HDi auxilliary belt tensioner wear?

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Kered
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HDi auxilliary belt tensioner wear?

Post by Kered »

I decided I would change my aux belt as it shows signs of surface cracking on the back.
On starting the job I find that the tensioner pulley has a groove worn in it by the belt. That would I suppose be OK but the surface has worn away in patches. It's like looking at an aerial view of a group of islands all around the pulley![:)]
I've never seen wear like this before so the question is:- is this how it should look? or does it need changing.
Derek
Xantia HD110 DW10ATED engine.
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Post by JohnD »

Is it wear or rubber residue?
Kered
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Post by Kered »

Very interesting!
I never thought of rubber and it didn't look like rubber. However, I took it apart again and attacked an "island" with a screwdiver and it scraped off. I attacked the wear ridges at the sides and they too can be removed!
It's a plastic pulley [:(!]
Thanks JohnD for the lateral thinking.
Derek
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Post by NiSk »

Plastic pulleys! whatever will they think of next - just as long as the ballbearings aren't plastic as well! (I can't see a plastic pulley lasting the 520,000 km. my good old-fashioned steel pulley has lasted)
//NiSk
Kered
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Post by Kered »

Just been round to a mate's house. I forgot earlier that he had recently changed from a Xantia 2.1 to the HDi. His mileage is similar at around 60,000 and his pully is perfect. I don't know how mine got so worn. The belt tensioner shows the tension to be OK.
Derek
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Post by arry_b »

My old 16V Red Cap Cavalier was "blessed" with plastic cambelt rollers. A poor idea, down to penny pinching in assembly. VX had to drop the belt (and rollers) change interval so something daft like 32K because of that particular smart move.
I suggest you change the roller regularly, as something in the back of my mind is nagging me that the HDI engine can snap the cambelt if the aux belt fails.
No doubt someone will be along shortly with more info.
Kered
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Post by Kered »

For the record.
The plastic pulley is part of the tension spring unit. Though bolted to this unit the pulley is not available separately.
Total cost of quite a chunky bit of metal and pulley was £31.04
Derek
Jon

Post by Jon »

Yep, these plastic alt belt tensioners are starting to fail. The one that Derek changed with the plastic wheel and tensioner is now available from GSF under N13173. There is also a lower alternator belt tensioner on the HDi's but that is a metal roller type. This is GSF N13180.
Incidentally the HDi engine after RP8736 goes from a metal to a plastic timing belt roller tensioner!
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Post by howiedean »

Jon,
Which of these pulleys causes the horrible tappet type noise when it wears out as my car has this problem (noise goes away when aux belt off)?
Cheers
Howie
aido
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Post by aido »

jesus,what are psa playing at? fitting plastic tensioner rollers.did it not occur to them that this is a s#it idea? whats wrong with metal!
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Post by NiSk »

Metal is (compared to plastic):
- expensive
- difficult to form (machine)
- heavy
- doesn't generate as much income in the form of spares sales.
Plastic is great for:
- Mc Donald's toys
- car parts not subject to mechanical wear (air filter housings, fuel tanks, interior trim, possibly induction manifolds, etc.)
- vacuum cleaners, etc.
But not for belt tensioner pulleys!
//NiSk
aido
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Post by aido »

too right! wouldnt suprise me if manufacturers started making camshafts out of plastic next! no,maybe ive gone a little too far wi that one!
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