Basic Pulley install question

I'm reaching the final stages of my rebuild!

I didn't take any notes or pictures when removing my old pulley. The new one is going on firm; requiring tapping with a rubber hammer to coax into position. I believe it should not not sit flush on the crank; but is still a little less then 1/4inch off from flush and the gut feeling is that its not correct.

Should it be flush... still too far out?

Thank you for your help
George

It should line up with the alternator/generator pulley. If not you'll toss or wear out the belt.

The crankshaft has a woodruff key slot, right? The pulley should fit snugly but not so tight that you have to use a lot of force to install it. It's held on by the big crank nut and the woodruff key keeps it spinning. Beyond that it's got to be in line with the other pulley.

You can use fine paper to hone the hole - about 600 grit and go slowly, trying the fit frequently so you don't get it hogged out too far or out of round. Also, grease is OK to use for a smoother install.

Oh, sometimes a woodruff key will rock backward in it's slot. If it does and the aluminum makes friction with it it'll make the pulley harder to get into place. Watch for that 'cause it'll chew the pulley key slot pretty quickly.

A you tap it on the crankshaft,( I use a short pc of wood across the pulley) you should feel it reach home so to speak, if the pulley goes in too far and is out of alignment with the alt. pulley there is a thick shim-long bolt kit made for this.

I appreciate the input fellas. its lined up with the key; but its required firm tapping from the start... I really don't feel comfortable applying any more force against the crank like that. Going on Ken's advice I am going to pull it and sand down some, dunk it in hot water and try again.


thank you!
G

Don't you mean COLD water?

Jack, I think he's referring to the pulley, not the crank.

That's one that can be a puzzle.....if you heat a hole, does the hole get larger? Or if you chill a hole, does the hole get smaller?

Chill the material. When the material around a hole is cooled it will shrink away from the hole, enlarging the hole. Unfortunately you'd probably need to leave it in your freezer overnight and once frozen cold if you drop it in might crack...or shatter into a pile of pieces.

That's my theory and I'll defend it until....freezes over!

In this case heat will make the hole in the pulley grow, thus making it easier to install. DO NOT open the hole by sanding, grinding, or machining. The tollorence here is done tight so that when your engine reaches operating temp. there will still be a snug fit. If you do not beleave in hot to cold tollorences, take a look at your velves when they are hot, these are edjusted to .006 when they are cold. If you check when they are hot you'll find they are nearly at .000 . You may have to tap it on far enough to start the bolt then simply tighten the bolt until the pulley seats. There is a washer at the back of the woodruff key that is called an oil slinger, behind it is a lip where the crank shaft's od gets larger. This lip stops the washer and the pulley.

After this if the two pullies do not line up simply loosen the alt strap and slide the alt forward or back to line them up.
Make sure you adjust your belt tention correctly or you will lose the belt or wear it out quickly.

George -- I think Kevin has provided your clue. Measure the nose of the crankshaft from the "seat" to the end of the nose. Now measure the inside length of the pulley hub. That will give you an idea how much the pulley will stand proud of the end of the nose when the pulley is seated and nut is fully torqued.

And, you really don't know where the pulley will end up on the crank until it is actually torqued down by the pulley nut. Tapping with a rubber mallet probably won't get you there, at least it shouldn't. You should torque down the pulley, then remove the nut and observe how much the pulley is standing proud of the crank nose. A very thin film of grease on crank nose / pulley hole is ok.

As Kevin mentioned, "machining" the inside of the pulley hub is not a good idea. The fit is supposed to be a very tight wedge fit. So tight that a special crank pulley removal tool is usually required to remove a properly installed pulley.

Also as Kevin mentioned, alternator pulley alignment follows the fixed crank pulley, not the other way around. Install the crank pulley, then adjust the alternator / alternator pulley to line up.

Last note: Since this is a new rebuild it is a pretty safe bet that a previously installed sand seal shim washer is not on the nose of the crank . . . right?

Thank you very much for all the feedback. There is no sandseal on this one. I cannot torque down yet (still on the stand with no flywheel)

when breaking down the old motor the original pulley came right off with a little heat; and bit of prying. The new pulley is just not that happy.

I've ordered the pulley removal tool; and will deal with it when the motor comes off the stand in a couple of days.

I'm thinking of starting a VWAC tool rental business for all of us first timers :)

aircooled.net rents some tools. I have taken advantage of this a couple of times.

I called over there early on. John and Stephanie are both very nice and extremely helpful. They seem to be having some trouble getting their rentals back. The the wealth of information they provided at no charged justified purchasing all the VW specific tools from them IMHO.

They also describe many of the pulleys they sell as needing a torch's heat to install.

There's talk about low cost/low quality pulleys that can bring a host of problems, and there's warnings about contact interference with some oil pump products when used with some pulleys.

The site is very much worth a visit.

Indeed worth a visit. My wife was starting to get a little annoyed that I was spending hours on the couch soaking up the info on the site. Been really helpful for a first timer.

This is the pulley I bought.
http://cbperformance.com/catalog.asp?ProductID=299

I don't believe its a case of poor product quality, more a case study in end user inexperience. I'm sure it will come right off when the appropriate tool arrives.

Thanks again,
George