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Short belt : observations (long) Posted by magalar [Email]  (#1325)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from magalar) on Fri, 4 Feb 2005 08:48:38
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I just completed the short belt (38 $cdn) conversion on a 2001 9-5 lpt, 85 000 km. The upper idler pulley (40 $cdn) was real bad, but the tensioner and central pulleys were fine. I did replace the tensioner pulley, partly because it was cheap, (40 $cdn), partly because I didn't wanted to go down there another time. All parts are OEM.
First observation: the belt squeals a bit, specially when the big electrical consumers are on (heaters, lights, fan, defrost). More evident when I blip the throttle before engaging the clutch. This behavior is strange since it's the power steering pulley that has less wrap, not the alternator's.
My guess is that I should have cleaned the the pulleys (with a steel brush and solvent) before reinstalling the belt.
Second guess, the tensioner spring is weak, or the short belt is a little long so the spring is at the end of its stroke. The later is unlikey since the belt was the "official" upgrade devised by Saab.
Anybody has a clue why I hear this chirping sound ?
Second observation : the job is a pain, I had to make a tool to R&R the tensioner pulley. I wanted to remove the tensioner itself, but from what i saw down there, one must remove the alternator before getting access to the lower mounting bolts of the bracket. Not a trivial task.
So I "created" a special tool from an allen socket and a closed-end wrench. I have cut (with a grinder, no less!!!) a 12 mm portion of the allen bit and glued it in the closed end of the 6 mm (?) wrench. In fact, an L-shaped allen key sorthened would work as well. Removal was smooth, but reinstalling the new bolt (identical as the old one, internal hex) took me 15 minutes, and many big words... Maybe rising the engine would have given me more room, but I didn't to prevent breaking the engine mounts.
Third observation : to get access to the engine damper pulley, one must remove the lower splash guard. Doing so, I breaked it (it was -17 celsius, I know, I am a crazy canuck who always wanted to be a field mechanic in a top rally team...), and I spent half in hour repairing it with rivets and sheet metal. The next day, I checked with my dealer, and the plastic cover was only 19 $cdn, so goodbye my "creative" work ! The parts guy even knows the part number by memory, so it must be a consumable item in the shops.
Overall, a very needed repair, with mixed results. The good news is the price of the OEM parts. The bad news is the belt noise.
I'll wait for warmer temps to tackle the pulley cleaning...
magalar
posted by 213.228.32...
, Fri, 4 Feb 2005 08:48:38 <-- Viewing This Message, Mon, 22 Aug 2005 08:07:29
, Fri, 4 Feb 2005 10:10:52, Fri, 4 Feb 2005 11:26:37
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