Last year I fitted a new belt to my T1 1600 engine, when I fitted it, I had to take all the shims out of the middle to get the tension right. Now the belt is slipping. Where is the best place to get the correct one, my engine has an alternator fitted.
There are 911mm belts and 900mm belts, from VW aircooled suppliers; in fact there are suitable V belts in many sizes in increments of13mm length on eBay for instance. My aluminum crank pulley wants a 900mm belt, a steel crank pulley wanted 911mm belt.
And the thing that confused me was they give 2 lengths, inner and outer, and working out which was the correct dimension gave me headaches. I have several that are too long as a result. The hardware eating (fanbelt/shims/ upper pulley/ Woodruff key and slot/ alternator bearing/ carburettor fuel needle valve) tendency of my engine turned out to be an off balance fan.. Now everything is quieter, the fan came with the bus 14 years ago so I was just used to the noises... Now it has been on 4 then 3 shims with a 900mm fanbelt for months, only needing one shim taken out eventually as the belt wore.
I have used a length of orange bailer twine as the alternator belt of a 1980 Ford Fiesta back in about 1986 to get home with the light off. I left just enough to keep the farm gate shut, which was where I stole it from. Said gate is probably now buried under housing between Horsham and Crawley.
I do like simple fixes. Alternator goes on my sprinter, you have about 3 1/2 miles before all the warning lights start flashing. Then it goes about another half a mile before it dies. It has a 200amp alternator and its needed.
