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Detroit, 2:38 AM
Sat Nov 21
31 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #volkswagenbeetle more →

    How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of dislexicmofo dislexicmofo
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds

    nothing to say really, except he should have used the official replacement kit #vwbeetle
     Reply
    TimTim promoted this comment dislexicmofo was starred dislexicmofo was unstarred
    Image of TimTim TimTim
    10/22/09

    @dislexicmofo: I laughed out loud... not the abbreviated, metaphorical, kind the kids are doing on the internet these days... but actual, spell it out, honest to goodness, out loud guffaws.

    Well played. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    TimTim was starred TimTim was unstarred
    Image of evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    This somewhat reminds me of the time I was forced to change the fan belt in our old '69 911. I say forced because the car had a perfectly good belt before my idiocy got involved. I got the car out to give it a good washing. I placed a towel over the engine as the vent in the engine cover is a really open affair with nothing but a coarse mesh and nice chrome grille guarding against the elements. I didn't want to inadvertently bathe the distributor while rinsing the car down.

    You all can see where this is going.

    After finishing up with drying the car off, I hopped in and started it up. The engine fired and then died almost immediately. I would've tried it again, but the suddenness of the engine stopping was disconcerting. I got out and opened the engine bay, and there was the towel, all wrapped up in the innards of the fan belt assembly. And I mean it was really stuck. If you don't know old 911's, that fan belt is driven off of the crank. Since the fan must run all the time, the alternator sits inside the fan assembly. Porsche's efficiency of design spared me from an even larger mess. Still, I spent about 3 hours cutting the towel out of there. I had to cut the fan belt too, as it and the towel were practically as one.

    And people ask why I'm not considering doing the rebuild on that motor myself... #vwbeetle
     Reply
    evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars was starred evoCS-Hench-Minion to the stars was unstarred
    Image of coupeZ600 coupeZ600
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    We had a International with a DT466 that would throw belts for no reason, but just as bizarrely, almost always in the same places. If you were driving and saw that truck pulled over at one of those places with the hood up, you knew why. The main driver of that truck got real good at changing the (6) belts this way (because when one went off it took all the rest with it), but he did it by bumping the starter solenoid with the engine and fuel off. It was still terrifying to watch, and while we tried everything to figure out the problem, eventually the truck would find a set of belts it could live with (we thought we fixed it!) until a year or so later it would start all over again. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    coupeZ600 was starred coupeZ600 was unstarred
    Image of Psiu! Puxa!: You're right, Mopar or no car! Psiu! Puxa!: You're right, Mopar or no car!
    10/22/09

    @coupeZ600: Bent crank pulley? #vwbeetle
     Reply
    coupeZ600 promoted this comment Psiu! Puxa!: You're right, Mopar or no car! was starred Psiu! Puxa!: You're right, Mopar or no car! was unstarred
    Image of coupeZ600 coupeZ600
    10/22/09

    @Psiu! Puxa!: You're right, Mopar or no car!: We replaced every accessory pulley first, and changed the belt routing when that didn't work. Surprisingly, running the alternator solely off the water pump/camshaft worked for quite a while. Then it started happening again, so we pulled the radiator to get to the crank pulley/harmonic balancer, and even though we could find nothing wrong with either, we replaced both. This worked for about a year, and then it started all over again. The crazy part was that it was always in the same places, after pulling a real long grade under load, then getting back up to highway speed, and when you hit the next little grade and it went back under load, sproing! whapwhapwhapwhap, buzzers on! New motor mounts and tranny mounts, while long-shots, fixed it for about, you guessed it, a year, then it started all over again. Truck sits in the yard and mocks us all, because nobody will drive it except the guy who put's the belts on the easy way..... #vwbeetle
     Reply
    coupeZ600 was starred coupeZ600 was unstarred
    Image of Xelmon Xelmon
    10/22/09

    @coupeZ600:
    Is this something that happened only to the DT466, or is it also true for the DT350? #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Xelmon was starred Xelmon was unstarred
    Image of coupeZ600 coupeZ600
    10/23/09

    @Xelmon: It was only this truck.... Which is what pissed all of us off. We got straight-edges out, checked the pulley alignment, got them as lined-up as we could, and then checked some of the other trucks that would run just fine with a full 1/2 to 3/4" jog in the belt on the long run. I once took one of the two alternator belts off of one truck and ran it all day with the one belt deliberately on the wrong pulley with no problem. The I-6 DT 466/530's are the one's I'm familiar with, the DT 360 I've heard was O.K. but a little underpowered, but I stay ALL the way away from the VT365 (the Ford PowerStroke v8)! #vwbeetle
     Reply
    coupeZ600 was starred coupeZ600 was unstarred
    Image of crinklesmith crinklesmith
    10/23/09

    @coupeZ600: Maybe it had a machining flaw internally, like a piece of the rotating assembly was slightly light/heavy. Could have been just enough to set up a harmonic at the crank nose, and flap the pulley around at the right load, but not be noticeable anytime else. Certainly interesting though. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    coupeZ600 promoted this comment crinklesmith was starred crinklesmith was unstarred
    Image of coupeZ600 coupeZ600
    10/23/09

    @crinklesmith: But what was so strange, and perplexed us all to no end, was that it never did it under full, pedal to the floor, almost lugging and working-as-hard-as-it-could power, or just after as it was taken off load, but a while later. I was the champion of the motor/tranny-mount theory (because by then I had nothing else), but like all the others that thought they fixed it, about a year later it would start all over again. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    coupeZ600 was starred coupeZ600 was unstarred
    Image of coupeZ600 coupeZ600
    10/23/09

    @coupeZ600: How the hell motor/tranny mounts could help/stop a belt being thrown was something I was never real comfortable with, but it seemed to work (for a while). #vwbeetle
     Reply
    coupeZ600 was starred coupeZ600 was unstarred
    Image of Xelmon Xelmon
    10/28/09

    @coupeZ600:
    So, a vexed engine. Too bad.

    From what I've read the DT360 (mistyped earlier) is the thing I might be looking at down the road, and it has Much more power and torque than a gas dodge from the 50's. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Xelmon was starred Xelmon was unstarred
    Image of coupeZ600 coupeZ600
    10/28/09

    @Xelmon: While hearing that the 360 was under-powered, that was completely in a work-truck application. In a big pick-up/RV/small bus I'm sure it would be great! They're super simple to work on and will burn almost anything without qualm- we ran our mechanical (not EFI) 466's on some hippie-brewed B100 diesel one whole summer with no problems whatsoever. The electronic engines would send weird fault-codes to the ECM though, so we only burn B20 in them.

    I like the vexed engine idea. Just today I found out it had a in-frame over-haul at around 90,000 miles, way too early and long before I got there (it's a '84 and I started in '95, but the belt-throwing fits didn't start until 2000-2001). Clues..... #vwbeetle
     Reply
    coupeZ600 was starred coupeZ600 was unstarred
    Image of lazlohollyfeld lazlohollyfeld
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    VW Ninja. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Novaload promoted this comment lazlohollyfeld was starred lazlohollyfeld was unstarred
    Image of gla2yyz gla2yyz
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    Still have to bill you for an hour's labour though. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet promoted this comment gla2yyz was starred gla2yyz was unstarred
    Image of che-che che-che
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    The HVAC systems I work on generally are not as roomy a space, and have considerably more power for efficient finger removal, than an old VW.

    Cool trick though #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Alfisted promoted this comment che-che was starred che-che was unstarred
    Image of Alfisted Alfisted
    10/22/09

    @che-che: I've heard this somewhere before... #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Alfisted was starred Alfisted was unstarred
    Image of MushyHeirloom MushyHeirloom
    10/22/09


    @Alfisted: Yeah... me too. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    MushyHeirloom was starred MushyHeirloom was unstarred
    Image of Alfisted Alfisted
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    I'd love to see how this guy handles the every 5K mile valve adjustment that Beetles require. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Alfisted was starred Alfisted was unstarred
    Image of ThreeLitre ThreeLitre
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    Alright that's pretty good.

    I recently swapped the entire alternator out of my Dad's 1974 BMW 2002 in under 20 mins. What do I get? #vwbeetle
     Reply
    ThreeLitre was starred ThreeLitre was unstarred
    Image of lilwillie lilwillie
    10/22/09

    @ThreeLitre:

    golf clap #vwbeetle
     Reply
    lilwillie was starred lilwillie was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    10/22/09

    @ThreeLitre: I used to have a 2002. Those engine compartments aren't as roomy as you'd think. Good job. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of AustinMiniMan AustinMiniMan
    10/22/09

    @lilwillie: How do you know the car was green? #vwbeetle
     Reply
    AustinMiniMan was starred AustinMiniMan was unstarred
    Image of WarShrike WarShrike
    10/22/09

    @lilwillie: Golf clap? Does that require a tetanus shot on top of the multi-spectrum of antibiotics you have to take with contracting the normal clap? #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Novaload promoted this comment WarShrike was starred WarShrike was unstarred
    Image of ThreeLitre ThreeLitre
    10/22/09

    @mechimike: Yeah but it's amazing how much pavement you can see through the bay compared to more modern cars!

    Apparently I was lucky in that his car wasn't a tii model. In those models the mechanical fuel injection apparatus is in the place where the alternator sits in the normal model (ie, front and top center), and the alternator is only accessible from underneath the car.

    Might even be one of those jobs where the description starts with: "Step 1: remove engine" #vwbeetle
     Reply
    ThreeLitre was starred ThreeLitre was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    10/22/09

    @WarShrike: So help me, as many times as I have seen and typed "golf clap" that reference never crossed my mind. Brilliant. But also gross. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    10/22/09

    @ThreeLitre: I've only seen one tii in person, at Eurofest this past weekend. And then I mistook the fuel injection unit for a smog pump. ooops. ;-) #vwbeetle
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    What a time saver. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of VeeArrrSix VeeArrrSix
    10/22/09


    @Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet: #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet promoted this comment VeeArrrSix was starred VeeArrrSix was unstarred
    Image of Elhigh Elhigh
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    The HVAC systems I work on generally are not as roomy a space, and have considerably more power for efficient finger removal, than an old VW.

    Cool trick though. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Elhigh was starred Elhigh was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    When I got my new Karmann Ghia home, I managed to change the oil and set the valve lash in 45 minutes, with the car sitting on the trailer, in the dark, using a flashlight, having never worked on a VW before. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of VeeArrrSix VeeArrrSix
    10/22/09

    @mechimike: That's why your name is MechiMike #vwbeetle
     Reply
    mechimike promoted this comment VeeArrrSix was starred VeeArrrSix was unstarred
    Image of FrankGrimes FrankGrimes
    10/22/09

    @mechimike: Based on the facts you bought a Karmann Ghia, and had the foresight to change the oil and adjust the valves by yourself will you be my friend? #vwbeetle
     Reply
    FrankGrimes was starred FrankGrimes was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    10/22/09

    @VeeArrrSix: No, _this_ is why my name is mechimike:

    [jalopnik.com]

    and...

    [jalopnik.com]

    Well, actually my name is mechimike because, a long time ago,back in the mists of time when the internets were still young, I had to chose a username for my very first email account. And, while I consider myself a halfway decent wrench, I have a horrible, horrible memory. So I kept that handle. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    10/22/09

    @FrankGrimes: Based on the facts that you too must appreciate both old iron and The Simpsons, yes.
     Reply
    Edited by mechimike at 10/22/09 3:30 PM mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of FrankGrimes FrankGrimes
    10/22/09

    @mechimike: Let's celebrate this new found friendship with the adding of chocolate to milk. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    FrankGrimes was starred FrankGrimes was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    10/22/09

    @FrankGrimes: Nice. How about a trip down to the old Burlesque House? After all, we gotta keep the "Spring" in "Springfield"! #vwbeetle
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of Scoutch Scoutch
    10/22/09

    @mechimike: Did it run after that? And if it was so dark, how did you know it was a VW? You may have inadvertently done something rather upsetting to your neighbor's cow, you know.
     Reply
    Novaload promoted this comment Edited by Scoutch at 10/22/09 4:29 PM Scoutch was starred Scoutch was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    10/22/09

    @mechimike: Well, yeah, but you're like a super mechanic and all. That's the equivalent of me being able to, oh, let's say unlock my front door and get into my house after dark. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    10/22/09

    @FrankGrimes: When are you going to tell him this is about a Lumina? #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of FrankGrimes FrankGrimes
    10/22/09

    @Novaload: Not sure what you mean... #vwbeetle
     Reply
    FrankGrimes was starred FrankGrimes was unstarred
    Image of wkiernan wkiernan
    10/22/09

    @mechimike: Yeah well you had a TRAILER and a FLASHLIGHT. Yer had it EASY, mate. Me Dad used to make me and my baby brother (God rest his soul) remove and replace the cylinder heads of our family Beetle knee deep in the mud in the PITCH DARK and the DRIVING RAIN with NO TOOLS WHATSOEVER but our BARE HANDS while he were drinking foul corn whiskey from a Mason Jar and BEATING US with a COATHANGER. And we were only mere lads of eight and ten years at the time. And we enjoyed it, we did! Get me another whisky, bartender. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Novaload promoted this comment wkiernan was starred wkiernan was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    10/22/09

    @wkiernan: You win. ;-) #vwbeetle
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of Elhigh Elhigh
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    The HVAC systems I work on generally are not as roomy a space, and have considerably more power for efficient finger removal, than an old VW.

    Cool trick though. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    Elhigh was starred Elhigh was unstarred
    Image of dmoon dmoon
    10/22/09

    In reply to How To Change The VW Beetle's Generator Belt In Five Seconds
    Glad the video was made in "honer" of someone. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    snapoversteer 'bout to get told promoted this comment dmoon was starred dmoon was unstarred
    Image of The Cheat The Cheat
    10/22/09

    @dmoon: Yeah, they call him "Four Finger Kelso" now. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    P161911 probably shoudn't have promoted this comment The Cheat was starred The Cheat was unstarred
    Image of snapoversteer 'bout to get told snapoversteer 'bout to get told
    10/22/09

    @dmoon: Perfectly cromulent word. On a related note, the proliferation of easy-to-use video production software is, at best, a mixed blessing. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    snapoversteer 'bout to get told was starred snapoversteer 'bout to get told was unstarred
    Image of mechimike mechimike
    10/22/09

    @snapoversteer 'bout to get told: A spell checker would be a double-plus good idea. #vwbeetle
     Reply
    mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred
    Image of Instructor Instructor
    09/27/09

    In reply to The Ultimate Automotive Survivors: 50 Cars Made For Over 20 Years
    Honestly, the Renault 5 is a mistake. The two generations share nothing other than a resemblance in design.
     Reply
    Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est promoted this comment Instructor was starred Instructor was unstarred
    Image of Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
    10/09/09

    @Instructor: The first gen R5 was built in Iran until 2000. Parts of it were still in production in 2006 as the Pars Khondro Sepand P.K. (on a Kia Pride chassis, no less).
     Reply
    Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was starred Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was unstarred
    Image of BlueBomb BlueBomb
    09/09/09

    In reply to The Ultimate Automotive Survivors: 50 Cars Made For Over 20 Years
    Crown Victoria? Lincoln Town Car? Bodies updated, chassis/engines the same 1990-present.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin promoted this comment BlueBomb was starred BlueBomb was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    09/09/09

    @BlueBomb: No, major rear suspension redesign in '98.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
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