How long will a diesel run with no alternator... a quandry?
Discussion
...AKA 'least worst way out of another Renault problem'
Daily snotter Laguna 2.2 has decided to break it's auxiliary belt crank pulley - typical harmonic damper failure with the belt track and body doing their own things. It's at home, I have the new pulley and belt but the centre bolt refuses to budge with big hand tools (and big hands). Have a mate who has the kit to move it but need to get the car the 30 miles there.
Belt still intact, I drove it (gingerly) home about 10 miles after the thing let go last night. Lots of ominous clattering (metal halves of pulley fretting together but no signs of peripheral damage anywhere and nothing being contacted that shouldn't be)
Options as I see them:
Buy a 'leccie rattle gun and hope that will move the bugger so I can sort at home (not convinced anything short of mega-bucks pro kit will stand a chance) - not attractive; I don't really need the tool and it will probably just go on the shelf with a load of other largely unused kit after failing to do the job. The money would be better invested elsewhere (different daily snotter perhaps).
Drive it (even more gingerly) to mate's workshop as is, stopping regularly to make sure the belt is hanging in there - if it lets go there's a good chance of damage to timing belt behind it and/or other soft components nearby. Belt seems pretty unscathed so far but I doubt much warning will be given.
Drive it (less gingerly but still cautiously) after cutting belt - much less chance of catastrophic damage but no PAS and no charging (hence title) - no idea whether a charged battery will see me 30 miles/an hour up the road if I keep everything I can off.
Discuss....
Yeah I could have it recovered but where's the fun in that?
Daily snotter Laguna 2.2 has decided to break it's auxiliary belt crank pulley - typical harmonic damper failure with the belt track and body doing their own things. It's at home, I have the new pulley and belt but the centre bolt refuses to budge with big hand tools (and big hands). Have a mate who has the kit to move it but need to get the car the 30 miles there.
Belt still intact, I drove it (gingerly) home about 10 miles after the thing let go last night. Lots of ominous clattering (metal halves of pulley fretting together but no signs of peripheral damage anywhere and nothing being contacted that shouldn't be)
Options as I see them:
Buy a 'leccie rattle gun and hope that will move the bugger so I can sort at home (not convinced anything short of mega-bucks pro kit will stand a chance) - not attractive; I don't really need the tool and it will probably just go on the shelf with a load of other largely unused kit after failing to do the job. The money would be better invested elsewhere (different daily snotter perhaps).
Drive it (even more gingerly) to mate's workshop as is, stopping regularly to make sure the belt is hanging in there - if it lets go there's a good chance of damage to timing belt behind it and/or other soft components nearby. Belt seems pretty unscathed so far but I doubt much warning will be given.
Drive it (less gingerly but still cautiously) after cutting belt - much less chance of catastrophic damage but no PAS and no charging (hence title) - no idea whether a charged battery will see me 30 miles/an hour up the road if I keep everything I can off.
Discuss....
Yeah I could have it recovered but where's the fun in that?
Thanks for comments - plan is to set off with the belt intact and trust that if/when the charging light tells me it has given in, I can kill the engine and pull in before it takes anything else out. Will take a Stanley and then try another leg after cutting/removing the belt (recovery as the fall-back).
Reason for not just taking the belt off immediately is I reckon that's probably all that is holding the track part of the pulley in place... as long as loadings are kept light by not using big throttle,electric or steering inputs, I'm hoping the belt will stay in place and keep the pulley in-line where it's not going to clout anything. If I just chop the belt, I suspect the pulley will wander further inboard where it's not wanted (it can't escape outwards). Although the pulley parts are jangling away merrily when its running, the belt is not jumping around or bouncing so we'll see...
Reason for not just taking the belt off immediately is I reckon that's probably all that is holding the track part of the pulley in place... as long as loadings are kept light by not using big throttle,electric or steering inputs, I'm hoping the belt will stay in place and keep the pulley in-line where it's not going to clout anything. If I just chop the belt, I suspect the pulley will wander further inboard where it's not wanted (it can't escape outwards). Although the pulley parts are jangling away merrily when its running, the belt is not jumping around or bouncing so we'll see...
Ok, did it with the belt in place and it got me there still charging and belt still intact (remarkably unscathed in fact, at least visibly). For (short) spells it was even quiet - which was actually more worrying than the clattering. Very gentle inputs and low revs/speeds.
With the pulley off, there are witness marks on the rear of the inner (the belt drive part) that show it had moved around sufficiently to contact the engine cover (there was no damage to the cover however). The inner had completely sheared away from the front plate (the crank driven part). I was entirely satisfied there was no way the thing could get free of the engine (the front plate is very solidly made and the inner is retained by it); else would never have attempted it. I think I have been fortunate it has not gone back and damaged the motor (once sheared there is nothing to prevent this except the belt locating it). In those terms, it seems I made the right call as I think cutting the belt would have hastened disaster.
It's the first time I have broken a harmonic damper pulley - well worth looking at one to see what horrible things they are...
With the pulley off, there are witness marks on the rear of the inner (the belt drive part) that show it had moved around sufficiently to contact the engine cover (there was no damage to the cover however). The inner had completely sheared away from the front plate (the crank driven part). I was entirely satisfied there was no way the thing could get free of the engine (the front plate is very solidly made and the inner is retained by it); else would never have attempted it. I think I have been fortunate it has not gone back and damaged the motor (once sheared there is nothing to prevent this except the belt locating it). In those terms, it seems I made the right call as I think cutting the belt would have hastened disaster.
It's the first time I have broken a harmonic damper pulley - well worth looking at one to see what horrible things they are...
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