Belt wear questions

[tstewart1]

Hello,

I have a volvo 5.7gi-e (two of them actually). The belts are throwing a fine mist of black particles and I am getting tired of cleaning it up. The belts don't seem to be wearing abnormally fast (replaced them 2 years ago and they still look good). All of the pulley's are clean except the alternator pulley. That pulley has some rust on it and the majority of the black particles seem to coming from that general area (large build up just underneath the pulley). I have attached a picture of one of the pulley's along with a picture of the build up. The question is, should I replace the pulley or just clean it up? I used a wire brush on it but there is some mineral buildup in some of the grooves that is proving difficult to get off. If the suggestion is to clean it, what would you use and would you paint it after.

Any opinions?



Thanks

Tim

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Belt wear questions

I would suspect there not tight enough....but then again if there slipping you should not have that rust build....i dont see how that rust can build like that..that's a first.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Belt wear questions

If you can get a plated replacement pulley, that may be one route to go.

I would:
- Remove the pulley.
- Wire brush off all the rust and use a pick or screw driver to get the build-up off so it's clean.
- Treat the pulley with Jasco Metal Prep (to convert the remaining rust into _____)
- Paint the pulley with 1-2 coats of Rustoleum or Krylon
- Let it sit for 1-2 weeks to harden the paint.
- Install the pulley and belt

Not absolutely necessary to remove the pulley, but it will make the work easier.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Belt wear questions

Be sure the belt is proper width. Sometimes the alternator pully is not as wide and deep as crankshaft and water pump or idler pulleys. Someone may have thought to replace a skinny looking belt with a wider heavier one based on the crank pulley size but one too wide for the alternator. The alternator is a small diameter and the belt has to be nimble enough to make that turn. Also, as mentioned, any corrosion or roughness can sand particles off a belt even if correct size, best to refinish or replace the pulley if you can see or feel roughness.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Belt wear questions

Ayuh,.... I agree with fishrdan,.... That rusted up pulley is like sandpaper Grindin' yer belt to bits,....

The alternator pulls a Heavy load, on a Tiny pulley, makin' it even worse,...

 

[tstewart1]

Re: Belt wear questions

Ayuh,.... I agree with fishrdan,.... That rusted up pulley is like sandpaper Grindin' yer belt to bits,....

The alternator pulls a Heavy load, on a Tiny pulley, makin' it even worse,...

Thanks for the responses. How would you go about removing the pulley (impact wrench, some specialized tool, etc)? I took a quick look on the web and am not able to find a replacement part for the pulley itself. If I wanted to replace it, is it a fairly standard part (6 groove, 50mmOD?).

Thanks

Tim

 

[Bondo]

Re: Belt wear questions

Thanks for the responses. How would you go about removing the pulley (impact wrench, some specialized tool, etc)? I took a quick look on the web and am not able to find a replacement part for the pulley itself. If I wanted to replace it, is it a fairly standard part (6 groove, 50mmOD?).

Thanks

Tim

Ayuh,.... Ya need to pull the nut, then use a puller to remove the pulley,....

No reason not to Clean, 'n paint the 1 ya got,....
But,...
I believe it's a standard GM pulley,...

 

[Maclin]

Re: Belt wear questions

You can discard the belt-width part of my post, the term "belts" led me off in the wrong direction as I had not noticed your pics showing you have a serpentine belt.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Belt wear questions

I can attest to the load an alternator puts on a serpentine belt system. I had an alternator lock up on a '91 4.3l manual truck I had, although at that exact moment I thought the engine had siezed and had it towed home. The next day I got to wondering about the actual noises I heard just before the lockup, and took the belt off, and VUH-WALLA engine started right up.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: Belt wear questions

I had the same problem last year. I sanded them, used a file, did anything I could do to get the rust off and make the pulley smooth. I did this with the pulleys still on the engine. Then painted them with Rustoleum. No problem since.