Dust from fan belts....

[Neal]

OK, to be pedantic, I mean dust from altenator and water pump drive belts.

Why do mine keep making such a dusty black mess? How can it be stopped?

Ta for any ideas.

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[snowleopard]

i had that trouble and finally tracked it down to rust on the pulleys. after polishing with fine emery the problem went away.

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[colvic]

I had the same problem and it turned out to be a very slight misalignment of the alternator in relation to the two pulleys on the engine. A straight edge across the top pulley, the one nearest the alternator, and over to the alternator should indicate whether the grooves are all in line. Mine was less than 1/2mm out but left a band of black dust right round the engine compartment and under the access hatch.


Phil

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[duncan]

On my Yanmar (4LH) I get it from the back of the belt rubbing on a smooth lug/casting on the engine casing - tension doesn't seem to come into it it just touches on the engine coming down in revs -

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[alanporter]

The pulleys are not properly aligned. To correct this you need to put a shim of appropriate thickness behind the pulley that stands furthest back.

<hr width=100% size=1>Alan Porter

 

[LadyInBed]

This is a problem that I have also been living with. I thought it was due to a long belt and vibration causing excessive slippage.

I now have a couple of other things to chech - Cheers!

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[Avocet]

I think all belt drives do this to a certain extent, it's just that the dust gets blown away on cars but can't go anywhere on boats. I had terrible problems with my alternator drive and this was just due to my home-made arrangement asking too much of the belt (very small pulley on the alternator, very big pulley on engine). I'm trying a toothed belt this season but haven't done enough hours to see how it works...

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[Heckler]

the definitive answer

its caused by the belt and pulleys wearing away, the pulley drives the belt by the friction from the side of the pulley to the belt, when the pulley and belt wears you tighten the belt and it then bottoms on the pulley bottom, it then cannot transmit the power thru the side and wears more and compounds the problem, solution 1 is to change the belt, if the prob continues change the pulleys. the alignment probs referred to can also cause the prob but the question has to be asked, why are they out of line? if it is a std manufacturers setup it shouldnt be out of line or need shimming and that is not the answer
stu

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[BrendanS]

Re: the definitive answer

Hmm! Doesn't sound like it's possible on my set up. Are you talking about V shaped pulleys and belt. My pulleys have several grooves in them (around circumference, not tooths), and belt has similar shapes in it. Like several V's, but lots of the belt runs on the flat, probably to get around exactly this problem?

<hr width=100% size=1>Err, let me know if Depsol enters the forum, I'll go and hide

 

[snowleopard]

Re: the definitive answer

you have a multi-V belt, designed to transmit more power through a single belt. i have that arrangement on my lathe and it's still on the original belt 10 years later. i expect misalignment would chew it up v quickly.

the issue of rust on the pulleys will re-surface every spring so it's worth checking before you run the engine after the lay-up

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[colvic]

Re: the definitive answer

How come I can do over quarter of a million miles in a diesel engined car and neither the belt or the pulley wears away? Never ever heard of a pulley wearing away, especially when it is correctly aligned.


Phil

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[snowleopard]

Re: the definitive answer

you don't leave your car engine idle for months at a time in a damp environment so rust never gets a chance to form on the pulleys. they don't wear away but make the surface rough so the belt wears.

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[colvic]

Re: the definitive answer

Come and look at the pulleys on the 20 year old BMC 1.5. Any rust or wear and the drinks are on me!

Mind you, the pulley off the crankcase weighs a few kilos by all accounts.

The car sits for months on end in the UK while we enjoy the Med, so it dos stand idle. Must be that Dorsprungtork whatever.

Phil

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[Heckler]

Re: the definitive answer

single v or mutiple v the idea is the same, they all drive on the side of the v, if they are bottoming, the pulleys and or belts are worn.
stu

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[pvb]

One thing which does help...

One thing which does help to minimise black dust is to buy the best quality belts you can find. Gates belts have a good reputation.

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[Allan Mclaine]

Do not use brake cleaner on any painted area. It will strip the paint

 

[PetiteFleur]

I always use Gates belts, the Cogged Raw Edge belts which transmits more horse power than a standard vee belt which I fitted to my last boat, a 19hp Perkins but my current boat has a multi-vee belt which has lasted 14 years. I did replace it last year but that's another story... They must be tensioned correctly though.

 

[MoodySabre]

Do not use brake cleaner on any painted area. It will strip the paint

Your advice is 19 years too late!

 

[LadyInBed]

Your advice is 19 years too late!

Their's nothing like a blast from the past!
All those, now lost, contributers

 

[MoodySabre]

Their's nothing like a blast from the past!
All those, now lost, contributers ☹

Exactly my thought when I saw Snowleopard.