Bing-bank-clunk-klang...

Was driving today and started the car and it started to make a loud noise like someone was throwing bolts around the engine. I had the car towed to the house and now it's in the garage.

When I turn it over it turns 'slower', and makes a loud chirping noise, screech..... I don't want to start it. Will do a compression check first, rip off the lifters and see if I can see anything there....

FEK!

Took everything apart and it looks like the pulley was rubbing on the generator (enough to scare the crap out of me) I took the pulley off and noticed that the hole has a crack near the keyway. I think I have no choice but to order a new pulley.

Will try running more spacers in the meantime. It's Africa hot here!

You mean it is not supposed to sound like that?
DAMN.

GG

Well, at least you found the cause.

Those Chinese/Taiwanese pulleys aren't all that god, are they?

I had a billit pully grenade on me a few months ago on the freeway. I heard a loud screaching and then a BANG! I pulled over and found the fanbelt laying there but the iner half of the pully was gone... just a ding in the interior fiberglass hood. The outer pully was still nutted on tight. It was 6am so I waited till 7 and called Roland, He drove out and put a stock one on.

My pulley looks to be stock. What happened recently is that I changed the belt and think I may have put it on too tight. It felt like 1/2" deflection but I think it may have been a little too tight. The sound was different.

I just put the pulley back on and thinking that the whole shaft may be bent on the gen. Without a belt on I hear scraping.....

Is it possible to bend the gen shaft as well as crack the pulley?

****removing the generator***** %$#@!&(*&$ need to find an easy way. The studs in the stand won't let me lift high enough to clear.....arghhh

Mike,
You have to lift the shroud as well.
No big deal, did it a couple times last week.
Don't ask me why I had to do it twice...

"Disappearing shop rag?" Don't ask me how I know this, can happen... ~Alan

There's a thing on YouTube where he cracked the fan off in the doghouse, looks easy enough. Think this is the way to go?

I put the pulley back on and it doesn't turn by hand easily. Short of buying a new gen I think I'll buy a new pulley (cracked where it fits on the shaft) and think about new bearings.

I assume there are 2 bearings inside this gen? Bearing shop should have them????

I had the same thing happen to me during the Morro Bay trip.

I had installed a new alternator, and while doing so used the supplied nut that came with the alternator on the pulley. I did notice that the nut seemed to be very thin, but didn't think much about it. After a couple hundred miles the pulley was loose and grinding against the alternator body.
I replaced the thin nut with the style of pulley nut that looks more a lug nut. Since there are more threads on a longer nut it makes sense that it would maintain its torque while a thinner nut with fewer threads would come loose.
I also replaced the pulley because the loose nut caused to pulley to become out-of-round.

Voila! now the pulley stays tight.

Best to use a OEM German pulley ($39) compared side by side, there is a good difference in the quality. ~Alan

Mike - I just did an alternator removal+re-install, and I replaced those studs on the stand with bolts. Next time I'll be able to slide the stand straight back without fooling with the shroud.

I took it out in about 15 minutes releasing it from the fan with a 36mm socket. Now I need to find a new one. The bearings are toast. I emailed a guy in Ontario and Georgia that had one for sale on the Samba.

If that doesn't work out will order a new one from Cip1.

Thank goodness it wasn't the engine.

***make sure your new belts aren't too tight!