924Board.org

timstar92404 · Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Posts: 2075 Location: richmond BC

I was driving when I saw that my batter light was on so i drove home and it was dark and I thought my alternator must have died.

then I saw a pool of coolant on the pavement nex to my car...

I used a flashlight and saw that I don't have a vbelt anymore....

I'm pretty sure it was too loose , it squeeked when driving.

but whats all the coolant, I just replaced my water pump.

will the water pump not running cause coolant to gush out,

hopefully just coolant gushing out the overflow tube?

but its a huge pool , I'll check tom.

it doesn' look like it came from any hose.

there is coolant running down the big hose from radiator to the pump but I thought that could be from the overflow hose spraying.

I don't really get haynes instructions on how tight the belt should be.

you tighten the belt by loosening the alternator adjusting bolt and moving the alternator left with the belt on to make it tight righT
_________________
78 924 sold.
85.5 944

Gram · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 2:57 pm Post subject:

Ouch..the alternator belt also drives the water pump. Sounds like you overheated your motor and dumped your coolant out the overflow. Your belt tightening technique is correct. The longest section of the belt should only have about 1/2" deflection max.
_________________
'82 924 NA Euro (hers)
'98 Audi A4 TDI (ours)

timstar92404 · Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Posts: 2075 Location: richmond BC

well the temp gauge wasn' t even in the middle yet but maybe its not working right?
_________________
78 924 sold.
85.5 944

Gram · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 3:41 pm Post subject:

If it was 'in the middle' it seems that the temp gauge is working. One sure sign of a slipping (loose) belt is squeaking. Who put the belt on? After a short time a new belt needs to be checked and usually retensioned. Hope you haven't done a head gasket.
_________________
'82 924 NA Euro (hers)
'98 Audi A4 TDI (ours)

timstar92404 · Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Posts: 2075 Location: richmond BC

I put it on (adjusted it)

lizard from this board helped me replace my timing belt because I messed that up too but he left the position of the alternator where I tightened it before and the belt was just put on. ( I think I don't really remember, or maybe he adjusted it).

I thought it was loose but I just left it because I didn't think it would come off.

I heard squeeking all week.

I have my old vbelt still so I'll put it on tom and try and get it to move less than a half inch on the long side.

so squeeking always means its too loose? I don't want to make it too tight either cause then it can snap / cause the water pump to fail I heard.
_________________
78 924 sold.
85.5 944

tj924 · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 4:03 pm Post subject:

Had this happen a few times with mine (I'm up to belt number 5 or 6 in < 12 months) as the alternator was out of alignment. The pool of coolant will be from your overflow as the water pump was no longer working without the belt. You'll probably have no coolant left in the tank.

As well as checking the tension, check if the alternator and water pump pulleys are in line (just use a long screwdriver sitting in the pulley).
_________________
TJ
Silver '82 924 NA 5-Speed Manual

timstar92404 · Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Posts: 2075 Location: richmond BC

ok thanks.

sounds better than needing a new althernator.

although coolant getting ont he alternator can wreck it.
_________________
78 924 sold.
85.5 944

Khal · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 5:45 pm Post subject:

Drenching the alternator in any liquid is probably not too good for it, obviously. On the other hand, the coolant probably hasn't done any damage that a good clean wouldn't fix. I don't think the coolant itself is corrosive.

As others have mentioned, if your "V-belt" (a.k.a. "ancilliary drive belt" or, commonly in Oz, "fan belt", even though it doesn't actually drive the fan on these cars) is loose, it'll "squeal" (rather than "squeak") and it'll usually squeal while the engine is revving up or down. Very common problem because as the belt wears, it'll get slack... unless, of course, it was slack in the first place.

As tj924 mentioned, without the water pump to push the coolant, the coolant around the engine probably overheated and the pressure forced coolant out of your overflow. Probably not such a big deal because you mention your temp gauge didn't peg in the red. If it did, I'd be worried. If not, you're cool

It's a pain in the arse, I know, but the best thing for it is to clean your alternator as best you can, fit your replacement V-belt and then refill the cooling system.

If it were up to me, I'd pull the alternator off and give it a good clean. I'd buy a new V-belt, re-fit the alternator and then fit the new V-belt. Then I'd drain the cooling system and refill it, so I'd know that it had the right amount of coolant in it.
And, of course, check the alternator alignment as tj924 mentions.

You'll probably need to charge your battery because, obviously, without the V-belt the alternator wasn't working and hence wasn't charging your battery while you were driving (remember the battery warning light?). There's a good chance it'll be a bit flat.

But don't panic, from your description it sounds like a minor mishap, not the end of the world

_________________
'80 924 Turbo

timstar92404 · Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Posts: 2075 Location: richmond BC

thanks khal.

How do you allign the alternator if it is not alligned. (thought it just moves side to side)

and does it have to be perfect or just close , the screwdrivier not loocking crooked.

i'm just going to put my old vbetlt on the one that I took off, it looks ok.

hopefully it won't come off again in a few weeks.

there doesn't seem to be alot of coolant on the alternator or on the pulley or timing belt.

jthe ovrflow hose is pointing down so it probably didn't get too much on the alternator it doesn't look soaked.
_________________
78 924 sold.
85.5 944

timstar92404 · Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Posts: 2075 Location: richmond BC

my battery was brand new got it 3 weeks ago.
_________________
78 924 sold.
85.5 944

Khal · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 6:04 pm Post subject:

tj924 · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:25 pm Post subject:

924guy · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:55 pm Post subject:

ive found that you really have to stay on top of the v-belt. every time they squeal, theyre really friction burning on the inner surface, which smooths it out. this in turn gives it less grip, so if you dont adjust it right away,theyll just get progressively worse. Also there are some brand belts out there which the 924 just plain doesnt like, ive been through the "belt a month" thing as well, i finally figured out that its best to find a replacement of a different brand when this happens (after going through a couple of the same brand) oncei switched suppliers, it ended the problem, i wish i could recall which belt brands my 931 didnt like , but i didnt take notes on it.

you can get a general idea of your pully alignment by just looking down one pully up to the next , sometimes laying a straight edge across two pullies will help with this if you have the access space. if one sticks out more than the other by any notice-able margin, it needs to be corrected.
_________________
Eric
78 924
82 931 SE "smokey"
99' VehiCross
Y2K Honda Insight
http://www.cardomain.com/id/924Guy
Performance by Pasha

-nick · Joined: 16 Nov 2002 Posts: 2699 Location: Cambridge, MA

The bushings that mount the alternator are typically what cause it to go out of alignment- they allow the alt to tilt. These are deale items, and I believe they aren't particularly cheap for what they are.

PS- be sure to replace your coolant with the "orange stuff", not regular green coolant. And green is what came out, you need it drained and replaced with the proper orange coolant (aka, phosphate-free).

nick

timstar92404 · Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Posts: 2075 Location: richmond BC

I flushed all the coolant out and used water and soap to clean the cooling system again....

when the coolant burst out there was sand and other crap in my overflow tank.

I thought reg green coolant is fine. the orange stuff I see here (or red) is just the long life coolant which I thought wasn't good for the 924.

No one here seems to know what phosphate free coolant is....
_________________
78 924 sold.
85.5 944