'96 D8 DT Battery Light On But Dim.

[DiscoPol]

Then I put both halves on the driveway and danced around the bolt's carcass shouting "hah, how'd you like that Mr Clever Bolt?". This is a true thing that genuinely happened.

Full on PMSL at that

[swiss]

Job's a good 'un. Everything is bolted back on the car, battery light is out, I just had a successful test drive and there was one nut left over after I tidied up. So all the boxes ticked, there.

@ Jasper: not exactly, there's the one bolt in the middle but at the top there a sort of plastic hub with a... well what's the opposite of a slot? Anyways, the belt's back on and the tension feels more or less as it was. The offending bolt, what a ridiculous situation. I got a replacement from the local hardware shop and just jammed it in from the other side. It grazed the oil filter but with a little persuasion via a hammer it slid right in. No idea how the original was in there, even if the engine was jacked up so it missed the PAS pipes it would have just struck the bulkhead behind them anyway.

Anyways, problem solved. Many thanks to everyone for advice, as always you guys rock. Do you suppose electrical suppliers would buy my dud unit? Seems a shame to just skip all that delicious copper.

[jasper5]

All's well that ends well

Well done

Take the old one to your local reconditioning place, they might buy your old unit, my mate who owns a reconditioning place always buys them.

[swiss]

Oh... bugger.

So don't laugh, but when I boxed the job back up I may have forgotten to re-torque the tensioner securing bolt. By the time I'd gotten to work it was squealing like a good'n and when I went to have a look today... the bolt was gone. Missing. Ne pas attached to the motor.

So methinks it vibrated out somewhere between here and work. Thus, I shall need a new one. Is it possible someone with SB access could find a part number (long shot I'm sure)? Or does anyone know off the top of their heads what size bolt this might be? Or is this going to be a scrappy with fingers crossed job?

Knew something like this was going to happen...

[steve_earwig]

I don't think yours has air con, so there's two bolts - 691307 SOCKET SCREW DIAM 8X125-25 Just in case I'm wrong, with air con has 1 bolt - 691399 SOCKET SCREW DIAM 10X150-40.

I think that translates as M8 1.25 pitch, 25mm long and M10, 1.5 pitch, 40mm long. Or the last number could be the blank bit without the thread...

[swiss]

I have no aircon but only one bolt. The upper 'bolt' seems to be some kind of plastic hub which I couldn't budge.

Thanks for the info there Steve, I'll go pick up the prescribed item tomorrow and try it out (if it stops raining).

[steve_earwig]

I presume the upper one is part of the tensioner roller

[swiss]

Fixed. 'Twas the M8 bolt, though the old boy at the shop couldn't tell me what the pitch on it was. Any case, it's in and the belt's not squealing after a good test drive. Thanks Stevie.

[steve_earwig]

Splendiferous

[swiss]

*BUMP*

Right, so it's all working as it should except the belt's squealing. Or at least something in the vicinity of the belt. It does go away after the car's warmed up, but I want it fixed as it sounded fine before my alternator swap (in other words I'm inclined to believe the pulleys, tensioner and whatnot are probably fine. Things like this are what make me a good engineer ).

Now while I was at the local Pug stealership getting my oil filter, I grabbed a proper replacement for the tensioner securing bolt. £1.38, figured I might as well have the correct part in there rather than a bog-standard bolt from Arkwright's.

Only problem is I can't get the squeal to go away. I've tightened it, slacked it, wound it right in and out to its limits and it's just not having it. I've managed to reduce the squeal but it won't go away. Can anybody suggest a course of action or is this going to require professional attention?

Ta

Tom

[teamster1975]

I hate to say this Tom, is there any chance you've got bearing squeal from your replacement alternator?

[swiss]

Well it's certainly possible. I mean it does sound like a slack belt but then for all I know the two problems produce the same noise.

So, how does the wise man differentiate between slack-beltitis and alternator bearingitis?

[Doggy]

Steffascope, or long screwdriver and great care

[teamster1975]

If you whip the belt off you may hear the squeal if you spin the alternator pulley by hand. I know I did on mine anyhow.

[swiss]

Right then, will have a tinker tomorrow. Got to build a fence today. Ta guys.