slipped cambelt aux tensioner to blame!

[slickus]

hi there,
this is my first post and i am very greatful for any comments anyone has to make,
i know this is the Citroen part but after owning 4 xantias i know this is just like an ugly brother, plus Citroen forums are always friendly
i will start from the begining of the storey.
My friend brought me his 406 98 1.9td on the back of an rac truck, the rac bloke was confident it had a broken cambelt, i looked under the bonnet and only 3 out of the 6 strands of aux belt was still intact, i removed what was left of the belt, i then removed the cambelt cover and although there was alot of aux belt in there the cambelt was still intact, i checked the timing using the proper kit and the diesel pump had jumped a few teeth (very lucky if you ask me) i re-timed everything and it started like a dream, i then checked why the aux belt had come off, one of the tensioner pullys is out of alignment, not a million miles but enough to cause a problem i belive. its the top tensioner the one that has a 3/8th size hole to adjust and a large spring behind alternator, (not the excentric cam tensioner under it) my question to all you experts is how can i replace this item, it looks like its part of the pas alternator and possibly ac bracket. i have spotted this on ebay,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PEUGEOT-406-V-BEL ... 3358c83071
but would this only be fitted if the bearing was had it, or do you think it will fix my alignment problem as well. secondly will i have to remove ac, alt, and pas pump to get to it and if so would it be easier to just get the whole bracket including this bit already in it from a breaker,
once again many thanks
Andy
(a qualified but very fresh ford tech)

[Xaccers]

If memory serves when I did Cassy's, it's only held on by a large bold that it swivels around on needle rollers (which collapse causing it to either lock up or as in your case run out of true) and the bolts holding the spring on (possibly just the bottom one).
Replacing it makes changing the aux belt a doddle.

[CitroJim]

Welcome to the forum Andy

Lucky it was just the pump out of time What happened there can so easily be goodnight Vienna for the head...

This guide will help you replace the tensioner.

Although it's based on a 2.1TD, the procedure on the 1.9TD is more or less the same. The only tricky bit is the lower spring bolt and for this a ball-ended Allen key is a must.

A F**d tech eh? We'll have to convert you to French cars then

[andmcit]

Hi Andy,

you'll find a large spring lives at the opposite side of the idler tensioner
you've linked to on the ebay auction. The spring will likely give lots of
grief/play chattering on the pulley as the 'eyes' at either end tend to wear
oval/widen on the bolts and put excessive strain on the pivot bearings on
the idler. It IS the idler that you need but likely the spring too.

The idler tensioner has a large pivot bolt which runs through the bearing
which "may" have a twist on it although this isn't likely TBH.

Andrew

[andmcit]

If it helps orientate things I've got these grainy pics to illustrate the
general arrangement of these pulleys/tensioners of parts I've had
lying about in the garage for ages and, er kinda 'lost' :




The spring mounts between the rear of the square drive on the carrier of
the tensioner shown in both pics and a the lug in the 1 o clock position on
the bracket in the top picture!


Andrew

[slickus]

thanks both for help and the fast reply, i will give that a try tommorow,
i only went with ford cus their local and put me through my aprenticeship, i have owned 4 xantias 1 of them was a sweet exclusive, ( which had also had a aux belt whoopsi which converted my cam to 3 peice mess) and im currently on a merc e300d w124 so the european cars are in the blood now.

[slickus]

thanks for the pictures its very helpful to see it normally. (not upside down through a mirror with a rubish led light.

[citroenxm]

Ive just done one of these on a Pug 306 Diesel NON Turbo 1998 S reg, but IDENTICAL Setup, and with Air Con fitted. I actually found that by moving the PAS Pump, AND the altinator, the Bracket that holds the tensioner and spring WILL come away complete, you can then VERY VERY easyilly assemble the spring tensioner in place and refit it to the car! You can then ALSO put the tensioner into Released Position with a Pin in the holding position, re fit it back to the car, fit the New Aux belt and release the tension..

A TIP, Remove the Top engine mount so you can move the engine up and down on a jack to aid all access..

Paul

[slickus]

hi,
thank you everyone for your help its now removed, i can see the shaft that the big bolt goes through has seized and collapsed and this has caused the pully to be out of alignment,
i was right about citroen owners, i put the exact question on the pug side of this site and 2 other forums and didnt get any other answers back.
thanks again guys
Andy

[davek-uk]

Sorry to grab the thread - although it's finished.

Am I the only poor sod to have a problem?

I have the aux tensioner off all except the centre bearing spindle. And that seems solid. I can't turn it or pull it out or knock it to-and-fro with a lump hammer. It's solid. Any ideas?

[Dommo]

Another tensioner related question. My 306 1.9TD has the exact same setup as this, and every time it's turned on from stone cold it makes a fairly loud squealing sound which goes if you rev it to about 1200rpm, it comes back at idle but goes alltogether if you rev it to 1200 for about 10-15 seconds - ie presumably once the bearings got a bit of heat in it. I know that the automatic tensioner is wonky and stuck solid like the ones on here. The manual tensioner has been replaced as that started squealing about a year ago. Is it likely that the auto tensioner could be the cause of this awful noise?

I suppose the best way to check would be to remove the belt from the crankshaft pulley and see if its quiet then. As long as it's not cambelt related I'm not as bothered about getting it swapped..

Edit - And do we know whether that ebay auction in the original post sells dayco tensioners or does the picture just say dayco for the sake of it?

Cheers.

[Xaccers]

Sorry to grab the thread - although it's finished.

Am I the only poor sod to have a problem?

I have the aux tensioner off all except the centre bearing spindle. And that seems solid. I can't turn it or pull it out or knock it to-and-fro with a lump hammer. It's solid. Any ideas?

You'll have to remove the plate it and the pump etc are fitted to.
Not a hard job, just a bit long winded.

[citronut]

Davek if its the auto tensioner have you removed the bolt at the bottom of the spring, you access it through a hole just to the left and above the oil cooler useing a 6mm allen key (socket type) after disconectting both cooler pipes and the oil presure switch plug (great fun)

regards malcolm

[slickus]

check first your aux belt it may be a simple fix, try spraying some wd 40 on the belt and see it the noise goes if so its your belt, if you do have to get the tensioner i got it cheaper from my local parts place. and it was cheaper than ebay, there are also a few different types it turns out even though the look the same!

[slickus]

hi there, i have only just finnished the 406 and went for my first drive round the block, it drove very well until it started to rain and my wipers didnt work, i returned to my house (slowly) i did not have my multimeter so i went straight for the fuse, i took old one out and it looked fine but i replaced it anyway as i did wipers worked once and stopped again, the fuse is fine and i have had no action from them since, i have had nothing to do with the wipers so i dont think i caused it unless there is an earth for them in engine bay. i have had battery on and off a few times, its a pre face lift with no rain sensor. the washers work and the rear wash and wipe works to, any help would be really apriciated.
many thanks
Andy