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Worn Poly V Pulley

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Jim Guthrie - 03 Sep 2008 17:04 GMT
The alternator belt on my Citroen Xsara diesel broke at the weekend
and I got it replaced at the garage yesterday.  However this was not a
simple (or cheap!!) replacement.    The belt was still basically in
one piece but had come off the poly V pulley on the crankshaft and
jammed itself between the belt tensioner and the camshaft cover, badly
bending the tensioner and breaking the camshaft cover.  

However the surpise was that there were no grooves left on the
crankshaft pulley.  The pulley ressembled a flat belt pulley with only
an occasional slight impression of where the bottom of a groove had
been.  All the other driven pulleys were OK and what remained of the
old belt also still looked like a poly V belt.  The garage people had
never seen anything like it and we are left wondering how the grooves
had,  effectively,  been ground off the pulley.

The car is almost exactly five years old with 120,000 on the clock and
the belt was the original as far as we can tell.

Jim.
Boo - 03 Sep 2008 21:27 GMT
> However the surpise was that there were no grooves left on the
> crankshaft pulley.  The pulley ressembled a flat belt pulley with only
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> never seen anything like it and we are left wondering how the grooves
> had,  effectively,  been ground off the pulley.

More likely the grooves were never there ?  It is a Citroen after all...  I've
had 3 in the past (2 * BX + 1 * Xantia) and although they had some definite
advantages (esp the better of the 2 BXs) I eventually swore off them on grounds
of unreliability + servicing costs.

Signature

Boo

Christopher Tidy - 04 Sep 2008 02:02 GMT
>> However the surpise was that there were no grooves left on the
>> crankshaft pulley.  The pulley ressembled a flat belt pulley with only
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> had some definite advantages (esp the better of the 2 BXs) I eventually
> swore off them on grounds of unreliability + servicing costs.

I agree. It takes a long time and many belts to wear out pulleys. I have
a pair of cast iron V-belt pulleys which were in use for several hours
daily for 50+ years, and the wear to the grooves is only just
noticeable. I also think (but am not completely certain) that I've seen
poly-V belts running on pulleys without grooves in washing machines. The
grooves are most important on small diameter pulleys.

Best wishes,

Chris
David Powell - 05 Sep 2008 16:22 GMT
In article <48BF3FAA.9000306@cantabgold.net>,  
Christopher Tidy <cdt22NOSPAM@cantabgold.net>  in
uk.rec.models.engineering wrote:

>>> However the surpise was that there were no grooves left on the
>>> crankshaft pulley.  The pulley ressembled a flat belt pulley with only
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
>Best wishes,

Dunno, those continentals have funny ideas about  belts, etc.  I once
bought a Holzer vertical panel saw at a silly price.  Took me about a
fortnight to rewire and rebuild the control box so that it worked
(two dimensional X,Y motion).  Lasted  about 2 years.  The 5hp saw
moved vertically on a carriage positioned by ~3/32" stranded steel
wire over aluminium pulleys.  Guess what??  The wire sawed thro' the
pulleys.   I did get it dismantled with great difficulty, gave up
trying to get all the bits back together.

Regards,

David P.
Peter Neill - 04 Sep 2008 09:29 GMT
>More likely the grooves were never there ?  It is a Citroen after all...  I've
>had 3 in the past (2 * BX + 1 * Xantia) and although they had some definite
>advantages (esp the better of the 2 BXs) I eventually swore off them on grounds
>of unreliability + servicing costs.

I've had exactly the same - 2 * BX + 1* Xantia, and conversely my
experience has been just the opposite.
The Citroens have probably been some of the most reliable cars I've
ever owned and servicing costs very really very low, although in
fairness I did these myself.

My 1st BX (petrol) was written off by the RAC. They were towing it
without the steering lock on after a belt broke and they didn't have
one to fit, and within less than 1/2 a mile on a windy road they
collected 3 cars and a lorry as the BX swung across to the other side.
Got me a spot in the national press and an invitation (declined) from
Johnny Vaughn to appear on the Big Breakfast (there were odd
circumstances surrounding the incident..)

The 2nd BX (petrol) did over 40,000 miles one year, and went to France
over the Route Napoleon several times laden with family and luggage
without complaint.

The Xantia (diesel) put on 70,000 miles in 3 years with just oil and
filter changes, still doing the annual trip over the french alps and a
couple of F1 pilgrimages to Monaco. I did have one breakdown where the
plastic clip holding the cable to the clutch pedal broke, but luckily
this happened just a mile from home.

The hydraulics that seem to put people off are really a piece of pi**
to work on, and I wote a piece about servicing the suspension
cylinders for the BX forum about 8-9 years ago.
I used to replace the spheres once a year as part of an annual
service, using pattern ones from Andyspares in Reading for around £12
each, as opposed to £80 each from citroen. It was less than 30 minutes
work and £50 cost to maintain a superb level of comfort.

Maybe I was just lucky with mine.

Peter
Richard Edwards - 04 Sep 2008 11:55 GMT
>I've had exactly the same - 2 * BX + 1* Xantia, and conversely my
>experience has been just the opposite.
>The Citroens have probably been some of the most reliable cars I've
>ever owned and servicing costs very really very low, although in
>fairness I did these myself.

Totally agreed

>My 1st BX (petrol) was written off by the RAC. They were towing it
>without the steering lock on after a belt broke and they didn't have
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>plastic clip holding the cable to the clutch pedal broke, but luckily
>this happened just a mile from home.

Exactly my experience with the Xantia (even to the mile from
home!).Fitting that clip was a right bu??er! Always carried a spare
from then on and left it in the car when I traded it in at 138000
miles.

>The hydraulics that seem to put people off are really a piece of pi**
>to work on, and I wote a piece about servicing the suspension
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>each, as opposed to £80 each from citroen. It was less than 30 minutes
>work and £50 cost to maintain a superb level of comfort.

Likewise.

>Maybe I was just lucky with mine.

That makes two of us

>Peter

Now have a C5 1600cc HP diesel. Got 72mpg between Cheltenham and
Folkstone on recent trip to France. By the time we got home 1600 miles
at 60mpg including 80 on some Motorways over there.

Main problem is depreciation but overall I am very pleased with my
Citroen purchases.
Not likely to go to the new model C5 as the ashtray is miniscule!

--

Richard

Email address is valid but remove burrs before sending!
Peter Neill - 04 Sep 2008 14:21 GMT
>Not likely to go to the new model C5 as the ashtray is miniscule!

Nice to know there is another 'social leper' on the NG <vbg>
I gave up on ashtrays years ago and just use the window now.

Peter
David Powell - 05 Sep 2008 16:22 GMT
In article <o3ovb4lhofqtokf4a2177mjk78366499r1@4ax.com>,  
Peter Neill <panuno95-ukrec@yahoo.co.uk>  in
uk.rec.models.engineering wrote:

>>Not likely to go to the new model C5 as the ashtray is miniscule!
>
>Nice to know there is another 'social leper' on the NG <vbg>
>I gave up on ashtrays years ago and just use the window now.


I gave up over 40 years ago, we'd taken the hood off the TR to enjoy
the sunshine, no 70 mph limit then, and the bloody girl friend opened
the ash tray...

Please be careful, some of those buggers from the anti-everything
stazi may be watching you.  I've got a piece of ali tube just behind
the gear lever, over what would be the shaft tunnel on a rear wheel
drive.  Stick a tun dish in the top, makes an excellent infinite
capacity ash tray.  Serves for a few other purposes, too.

Regards,

David P,
Cliff Coggin - 05 Sep 2008 18:33 GMT
>  I've got a piece of ali tube just behind
> the gear lever, over what would be the shaft tunnel on a rear wheel
> drive.  Stick a tun dish in the top, makes an excellent infinite
> capacity ash tray.  Serves for a few other purposes, too.
>
> David P,

Tee hee. Could be interesting to use while on the move, or is there a covert
boast here?

Cliff Coggin.
David Powell - 09 Sep 2008 16:49 GMT
In article <64ewk.157623$W71.73624@newsfe12.ams2>,  
"Cliff Coggin" <clifford.coggin@virgin.net>  in
uk.rec.models.engineering wrote:

>>  I've got a piece of ali tube just behind
>> the gear lever, over what would be the shaft tunnel on a rear wheel
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>Tee hee. Could be interesting to use while on the move, or is there a covert
>boast here?

You may be confusing my ash tray with a gadget that I'm told is
sometimes fitted for the convenience of female drivers.

Regards,

David P.
Austin Shackles - 05 Sep 2008 10:20 GMT
>The hydraulics that seem to put people off are really a piece of pi**
>to work on, and I wote a piece about servicing the suspension
>cylinders for the BX forum about 8-9 years ago.

The problems with the BX hydraulics were the 4 front-to-back pipes, in
steel, with inadequate protection from the crud which landed on them near
the portside rear wheel.

Garages were wont to want $sillymoney to change 'em.
Signature

Austin Shackles.  www.ddol-las.net  my opinions are just that
Travel The Galaxy!  Meet Fascinating Life Forms...
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moray - 04 Sep 2008 12:15 GMT
> The alternator belt on my Citroen Xsara diesel broke at the weekend
> and I got it replaced at the garage yesterday.  However this was not a
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> Jim.

Are you sure the actual V part of the pulley was still there?

The pulley is a torsional vibration damper, and is made up of a steel inner
section, rubber bonded to the outer section with the V grooves. It's not
unknown for the rubber bonding to break up, outer section makes a break for
freedom, and the belt goes where it shouldn't.

You were lucky that it only cost you a pulley, tensioner and belt.
It isn't unknown for engines to be destroyed due to alternator
belt/tensioner/crank pulley failure.
Jim Guthrie - 04 Sep 2008 16:16 GMT
>Are you sure the actual V part of the pulley was still there?
>
>The pulley is a torsional vibration damper, and is made up of a steel inner
>section, rubber bonded to the outer section with the V grooves. It's not
>unknown for the rubber bonding to break up, outer section makes a break for
>freedom, and the belt goes where it shouldn't.

I saw the old pulley and there was no sign of anything ressembling
rubber bonding - only a flat(ish) pollished steel surface.  So your
explanation would explain what has happened.  I haven't seen the
replacement pulley, since it is well hidden when installed, to see
what the working version is supposed to look like.    I had to drive
it for a few miles to get it home,  then get it back to the garage the
next day,  so the polished surface may have been caused by some of the
debris rubbing on what remained of the pulley

>You were lucky that it only cost you a pulley, tensioner and belt.
>It isn't unknown for engines to be destroyed due to alternator
>belt/tensioner/crank pulley failure.

The cam belt cover was smashed and one of the cam belt pulleys showed
signs of rubbing on one of its faces,  but the cam belt itself was
checked out and found to be OK.   The garage reckon I was luckjy to
still have a working engine.

Jim.
 
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