UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

hi all, bit of a newbie, so thought i'd introduce meself...so hi!

i've got a 1991 GT but i need to change the fan belt on it, and the price VW quoted for providing the parts, changing it and sorting one or two other bits (heater matrix and a new coolant resivior cap) totaled over £200....and being a broke ass student cant really afford it!plus i also managed to sort out the heater matrix myself this afternoon in 15 minutes! so anywhoo, how'd i go about changing it? i.e how long, whats involved and what tools do i need?

any help is much appreciated,

cheers, john

There is no fan belts on a GT mk3 polo,

what exactly are the symptoms?

Dave

oh...

well the symptoms were that one night on my way back from work, while pulling away from a roundabout the car just died, completly. No drive, no response from the ignition or anything...rang the RAC who came out and said "oh i can see the problem...snapped fan belt", ill change it for you but this isnt the right size, and you need to fit the correct size when you get the chance."

Having been busy working and being at uni before crimbo, i never got round to ordering the part, so my dad got me one for crimbo as a bit of a joke present...

im gonna fit it soon, and was just wondering what was required, but now im uber confused if the MK3 doesnt have one....what did the RAC guy change then?? help!! lol

It's the alternater belt. Nice and easy to fit. There's an adjuster underneath the alternater that you need to slack off and pull off the old belt, fit the one the right size and tighten it up again.

I'd be slightly concerned though, the alternator drive belt snapping shouldn't result in the car dying completely, it'd just mean the alternator would stop charging, and unless you ran the car for quite a while with the belt gone (and therefore the red ignition light on) it shouldn't just stop.

Unless the Polo has some sort of safety cut out that when the alternator stops charging it cuts the ignition circuit or something?

It could quite easily cut out after a while if the poor lad hadnt realised his belt had snapped.

Doesnt take long for a runing engine to drain the battery if the alternator aint charging it!!!

Yeah wouldnt take long, especially if the lights are on, wipers, heater, rear screen, radio etc, especially in the weather we are having.

Would drain pretty quick if battery wasnt in good condition.

hmmm, yeah, maybe an hour or so, but the alternator warning light would be on straight away, did you notice the red light with the battery symbol next to it coming on at any point chief86c?

Just going by experience of these things, we managed to drive a 6.65L Alvis Salamander (the motor behind the Mini)



back from north of Lincoln, to Derby (about 65 miles), at night, on just two normal car batteries (24V system), as the dynamo had packed up.

Obviously if chief86c hadn't noticed the light (or the LED is damaged?) then it could flatten the battery and cut out....

6.65L Alvis Salamander (the motor behind the Mini)

6.65l? imagine putting that engine into a polo.......... it would fly....... literally.

It's more likely just collapse under the weight.

IIRC, they're diesels aren't they? So much less battery drain in normal running - once it's glowed, you just need to keep the cutoff valve open right?

nope, 6.65L Rolls Royce straight-8 petrol. Nice big military dizzy with huge shielded plugs and leads. Big sealed beam headlamps and sidelights, lots of unswitchable interior lighting too....

Anyway, I digress!!

Maybe the alternator warning lamp is faulty.....or maybe the alternator belt isn't the only problem

^
I disagree.

The polo fan belts snap all the time, you will get about 15/20 minutes of life with a new bosch battery. My old mk2 needed a new belt a number of times before I changed the alternator.

An older battery will get you less, the more elctrics in use at the time will also get you less so it is quite possible that within a few minutes of the belt snapping the car could stall.

To put a new belt on go to the local dealers or halfords and get one suitable for a 1272 polo 1991-1994. If you look at the alternator there is a pulley on one side that the belt goes on, look on the block there will be another pulley that the belt will need to fit onto.

You will notice that the belt will not fit over the two pulleys, do not panic at this point, the alternator will need to be adjusted, there are two bolts that will need to be loosened, one on the top and one on the bottom, just loosen them, don't remove them, the top one is annoying to put back in.

You should be able to swing the alternator around in a slight arc from the front to the block. Swing it towards the block and slip the belt onto the pulleys, IIRC this can be quite fiddly and may require some perseverance. Once the belt is on swing the alternator back up to apply the tension on the belt. It should not be too tight but not slack either. You should be able to feel some give when you press your finger onto the belt. Tighten up the bottom alternator bolt and then the top one.

You will need either a 13 or 15 mm spanner (can't remember which), and equivelant socket and rachet to loosen the two bolts.

Check the Haynes manual and have it to hand to check before you attempt this task. It isn't a difficult task but it can be annoying.