OK, not your safety belt, but the accessory one in the engine compartment.
Last week-end, i was chasing after a noise coming from the engine, some kind of a "whirring noise" i could hear at idle from outside the car. The engine wasn't making the noise a straight 6 should do. After some investigation on the net, it seemed to be coming from a pulley in the accessory belt pathway.
So i went to the dealer to buy a set of deflection pulleys to replace them. While at it, a took a belt also, just in case.
Quick reminder : '2003 2.5i roadster, 110000 km on the clock.
Items 3 and 6 on the diagram.
The operation itself is not very complicated. You can do it from under the car without taking much apart. All you have to remove is the underside plastic panel protecting the engine bay from dust and gravel on the road. Simply unscrew the 10 or so screws, slide the panel rearwards and that's it.
Now the fun part. Being two for the job make it easier.
You need to take out the A/C belt first. You will see the tensioner right in front of you. Insert a torx head (quite a big one, size 60 or so) in the socket and turn the tensioner to the right (clockwise if facing the tensioner). This will release the tension from the belt and you can remove it safely.
Now locate the tensioner for the accessory belt (item 2 on the diagram). Have a look at the TIS on spaggethicoder to locate it easily. You need a regular 6 sided head to release the tension from the belt. Have someone deal with the tensioner from above while you get the belt.
Now you have the belt in your hands, have a close look at it.
Here is what i found on mine.
Generally speaking, the belt was quite worn. It was dry and cracked, so it was really necessary to get a new one. Remember : this belt drives the alternator (could be annoying) and the water pump (could be disastrous).
The A/C one was in perfect condition.
Now, removing the pulleys is quite easy. Pop the plastic caps with a flat screwdriver.
For the lower pulley, do it from under the car, insert a torx head in the pulley screw and unscrew. You will probably need to use a small ratchet to get there because of the front panel located just in front of the pulley. I had to use a lot of force to "unglue" the screw at first, it was stuck with dust and heat i suppose.
For the upper pulley, ratchet with a 6 sided head, you can do it from above the car. The screw is very long, it goes through the alternator body.
Replace the pulleys in the same way and then put back the belts. There is only one way to position the belts, so you can't mix up. If in doubt, again, check the TIS. For the accessory belt, a second pair of hands comes in quite handy to operate the tensioner.
Job time : two hours max.
Now the whirring sound is almost completely gone. I guess i should have changed the tensioner also, but the dealer did not have it available at the time.
Advice from the week-end : check your belts !
Last week-end, i was chasing after a noise coming from the engine, some kind of a "whirring noise" i could hear at idle from outside the car. The engine wasn't making the noise a straight 6 should do. After some investigation on the net, it seemed to be coming from a pulley in the accessory belt pathway.
So i went to the dealer to buy a set of deflection pulleys to replace them. While at it, a took a belt also, just in case.
Quick reminder : '2003 2.5i roadster, 110000 km on the clock.
Items 3 and 6 on the diagram.
The operation itself is not very complicated. You can do it from under the car without taking much apart. All you have to remove is the underside plastic panel protecting the engine bay from dust and gravel on the road. Simply unscrew the 10 or so screws, slide the panel rearwards and that's it.
Now the fun part. Being two for the job make it easier.
You need to take out the A/C belt first. You will see the tensioner right in front of you. Insert a torx head (quite a big one, size 60 or so) in the socket and turn the tensioner to the right (clockwise if facing the tensioner). This will release the tension from the belt and you can remove it safely.
Now locate the tensioner for the accessory belt (item 2 on the diagram). Have a look at the TIS on spaggethicoder to locate it easily. You need a regular 6 sided head to release the tension from the belt. Have someone deal with the tensioner from above while you get the belt.
Now you have the belt in your hands, have a close look at it.
Here is what i found on mine.
Generally speaking, the belt was quite worn. It was dry and cracked, so it was really necessary to get a new one. Remember : this belt drives the alternator (could be annoying) and the water pump (could be disastrous).
The A/C one was in perfect condition.
Now, removing the pulleys is quite easy. Pop the plastic caps with a flat screwdriver.
For the lower pulley, do it from under the car, insert a torx head in the pulley screw and unscrew. You will probably need to use a small ratchet to get there because of the front panel located just in front of the pulley. I had to use a lot of force to "unglue" the screw at first, it was stuck with dust and heat i suppose.
For the upper pulley, ratchet with a 6 sided head, you can do it from above the car. The screw is very long, it goes through the alternator body.
Replace the pulleys in the same way and then put back the belts. There is only one way to position the belts, so you can't mix up. If in doubt, again, check the TIS. For the accessory belt, a second pair of hands comes in quite handy to operate the tensioner.
Job time : two hours max.
Now the whirring sound is almost completely gone. I guess i should have changed the tensioner also, but the dealer did not have it available at the time.
Advice from the week-end : check your belts !
