Fan Belts

I've searched for a former thread concerning fan belt recomendations but cant find it. Was some having good luck with belts by Gates? I cant find the thread with the part #.
George: When you put the 356 pulley on, did you change to a different
belt #??
Thanx, BD

Yes, but offhand I don't remember the belt part number or length. go to a Kmart and compare your stock belt to some of theirs and get a cheap one between 1/2" and 1 " shorter, then try it on the car. When the alt pulley is snugged up (say 45 ft. lbs.) the belt should not be riding in the bottom or top or the groove but fit about midway, say 1/8" to 3/16" in from the outer lip of the pulley. Remember that the belt will stretch a little when as it "breaks in" and may need to be re-tensioned after a couple of hundred miles.

Once you know what fits use that info to order a Gates "toothed" belt the same length from NAPA or whoever; these are a "cogged" belt and the best on the market for a VW engine in my experience.

Thanx!! George

Oh - be sure to use enough spacers on the alt pulley; "stock" is ten. When i put the 356 pulley on my 2,110 I had to add a spacer or two as the 356 setup seemed to be thinner than the VW. You can get a set of spacers from Gene Berg or CB Perf.

If the back pulley half appears to wobble slightly when the engine is running (whap the throttle and watch it) the assembly is loose and you need one or two more shims. If it stays loose the rear pulley half will probably crack and break.

The shimming and wobble test apply to a stock VW pulley setup too, especially if you have bought a used car as sometimes people leave shims out when they adjust or install a belt. Shims reoved from between the pulley halves when adjusting or installing should be stored between the outside pulley half and the pulley assembly retaining nut, like washers.

Also note that the two pulleys should be aligned, that is the belt should be a straight vertical drop from alt to crank pulley. There are small, keyway cut spacer shims that can be fitted or removed behind the the VW rear alt pulley half (or 356 pulley hub) to make this adjustment. Be careful not to lose the woodruff key in the alt shaft (locates the alt pulley drive hub).

(Message Edited 4/9/2003 5:52:49 PM)

I'll swear by Gates belts. IMO they don't stretch and stay adjusted better than most.

Has anyone here ever used one of the serpentine belt kits available for VWs? I saw one of these recently at a VW shop, and wondered if they are worth the money. It seems that if they work well, it would eliminate the need for shimming and adjusting. They come with the two pulleys and a spring loaded idler. I like the idea of a low maintenance belt. Any opinions?

-mike

the CB Serp kit does NOT have a spring loaded idler, it's a mechanically adjusted idler pulley. There is a kit coming out this summer with a true spring loaded idler system.

John
Aircooled.Net Inc.

Long ago and far away I owned (at different times) several different 140 BHP Corvair Corsas. They had a very long V-belt that not only drove the fan but made turns from vertical to hrizonal in the process. It was easy to throw one of the belts off the pulleys. An aftermarket spring-loaded tensioner could be fitted on the right side idler pulley that was one of the 90 degree bend spots, and it completely eliminated the problem.

I've often wondered why someone hasn't developed a similar solution for VW's - a fixed, non-adjustable alternator pulley and spring loaded tensioning idler pulley.

George mentioned in his previous post that you need to make sure that the pulley's are aligned - that is - the alternator pulley directly positioned above the crank pulley. I have new 1914cc engine Im installing in my JPS speedster and the alternator pulley on this engine is not aligned with the crank pulley - the crank pulley sits closer to the block than the alternator pulley does - misaligned by about 3/8". Any ideas on how to correct this ?

Brad Shoebridge

Bradley, assuming a type 1 shroud/alternator setup the crank pulley may be wrong hub length. Replace or make a spacer to go behind it?

If a "911" fan setup your alternator mount may need redoing?

Either way you need to fix the problem.