RenofHeavens

Last night I was taking my new girl out and on my way to the gas station I started hearing a wierd clanky, grinding noise coming from the engine bay. I stopped and looked under the hood noticing nothing out of the ordinary. So I drive the 2 miles back to my APT to switch to my Honda DD. I then took a flashlight and got a closer look and saw the horror you are about to see below.

What could have caused this?

The only thing I can think of is that my alternator had not been keeping voltage. I noticed the belt was kind of loose(I could push it about an inch and a half) so I tightened it up. Then after driving the car about 20 miles last night this noise occured. I didn't think the belts were too tight, but could that have caused this? The engine was recently rebuild(nearly 1000 miles on her), could a loose pulley cause this? The alternator is going dead because the tightened belts only helped a slight bit. I snapped a pic of my pushing on the belt, are they too tight?

Looks like I need a new pulley and I'll have to re-tap a stud/bolt hole or two.

Anyone have an extra S5 TII WP pulley lying around?


Thanks fellas,

Mitch

88t2romad

only thing i could think of to cause that would be lose pulley bolts, and after a while the pulley just broke.

P.S. Sell me your wheels

RylAssassin

The other way to test that belt tension is turning the belt. It should be able to be turned about half way.
If you ask me it definitely looks like that pulley was stressed too much with both belts on it. The belts also look a little tight. Its really the only thing that could have caused it to crack like that. Also consider that that pulley looks original and its what about 20 years old? Metal like that can just simply get weak over time

RenofHeavens

Well, I was able to turn the belts 180 degrees. I will try and find a new pulley, alternator, and loosed the belts a hair.

I NEED A PULLEY!!!

bradenscreed

didnt look too tight to me, id say loose bolts, once they are loose they tend to torque against the metal and SNAP.

1990RXHeaven

a bit off topic but where can i get replacement tension/place holder screws for my pulleys? You know, the long ones with threading all the way down to adjust the pully height. I forgot to loosen the pulley main bolt and accidentally twisted the head off the old tension screw.

RenofHeavens

Hmm, I don't know..Maybe the board, even though that would be a bitch to find. Maybe Kevin Lander's has some lying around, shoot him a pm he might, if he's not too busy, be able to send some your way.

drago86

looks like the waterpump froze up and then the pully got destroyed because the belts were still turning it.

RenofHeavens

It froze up as in stopped working? Wouldn't my car have overheating issues then? My coolant resevoir is still at the Full Level...

matts86fc3s

dude...


WHAT THE F*? lol that sucks. im with drago86. i bet it just locked up when your heard the clunk/ grinding sounds. it shouldnt overheat driving 2 miles back to your apt.

cdaleracer669

iTrader: (1)

junkyard is a good place to get those hard to get parts

project 88 gxl

iTrader: (19)

uhhhh... too bad there aren't any junkyards with 7's in them. they're gone the next day after they get there.

RenofHeavens

Well, how can I tell the waterpump is locked up for sure?

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Try to turn the pump by hand. I bet you will find that it is locked, or very very loose.

RenofHeavens

Okay, will do, tomorrow I am going to take the pulley off and see if the water pump spins freely. How loose is too loose Aaron?

Thanks,

Mitch

Alex6969

wow that made my ***** hurt, i would thing w/ it being destroyed like that it would overheated

FC3S Murray

iTrader: (7)

Hey man that sucks. I am currently swapin engines and I have a spare pulley. Give me your address and I will ship it for free. Always willing to help a 7 owner when something that shitty happens.

RenofHeavens

Don't make me freak out now!

On a a side note, if I push on the waterpump piece that bolts to the pull, it spins and brings the pulley with it. I didn't take off the pulley yet, but I was grabbing the part that is connected to the WP and it wasn't "locked". Would that mean my WP isn't locked?

Mitch

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

sounds like your bolts were loose like everyone mentioned but that pulley probably damaged the bearings on the water pump, keep some money in the bank for a possible new pump because if it isn't bad now i'm willing to bet it won't last long.

RenofHeavens

err, but when a pump goes bad does it **** out and cause major overheating problems? If so, I don't wanna even test it, and might as well get another unit. I got a hefty bank account at the moment so I can spend the 102.00 for a new WP is necessary.

Tech_Greek

Not hooker loose, but then again, not virgin tight either?

haha, you'll know right away if it's screwed up but yeah replace the water pump while you've got the chance as the bearings are more than likely skewed.

SureShot

Some time in the past the pulley was run with the bolts loose.
Just replace the pulley, & check the pump bearing & seal.

RETed

The belt deflection looks about right.
Normal for V-belts is 1/4" to 1/2" of deflection, so it's not on too tight.
I agree that the water pump seized, and that caused the pulley to shear itself.
Nasty failure, and I'm glad you didn't overheat and kill your engine!
Hope you and your new girl the best of luck!


-Ted

SureShot

Some time in the past the pulley was run with the bolts loose.
Just replace the pulley, & check the pump bearing & seal.

RenofHeavens

How do I check the seal?
I just pulled the pulley and took a video of my turning the waterpump.
Its 2.2mb because I don't have anything to edit quicktime videos
Here's the link to download it:

waterpump.mov