 Forum Member

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    No not really, never find anything good in there. Will the ones off my 9a fit? as im going to just chuck that engine as had no interest.
     

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