Aux belt tensioner? xant s2 estate 1.9td

[Timmo]

morning all,
the fan belts been giving a little squeel off when starting past week or so, put it down to dampness to begin with, but did seem a little slack when i got round to checking it yesterday, according to the haynes there are 2 types, manual and auto adjusting, without having to take the wheel off, arch cover out etc. is there an easy way to tell which it has?? is raining and miserable out there today and dont fancy laying under it and getting damp today!!!!

ta muchly in advance,

Timmo.

[addo]

I suggest eyeing up the following item with a correction pen.

[Xaccers]

What addo means is while you're down there, get an indellable marker and make a line across the rubber ring of the crank pulley so you can see if the outer metal is moving in relation to the inner.

Anyone, onto your problem of a squealling not tight enough aux belt.
You'll have the spring loaded tensioner and the eccentric tensioner (which rarely gives problems).
If you look at the back of the hydraulic pump, you'll see a large spring.
It's lower eye wears out, and the needle rollers on the tensioner wear out too meaning it no longer auto adjusts.
You need to replace both the spring and the tensioner, they're available seperately.
The spring is held in place by 2 6mm hex bolts, the top one is easy to get to and remove, the lower one is a pain in the backside.
If you can get a 6mm allen key, and chop 1.5 inches off it, then fit a 6mm ratchet spanner to the end, it won't be much of a problem, if you can't then expect hand cramps as you remove the lower bolt 0.0002 of a turn at a time.

You'll need a trolley jack under the sump, and remove the engine mount over the cam belt (when was that changed? It might be worth combining both jobs) so you can raise and lower the engine.
Remove the ECU box out the way so you can get to the tensioner from the side and raise the engine up.
Just above the wheel of the tensioner there's a square hole, I've got a breaker bar with a floppy head that fits perfectly, and by levering it down (so turning the bar anti-clockwise around the hole) it pulls the wheel away from the belt letting you remove the belt. Unless it's to tally jammed up in which case a 8mm allen key in the ecentric tensioner will slacken it so you can remove the belt.
Free the 19mm bolt that holds the tensioner to the auxillary items craddle (side of engine), and hopefully once you've remove the lower spring bolt, it will pop free in one piece and with the engine lowered, you'll be able to angle it down and out.
Often the inner race of the needle bearings gets stuck which stops you being able to angle the tensioner early enough to get it out. If you're lucky wiggling etc will pop the race out, or like me it's stuck fast.
Worst case, remove pump (you'll need a 12mm flare spanner) and alternator to give better access, really worse case, remove a/c too and remove cradle from engine to work at on bench. Much swearing will ensue.
Re-fit is easy (I wouldn't get one from ECP, had two fall apart on me), lower engine, angle tensioner into place with bolt fitted in tensioner, tighten bolt, tighten hex bolt for new spring (again it's a PITA).
Semi-fit the new belt (use the old belt as a guide to length, it may have it printed on it such as 1726 depending on what a/c you have), rotate the tensioner again so there's enough slack to fit the belt and the job's done.

[RichardW]

It will almost certianly be auto - all the AC cars have auto tensioners. There is more than one type though... The early type with an internal spring, that was pretty rubbish, and the later type with an external spring that was completely rubbish! It looks like all S2s are fitted with the external type (often called 2.1TD style as that is where it originated).

^^ Xac describes it eloquently, but then he is up to his armpits trying to change one....!

[jgra1]

same problem same engine Timmo..

agree with all that's been said..
I dont think? i have needed to remove the engine mount to do mine.. but dont quote me on that

my spring seems ok, but my (1 year old) pulley as already leaning, they are not cheap either.. ebay seem to want 80-100 for the whole thing..
anyway, I get a squeal while the glows are on.. but will get it sorted asap.. loosing an aux belt is a pain at best, at worst it's more than that..

[Timmo]

yup, there be a big spring of the back of the alternator area, Sounds like Such a joyous job, oddly enough, in the rain this morning, no squealing! wil go looking for parts then!!
than yuou!!

[Timmo]

Sorry to dig this one back up guys, have just been out tinkering, popped the arch liners off and out the way and had a look at the tensioner, loosened off the allen bolt and popped a. Socket adapter in and ave it a twist, the belts on Pretty much its maximum tension and has signs that its going due to a couple little bits of 'fluff' on the edges of it, so first job will be a new belt, as am assuming its an old one and thus pretty stretched, if that doesn't stop it then will look for the auto tensioner thingy, - looking at it, not so sure how it works as the position of it seems to look like under pressure it'll slacken the tension?? I'd have assumed it would work the other way and pull the pulley up onto the belt, as the belt stretches it would soak up the stretch in the spring tension, if tha makes sense??
Anyways, halfords have a belt ( 1725mm according to the code) for a tenner, which seems resonable enough, anything I Need to know before picking up a belt? Will prolly do it on monday when both girls are at school/nursery and the wifes at work!

[Gregg1100]

" Will prolly do it on monday when both girls are at school/nursery and the wifes at work!"


So they can't hear you shouting and swearing, and throwing stuff all over the place in temper, lol

[Timmo]

Hahahahaha! That's Very true!
Oldest littlun helped me last year when doing the wifes car for mot, the arb links on the fiat are Such a pita! Put new bottom arms on and was proper struggling to psh the arm down, move the arb link inplace whilst holding the hub out the way, so oldest who'd have been close to 5yrs then was Ace! I'd pushed the Arm as far down as I coult, held the hub across and jorja pushed the arb link inplace, she got it spot on, on moving the arm back the bar I had slipped, smacked me pretty good! Had to ask littlun to go back round to the garden so I could say a few words to the car!

[oscar]

When i did mine i found the newer ones have a different size square on tensioner. ford sierra sump plug tool fits now (silverline do a combi one with hole in side for a bar) use with a 3/8 long wrench bar so clears inner wing? well will do when modded properly as could need to infest it soon as fuel pump might need to come off?. Do put something on top of jack before placing under sump.
A long (sharp) cold chisel is good to have at hand for removing inner sleeve as mine as stuck in casting.( what i did was tap into it close to casting then sort of prize it out)
Also load bearings up with grease as they don't like to be generous with grease when making!.