alternator pulley

[Maccad40]

Hi All

My alternator pulley decided the other day that it would start squealing on start up and while cold with revs below 1k.

1st . Should i replace the pulley or does any one have any idea on how to stop it squealing

2nd . I just had a look in the end of the pulley with a eye hole camera it is a 33 spline type but there is no 17 mm hex in the centre there is just a 5 mm round indent like a allen key hole. Is this a cover or does this mean i have a fixed pulley and if i do need to replace it does that mean i need a hole new alternator.

Cheers
d40 2010 king cab thailand

 

[Oldie]

I have had my belts squeal in cold weather but once warmed up, no probs.
1. it could be cold weather
2. it could just be needing a new belt
3. a metal pulley will last longer than a poxy made belt (unless Nissan make weak pulleys)

As for your second point, I don't know but I'm sure one of the guys here will tell ya.

Cheers

 

[Farmer Joe]

I'm not sure about the D40, but my D22 had a clutch pulley on it and the clutch shat itself, so I replaced it with a direct drive pulley with no problems.

 

[Maccad40]

thanks guys
but it got to 43 degrees here today and it still squealed for a about 10 secs then stopped.

and as for the alternator pulley i'll put up a picture and see if any one has ideas on how to get it off or if it is possible at all

 

[Maccad40]

picture of my alternator from the from

it looks like you can't get it off would i be right?

 

[Old.Tony]

Oh the pulley comes off, absoutely. I know this for certain: my alternator's pulley FELL off. Replaced the alternator. I still have the old one, ready for me to weld the pulley into place and connect to a wind turbine. Or a bicycle. Or a human-sized hamster wheel, which I'll let TWO people use at once: any normal bloke who wants to lose a few kilos, and Boy George running in behind him.

 

[Farmer Joe]

Jam a bolt in the front of the pulley and tack it with welder, then rattle it off with a rattle gun. New pulleys are available on ebay.

 

[Maccad40]

but what is holding on the old pully. can i get it off without pulling the alternator out.

and old tony i have no doubt it could fall off but i would like to be able to replace the pulley not the hole radiator

 

[Farmer Joe]

I think it would be easier to pull the alternator out and do it on the bench. The pulley is threaded and screwed onto the shaft, as the motor turns it it tightens the pulley, that's why you need a rattle gun to crack it.

 

[Maccad40]

oh ok so does that mean the 6mm hole in the middle of the pulley is the end of the shaft on the alternator? so then when the new pulley is fitted there is no way to fully tighten the pulley back onto the alternator because the way you tighten it it will spin on the clutch.

 

[Farmer Joe]

yes that is right, the pulley screws onto the shaft. It doesn't need to be super tight because of the direction of the motor will tighten it, not undo it. Not sure how Old Tony managed to get his to fall off!!

 

[Old.Tony]

I didn't try hard at all, Joe! Maybe having the caravan hooked up a lot (and driving a lot at night) did it - 2x130W driving lights, 1x120W light bar - there's 30A just in lights. The fridge draws about 40A when it's running (it's on inverted 240V so it doesn't draw power all the time) so 70A just in "extras". Actually, add another say 5A for the tub. It's at the upper edge of cruise-speed power production for the alternator.

 

[Farmer Joe]

I wasn't having a crack at you Tony, I'm just unsure how the pulley can unscrew backwards when the engine is turning it forwards! You would think the harder the alternator works, the tighter the pulley would be.

 

[Old.Tony]

Oh I wasn't thinking you were having a crack at me at all. I'm serious about the pulley - the bloody thing just fell off! It would make more noise when I turned on my lights, so that was the pulley dragging on the alternator shaft. The only thing holding it in place was a nicely tightened belt. If it had worn much more it wouldn't have been there.

I still have it. The inner visible face of the pulley is smooth (now). So's the end of the alternator shaft. I don't know - it might have been a threaded area once, but several million revolutions with a belt holding it firmly and the alternator dragging away like Cheech on a reefer and the thing's as smooth as a mirror after Meatloaf has left the building.

 

[ericcs]

there's a couple of holes in the alternator housing where you can drop a short 6mm bolt into to lock the shaft. you can then tighten the nut to the correct torque figure.

 

[jko488]

Monday mine fell off on the way to work, the sprag bearing crapped itself and just fell. Hopefully I'ii have it all back together sunday. Nearly upgraded to alt to a 130A instead of the 100A

 

[Aaron31]

Hi all - I did this on the weekend - 2009 D40 VSK STX - so the spline pulley.

I left it in place and did it in about 40 mins - the longest part was working out why the tensioner wouldnt come up - until I loosened the nut on the bearing itself...............

Possibly a big sin, but I put an allen key into a hole on the front of the housing when I noticed that the rotating member inside, seemed to have a corresponding spot. Undid the spline (which I hosed down with WD40 the week before) (and with a standard spanner) and done.

I also made a point of measuring how far the tensioner was pushed down and made sure it went back into the same spot.

From there, promptly shut the bonnet and went up to big river and over the top to Woods Point for a couple of nights - all good.


Aaron