Aux belt came off..

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Agour
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Aux belt came off..

Post by Agour »

Hi all!

I posted a thread a few weeks ago about fitting the aux belt on a 2008 c5.

Today I had an error about the electrical supply.. Popped the bonnet and the aux belt had come clean off!

It's pretty damaged too..

Had about 500 miles out of it from new, and bought it from euro car parts.

I still have the old belt so have popped that back on.

The tensioner was replaced 10k (at a guess) miles ago, so should be fine.

Tensioner was still tight when I put the old belt back on.

What's happened? Was it a crap quality belt, or could something else be faulty ?

The new belt was very difficult to get on, so definitely wasn't too big.

Thanks!
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IMG_20210624_183627.jpg
IMG_20210624_183620.jpg
wheeler
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by wheeler »

Serpentine belts dont normally break for no reason but being Euro car parts junk I wouldn’t rule it out.
Check everything the belt runs round are all pulleys rotating freely & no excessive play? Crank pulley ok? Any signs of oil contamination?
If the belt is a bit of a mess & you cant account for all bits of it, it could be a good idea to remove the crank pulley to check none of the debris has migrated behind the timing cover.
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white exec
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by white exec »

Good advice.
Check that all the various pulleys and tensioner/jockeys are properly in line, with no tendency of the belt to get pushed sideways.
As a rough guide, belt tension will be pretty much correct if the longest section of it can be twisted (by hand) through 90deg. Under-tensioning usually causes the belt to flail (flap) at some speed or other.
ECP do not appear to have a great reputation here. Probably a good idea to go for a belt from a renowned manufacturer such as Continental, Gates, or Dayco.
Chris
Agour
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by Agour »

Thanks for the replies!

I did as you both suggested and checked all pulleys and bearings. Everything is spinning as it should and nothing feels loose.

No flapping on the old belt when I replaced it, under idle nor under load..

It was a dayco belt that broke..

However I noticed something in the alignment. The tensioner seems to be slightly off centre and the belt runs close to the edge at the bottom of the tensioner, but towards the top its way away from the edge.

The dayco belt was one notch wider than the old belt.

I think what happened was the dayco belt ran over the edge of the tensioner, and over time it ripped it apart then ultimately pulled it off altogether.

The attached photos might help to illustrate the general idea.

In which case I should replace the tensioner and see if it all lines up.

Unless there is some sort of way to correct the alignment on the tensioner?

Also, what's the procedure like for replacing the tensioner, is it straightforward?

Thanks!
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IMG_20210624_215739.jpg
IMG_20210624_215921.jpg
Agour
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by Agour »

It's hard to see in the photos..

But the top down view shows the slight misalignment on the tensioner.

And the closeup photo shows how the belt runs close to the side of the tensioner
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white exec
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My Cars: 1996 XM 2.5TD Exclusive hatch RHD
1992 BX19D Millesime hatch LHD
previously 1989 BX19RD, 1998 ZX 1.9D auto, 2001 Xantia 1.8i auto
and lots of Rovers before that: 1935 Ten, 1947 Sixteen, 1960 P5 3-litre, 1966 P6 2000, 1972 P6 2000TC, and 1975 P6B 3500S
x 1752

Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by white exec »

Agree with you - the pulleys and tensioner do not look properly aligned, and the belt looks at least one peak too narrow.
It you can post your VIN, we should be able to check the correct belt spec.
Chris
Agour
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by Agour »

Great thanks!

It is VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]
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white exec
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My Cars: 1996 XM 2.5TD Exclusive hatch RHD
1992 BX19D Millesime hatch LHD
previously 1989 BX19RD, 1998 ZX 1.9D auto, 2001 Xantia 1.8i auto
and lots of Rovers before that: 1935 Ten, 1947 Sixteen, 1960 P5 3-litre, 1966 P6 2000, 1972 P6 2000TC, and 1975 P6B 3500S
x 1752

Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by white exec »

Marc, Could you help with the spec for the Aux (ribbed) belt for this one ?. . . nPKnnnn.
Thanks, C.
Chris
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by GiveMeABreak »

He needs a K6 - LE 1217

I also would also echo the ECP parts reputation as now edging into double minus ratings.
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Marc
Agour
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by Agour »

Haha damn, nobody likes them at all!

Thanks for the belt info, I'll go to the main dealer.

Marc, do you know what the procedure is for replacing the tensioner?

I've looked down and can see one bolt, but not any others. If it's just a few bolts to undo I'll sort it myself rather than take it to the garage
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by wheeler »

I cant think of the exact set up on this one but some only have one bolt, some have a second bolt that may only be visible when its fully compressed back.
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Agour wrote: 25 Jun 2021, 15:36 Haha damn, nobody likes them at all!

Thanks for the belt info, I'll go to the main dealer.

Marc, do you know what the procedure is for replacing the tensioner?

I've looked down and can see one bolt, but not any others. If it's just a few bolts to undo I'll sort it myself rather than take it to the garage
Ok, so I produced a guide in the resources section for replacing the timing belt for your model (same as mine), which includes the tensioners.

viewtopic.php?t=62865

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Marc
Agour
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by Agour »

Just donated and had a look at that guide, thanks Marc! Just wondering if theres any more steps in the manual for removing the tensioner? Seems like it's just 1 bolt but I want to make sure
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by wheeler »

Looks like there is only one bolt on this one.
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Re: Aux belt came off..

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Yes, it's all in the removal guide for the timing belt replacement. Thanks for the Forum donation. Hopefully you'll find some more useful guides in the Resources section:

viewforum.php?f=54
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Marc
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