Alternator pulley replacement 1.8T

[rhencullen1989]

Hi, i have come to the conclusion that my alternator pulley is ******, my belt tensioner is wobbling around like a bad drunk!

Question is can i change it without removing the alternator, the engine code is BEX 1.8T quattro. The haynes manual says to drain the coolant and remove the coolant pipe out of the way, is it possible to get the alternator pulley off without removing the alternator, if not can i get away without draining the coolant and removing the hose.

Where is the best place to buy a new pulley from, i have a TPS account so a genuine one maybe the best option, also where can i get the splined tool from to remove the pulley?

[rhencullen1989]

Ok, so i have ordered a new pulley from TPS at £71 + vat. Looking at the alternator, i don't think there is enough room to get the required tools in there to remove the old pulley so i think its an alternator out job. Does the coolant hose need to come off to get it out or can it be manouvered around, i would prefer not to disconnect the pipe but if i need to then i will have to. Any one done this job before on a 1.8T Q s-line BEX engine????????????????? Crasher!!!!

[rhencullen1989]

Right, done the job today, took the alternator out and a mate had the correct tooling to remove the old pulley and replace with the new one. The old one was completely seized.

I removed the alternator by removing the throttle body and big pipe connected to it, this allowed just enough room to manouvre the alternator through the gap. It was a better bet than draining the coolant and removing the coolant pipe. The serpentine belt tensioner is a lot steadier and the rumbling noise has now gone, as Guy Martin would say "Jobs a good un".

[fla]

Do you have any pics of this or a bit of a step-by-step? Whioch way does the tensioner need to be moved to slacken and hence remove the belt?

[rhencullen1989]

Hi, sorry no pictures but it's all pretty easy going. You use a 17mm open ended spanner on the serpentine belt tensioner and turn the spanner clockwise. You need a small diameter pin to put through a hole in the tensioner and into the body of the tensioner, i used an old allen key about 5mm or so, as long as it goes through into the hole behind. I did not fully remove the belt as i was just after enough slack to fully remove the alternator.

A flat bladed screwdriver to fully loosen the jubilee clip holding the rubber inlet pipe to the throttle body, then remove the pipe. 4 off 5mm allen screws fully removed to take off the throttle body, if you are carefull you won't need a new gasket. Remove the electrical connector by squeezing in the clip piece and pulling by the plastic. I cleaned the throttle body and butterfly with some carb cleaner in an aerosol. Now to remove the alternator it's just 4 off 6mm allen headed bolts and a similar electrical connector as found on the throttle body and an earth strap held on with a 14mm nut found under a black plastic protector. Now manipulate the alternator out of the engine bay. You need some special adaptors to remove the pulley, they are available on the bay for about £15 but not sure of the quality, the pulley is on there pretty tight, i would not recommend an air gun as these can have an adverse affect on the alternator. The pulley is a standard right hand thread, but if you are holding the pulley still and turning the alternator shaft, turn it clockwise to undo.