cj1 Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 So, took the car for a bit of a drive after it had been garaged for a month or so. Anyway, weird ticking/high pitched noise coming from seemingly the alternator area. It comes and goes but it’s only started recently. Alternator on its way out? Will look into it properly soon but just looking for opinions. 2BCD9A04-0F95-4702-866E-0380F1298686.MOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 take the belt off and see if it is on the ancillary belt. i recently had to replace my tensioner roadside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj1 Posted February 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 (edited) 21 hours ago, Rich said: take the belt off and see if it is on the ancillary belt. i recently had to replace my tensioner roadside. Had belt off. Coming from tensioner, makes a grinding noise just spinning the pulley by hand. Any guidance on how to replace? Edited February 20, 2018 by cj1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 This'd be a good how-to... me not done it either. Looks tricky without taking the engine out. Pics while working anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj1 Posted February 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Just now, mk2 said: This'd be a good how-to... me not done it either. Looks tricky without taking the engine out. Pics while working anyone? I think the only time we’ve had it off was before the engine went in, that’s a good 2 years ago and there doesn’t seem to be a guide anywhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 you barely have to take anything apart to change the tensioner. hardest part is fishing the magnet back out of the bracket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Theres a magnet?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 there is when you drop the bolt for the tensioner in the hole in the bracket and can't get it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj1 Posted February 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Realised I had a spare alternator bracket! Makes perfect sense now after looking at this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 all is possible with the engine in place. just don't knock the socket off the extension and spend longer fishing it out than actually changing the bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Fabulous pic. Thank you. That shows exactly how it goes together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj1 Posted February 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 So I’ve just today done it. Turned out to be a PITA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 24, 2018 Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 it's worse when traffic is flying past. did you lose anything in the bracket? was your tensioner tensioned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj1 Posted February 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Rich said: it's worse when traffic is flying past. did you lose anything in the bracket? was your tensioner tensioned? Yeah I take my hat off to you I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to do it there! I didnt, I left the bolt in place though and didn’t attempt to remove it. So I removed the oil filter to be able to do it from above to get access to the hole easier. And the old tensioner came out easy. However the new one didn’t seem to want to clear the chassis leg so I ended up removing the engine mount bolts on that side to allow it to drop down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 24, 2018 Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 it would have been easier if i hadn't dropped the bolt into the bracket but using a second hand tensioner screwed me up mostly as I had to twist to install. the bearing and pulley part in itself is pretty generic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyEunos Posted February 24, 2018 Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 Probably too late now but you can just change the idler pulley rsther than the whole tensioner if it was just a rought bearing causing the issue.... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEAT-AROSA-CORDOBA-IBIZA-Fan-Belt-Tensioner-Pulley-V-Ribbed-Belt-Idler/131621348957?fits=Model%3ALupo&hash=item1ea53e665d:g:xC4AAOSwjkVZfly5 If it's anything like the SDI then it's held on by a single (15mm?) nut. I noticed this when I did the PAS pump on mine a few months back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 24, 2018 Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 different pulley, same principle though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted February 24, 2018 Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 2 hours ago, JoeyEunos said: Probably too late now but you can just change the idler pulley rsther than the whole tensioner if it was just a rought bearing causing the issue.... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEAT-AROSA-CORDOBA-IBIZA-Fan-Belt-Tensioner-Pulley-V-Ribbed-Belt-Idler/131621348957?fits=Model%3ALupo&hash=item1ea53e665d:g:xC4AAOSwjkVZfly5 If it's anything like the SDI then it's held on by a single (15mm?) nut. I noticed this when I did the PAS pump on mine a few months back. Aren't some of the tensioner pulleys riveted in place like on the mk4? Handy to know though that on the SDI its just a bolt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyEunos Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 (edited) On the Mk4 the tensioners are almost all held in place by a torx bolt rather than being riveted on, usually either a t25 or a t30. I've had lots of Mk4's and never found an exception to this rule! Zoom in on the following picture for evidence https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALTERNATOR-V-RIBBED-BELT-TENSIONER-AUDI-A3-VW-Bora-Beetle-Caddy-Golf-1-9-TDI/263506840285?epid=1531128122&hash=item3d5a3b4add:g:EQsAAOSwh1paJupZ Getting back to Lupo's, the pulleys are available by themselves pretty much across the whole range, see here... Lupo TDI https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Poly-V-Ribbed-Belt-Tensioner-Pulley-VAI-V10-9747-Top-German-Quality/401456490333?fits=Model%3ALupo&epid=1772128243&hash=item5d78abe75d:g:SwgAAOSwyjJZzUIh Lupo SDI https://www.motor-doctor.co.uk/products/8172837-tensioner-pulley-v-ribbed-belt Lupo 1.4 16V/1.6 GTi http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEAT-AROSA-CORDOBA-IBIZA-Fan-Belt-Tensioner-Pulley-V-Ribbed-Belt-Idler/131621348957?fits=Model%3ALupo&hash=item1ea53e665d:g:xC4AAOSwjkVZfly5 Lupo 1.0 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLKSWAGEN-LUPO-BEETLE-Fan-Belt-Tensioner-Pulley-V-Ribbed-Belt-Idler/142413462995?fits=Model%3ALupo|Cars+Type%3A1.0&hash=item212880fdd3:g:KS4AAOSwN2VZP83a Sometimes the actual sprung tensioner gets weak but IME for the most part the bit that usually goes is the pulley (Bearings). It's usually far cheaper and easier just to replace that rather than the whole lot. HTH. Edited February 25, 2018 by JoeyEunos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 I'll have to go outside in this cold and have a look... I'm certain it's rivetted on my 1.6 AEH. Been meaning to change it for over a year now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyEunos Posted February 25, 2018 Report Share Posted February 25, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, mk2 said: I'll have to go outside in this cold and have a look... I'm certain it's rivetted on my 1.6 AEH. Been meaning to change it for over a year now. It's feasible I'm wrong about it, but I'm yet to see one that is If not this part seems to be listed for all 1.6 Mk4's 97-04 inc AEH.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Poly-V-Ribbed-Belt-Tensioner-Pulley-VAI-V10-9747-Top-German-Quality/401456490333?fits=Model%3AGolf|Plat_Gen%3AMK+IV|Cars+Type%3A1.6&epid=1772128243&hash=item5d78abe75d:g:SwgAAOSwyjJZzUIh It would be odd to sell a pulley that couldn't be replaced/fitted? If by some strange anomaly it is riveted in place then the whole tensioner is £45+VAT from TPS IIRC, but simply replacing the pulley/bearing with the part I've linked above for a fiver is the best route if possible Edited February 25, 2018 by JoeyEunos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj1 Posted March 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 Tensioner was £30 inc. from ECP, for that much it made sense to just change the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 depends on the branding for me. I'd rather use a decent pulley on an original tensioner than euro crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj1 Posted March 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 15 hours ago, Rich said: depends on the branding for me. I'd rather use a decent pulley on an original tensioner than euro crap. Yeah I'd probably be hesitant if it was in regular use, but the car rarely covers more than 500 miles in a year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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