1999 Honda CR-V MK1 Drive belt problem

[Bl0ndie]

Greetings all!

I have an issue that's stumping me. I've replaced all the drive belts on my better half's car and the AC belt/Alternator belt keep jumping off. It was happening immediately, but yesterday I tried putting a little less tension on them and doing both at the same time, and it lasted about 10 minutes until they slipped off. Here's my findings/thoughts thus far:



The belt for the power steering (top left to smaller pulley) is fine as it sits separate.

The alternator belt (right hand side) and air con belt (lower left that runs around a 3rd manually adjusted tensioner pulley) both run around a hub that seems to be 'free floating' that I think is shifting as I tension them. With no tension on the belts, I can shift this hub in and out, and spin it round no problem, which in my mind makes it difficult to ensure that it's properly aligned.
Could it be that something rubber has deteriorated over the 25 years of life and that the 3 pulleys should actually be all fixed together?

Help. This was supposed to be a simple job and my partner has been without her car for too long now. My brownie points are quickly deteriorating.

[Scrump]

The hub that can spin round is that the large pulley wheel centre bottom of the pic?
That is the crankshaft pulley and should be rigidly mounted to the crankshaft, so you should not be able to turn it without also turning over the engine.

I have not worked on a CRV or indeed a late model Honda so maybe they have some arrangement I am not familiar with.

[E-bmw]

Scrump said:

The hub that can spin round is that the large pulley wheel centre bottom of the pic?
That is the crankshaft pulley and should be rigidly mounted to the crankshaft, so you should not be able to turn it without also turning over the engine.

^^^^ Wot 'e said.

The caveat being as stated above, that the "hub" you describe is the main pulley in the pic with both belts on it.

[Bl0ndie]

Thanks Scrump and E-BMW. Yeah all three belts run to the central hub on the crankshaft. It's like a 3-tiered wedding cake. The smallest pulley and the larger 2 seemed like they were 'separate' to each other. Looks like they should be attached and the rubber connecting them has perished.

Another expense on a car we weren't planning to keep for much longer

[E-bmw]

Bl0ndie said:

Thanks Scrump and E-BMW. Yeah all three belts run to the central hub on the crankshaft. It's like a 3-tiered wedding cake. The smallest pulley and the larger 2 seemed like they were 'separate' to each other. Looks like they should be attached and the rubber connecting them has perished.

Another expense on a car we weren't planning to keep for much longer

If you aren't planning to keep it, can it be welded up?

[Maxdecel]

Crank damper/pulley fail ? Something similar to this.

[Bl0ndie]

E-bmw said:

Bl0ndie said:

Thanks Scrump and E-BMW. Yeah all three belts run to the central hub on the crankshaft. It's like a 3-tiered wedding cake. The smallest pulley and the larger 2 seemed like they were 'separate' to each other. Looks like they should be attached and the rubber connecting them has perished.

Another expense on a car we weren't planning to keep for much longer

If you aren't planning to keep it, can it be welded up?

You devious sonofagun! I was going to try and find a scrappers to avoid paying £70 for a new part, but I'm fairly certain my sister has an arc welder stashed away somewhere that could do the job. Good thinking.

[Bl0ndie]

Maxdecel said:

Crank damper/pulley fail ? Something similar to this.

That is exactly what's happened yeah. Because it had come fully off, I just assumed it was designed that way. If it had been partially torn I'd have probably put 2 and 2 together.

[E-bmw]

Bl0ndie said:

E-bmw said:

Bl0ndie said:

Thanks Scrump and E-BMW. Yeah all three belts run to the central hub on the crankshaft. It's like a 3-tiered wedding cake. The smallest pulley and the larger 2 seemed like they were 'separate' to each other. Looks like they should be attached and the rubber connecting them has perished.

Another expense on a car we weren't planning to keep for much longer

If you aren't planning to keep it, can it be welded up?

You devious sonofagun! I was going to try and find a scrappers to avoid paying £70 for a new part, but I'm fairly certain my sister has an arc welder stashed away somewhere that could do the job. Good thinking.

Your sister has an arc welder!

You need to introduce me!

[richhead]

I wouldnt weld it, firstly you may not be able to weld it so it doesnt run out of true, making the belt jumping off problem worse, also the rubber bit works as a mass damper, so is important. see if you can get a second hand one.

[TwinKam]

richhead said:

I wouldnt weld it, firstly you may not be able to weld it so it doesnt run out of true, making the belt jumping off problem worse, also the rubber bit works as a mass damper, so is important. see if you can get a second hand one.

This ^^^ absolutely. You're not trying to get yourself out of the desert, not the time or place for that type of desperate bodge.