11 replies to this topic

[samsfern]

the mini has been great lately, but its developed an odd problem, the minis got a new addiction, to fan belts, ive changed it twice this week, and i need to change it again tommorow now, after tonight. basically, the belt is flicking itself round, so the flat bit is running in the pulleys and the tooted bit is on the outside, as though its upside down. it done this the other night, and i thought nothing of it, and fitted a new one i had in the boot, then it done the same thing the next day, as i didnt have a spare i removed the belt and refitted the correct way round, then it turnt itself upside down again, so i fitted yet another new one, and its done the same thing again tonight?

the pulleys all look to be lined up ok and look/feel fine, and theres no play in any of them, so what could be causing it? just a dodgy batch of belts?

[bmcecosse]

It really MUST be pulley alignment...........

[mini_legend]

I had this. Could be many things, could simply be that the alternator isn't bolted on tight enough.
I ended up splashing out for a new alternator!!
It ran fine with it upside down, but don't leave it longer than you need too!

JK

[Kam]

I think someones breaking into your garage and having a laugh with your belt!

My other silly answer would be that you get some double sided ribbed belts

It really MUST be pulley alignment...........

^^^^^^

[1984mini25]

I think someones breaking into your garage and having a laugh with your belt!

My other silly answer would be that you get some double sided ribbed belts

Or just fit you new belt upside down to start off with.

[MRA]

Sam what engine revs are you revving your engine to ? if the revs are higher than normal this can happen, also which water pump pulley are you using ?

You may need to swap over to a ribbed type as in cambelt style.

Also look for wear in the bottom of the pulley's signifying tthat the pulley/s are beyond their usefullness.

Edited by mra-minis.co.uk, 25 April 2011 - 09:53 AM.

[Dan]

I'd agree, check the pulleys for damage and wear thoroughly.

[johnbest981]

A man I used to work with told me a story a bit like this once, he said he had a car that had a dynamo and the first ever alternator kits came out.
He said you had to build them yourself, so he did, and fitted it.

But when ever he turned on the lights, the charging light would come on.
Then he found out it was because it was flipping the belt over.

I've got genuinely no idea of how true this could ever be, and he's got previous for not letting the truth get in the way of a good story. But I found it a good story non the less.

[samsfern]

Sam what engine revs are you revving your engine to ? if the revs are higher than normal this can happen, also which water pump pulley are you using ?

You may need to swap over to a ribbed type as in cambelt style.

Also look for wear in the bottom of the pulley's signifying tthat the pulley/s are beyond their usefullness.

its a standardish 998, and i see no point revving it higher than 6k as the power feels to drop off, but for normal driving, ive been changing up at around 3.5k. As for water pump pulley, im using the same one that i used on the 1330, with a ribbed/toothed belt.

I swapped over to a motaquip one sunday morning, i had been using halfords ones, and could visually see that the halfords one was a bit thinner on the flat bit (opposite side to the toothed bit), than the motaquip one, anyway, done around 600 miles, mostly motorway, sitting at 70mph, jut under 4k rpm, since then, and its still the right way up, so im pretty sure it were dodgy belts or i picked up the wrong ones, thanks all anyway.

Edited by samsfern, 26 April 2011 - 05:59 PM.

[MRA]

Which is why I asked you to look at the condition of the pulley's..... to see if the belt was bottoming out

http://www.mra-minis...to-look-for.htm

Edited by mra-minis.co.uk, 26 April 2011 - 07:07 PM.

[samsfern]

the pulleys look and feel fine, otherwise id have picked up on them, it was the belts that were wrong.

Edited by samsfern, 26 April 2011 - 06:39 PM.

[MRA]

Yes we know that, but the process of illumination (pun intended) was to look for trace wear, such as that found in the bottom of the pulley/s

http://www.mra-minis...to-look-for.htm