Squeeling alternator belt!

[tolsen]

Re: Squeeling alternator belt!

No, Mister auto.

Mister auto does not have its own brand.

[krassegrand]

Re: Squeeling alternator belt!

I don't believe BilTema has either!
I bought the cheapest one at Mister Auto.
SKF - Ref: VKMV 4PK788

Jörgen

[tolsen]

Re: Squeeling alternator belt!

SKF - Ref: VKMV 4PK788. 2nd to none top quality Swedish drive belt. Must be something else causing your squeal. A stuck pig nearby perhaps?

[krassegrand]

Re: Squeeling alternator belt!

Well the 3e belt from the same brand sitting in Lilla Svarten is showing beginning small cracks after only 10000km
I have put a different used (10000km) belt in the Wasp an we will see how it goes.

Jörgen

[krassegrand]

Re: Squeeling alternator belt!

A stuck pig nearby perhaps?

Well there are wild bores in the woods around here!

Jörgen

[krassegrand]

Re: Squeeling alternator belt!

Part number for the Krikit tester is 450589002100.

I have now managed to get my hands on a instrument like this trough a guy who used to work at the local Merc dealer at Helsingborg.

Well, it seems that my 45Nm was not enough to get more than 25kg (245N) tension on the belt??????

So the whole problem might have been down to under tensioning.
Now I can check the tension after changing the belt so I am now more confident that it will get right.

I will get an extra belt for safety and try the SKF again.

Jörgen

[tolsen]

Re: Squeeling alternator belt!

I vaguely remember you had made up an ingenious Heath Robinson style contraption for applying the specified 45 Nm torque. I also had some difficulty arriving at required belt tension and had to make several attempts before finally getting it right. This proves the importance of being earnest and confirming tension by reasonably accurate measurements when fitting auxiliary drive belts.

[krassegrand]

Re: Squeeling alternator belt!

Yes confirming the tension seems important!

Jörgen

[krassegrand]

I just had another SKF alternator belt shatter into pieces. After replacing it with a Contitech a week ago tightening it to 50kg on my cricket gauge. I checked the the tension this weekend and it was very low

I re-tensioned it

and will check again in a week.

Jörgen

[tolsen]

Fit a freewheel pulley on alternator. Better fuel economy, better acceleration, goodbye to squeaks and belt will last tenfold.

[10:45PM]

goodbye to squeaks

That's bullshit

and belt will last tenfold.

You've got proof to back this up I suppose?...........

[EmilysDad]

so ..... how does a free wheeling pulley drive the alternator?

[bob-in-dav]

Fit a freewheel pulley on alternator. Better fuel economy, better acceleration, goodbye to squeaks and belt will last tenfold.

I read your previous comments on doing this and thought it made sense so thought I'd give it a go since I was reconditioning an alternator anyway.

I think the alternator you did was Bosch but the vast majority of Smarts seem to use a 75amp Denso which has a 1mm fatter shaft - can't source a suitable freewheel pulley with 17mm shaft.

I discussed what I was doing with my slip ring, brushes, bearing supplier and got an emphatic "don't waste your time" response - apparently, freewheeling pulleys are now the main reason for alternators failing ie they disintegrate and can fail spectacularly.

[10:45PM]

so ..... how does a free wheeling pulley drive the alternator?

If you've ever ridden a bicycle...... , most have a free wheel rachet arrangement, so when you're not driving with the pedals you can actually stop pedalling and the pedal wheel can be stopped.
If there was no freewheel rachet on the roadwheel cassette your feet would be dragged round whether you wanted to or not. There would be no possibility of resting your feet on the pedals.

Basically the rear wheel would be driving the pedal gear.

So in the case of the alternator, imagine the engine is the pedal wheel, the alternator is the rear wheel. It would only be driven when the engine was accelerating. When the engine slowed, the alternator would disengage and would slow at its own speed, if the engine speed picked up again (at any point) the freewheel clutch would eventually "connect" the engine again and start to spin up the alternator.
The alternator freewheel clutch doesn't use a rachet and pawl like a bicycle thoug. h

[EmilysDad]

....
The alternator freewheel clutch doesn't use a rachet and pawl like a bicycle thoug. h

I did have my tongue in my cheek ;-) and have fitted one way bearings in various applications at work ;-) I can't really see the advantage on an alternator