Belt keeps breaking. HELP!!

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 12:02 pm

The belt from the HP Pump to the cam shaft pulley has broken 3 times in a hundred or so miles! What do i look for? Im not overtightening it, it doesnt slip, it just keeps fooking well breaking!!
Advice please
Chris

JayW · Post by **JayW** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 12:06 pm

That IS very odd! Only 3 real possibilities:

Drag on the pump (pump knackered)

Overtightening (are you sure?)

Poor alignment (are the pump and pulley correctly aligned?)

It's also worth inspecting the broken belts to identify HOW they're breaking. Are they chaffing or being over-stressed?

Way2go · Post by **Way2go** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:39 pm

Although what Jay posts are possibles, I would be surprised if that could cause breakage within such a short distance. Are these belts of the correct quality and have they been properly stored?

For example if they have been badly stored or are flood-damaged stock, then the reinforcing cords could be rotten?

citsncycles · Post by **citsncycles** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 8:23 pm

Check the edges of the pulleys for signs of damage, as a belt pinched that way can go in a few hundred miles. Also check the pulleys are straight on the shafts - if one's out of true you may be lucky and it's the pulley not the shaft that's bent. I had a Lomax that shredded alternator belts in a few hundred miles which turned out to have a bent crank

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:27 am

Right........ The pulleys are in fine condition and line up. I,ve changed the pump with another one i have knocking about still the same, my mechanic pal reckons it could be the Flow diversion valve causing the problem? Any thoughts on that one? What i did forget to say in the 1st posting, the steering is a bit stiff at times, worse when turning right hand down.

JayW · Post by **JayW** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:44 pm

It's possible the filter in the FDV has become blocked and therefor not letting the LHM from the pump in. This would cause drag on the pump essentially making it go stiff (as i don't believe the pump itself has a PRV).

Cleaning out the FDV is relatively easy but it'll need to be off ther car.

thorter · Post by **thorter** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 8:29 pm

Is accumulator sphere OK?

Fred

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:03 pm

Fred,
Put a new accumulator sphere on this afternoon, still the same result im afraid.

Oilyspanner · Post by **Oilyspanner** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:32 pm

How is the car behaving otherwise ? does everything hydraulic work as it should ? Is the pressure regulator ticking occasionally ? citaerobics work okay? power steering ?

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:50 pm

Oilyspanner. PM sent
Cheers

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:57 am

have you studied the brocken belts if so did they snap, chaff through inside or on there outter surface,

maybe if the later there is something touching the belt,

or are you pinching the belt on fitting were it goes over the bottom of the pump pulley,

regards malcolm

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:31 am

Accumulator is fine. The pumps fine, the belts were all fine. So its got to be the FWD or the pressure regulator? Surely cant be anything else?

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:44 am

This sounds very strange indeed. I'm baffled as to how it could be related to a fault somewhere on the hydraulic system. My BX has several faults on the hydraulic system (including an accumulator/regulator issue that makes the pump run more often than it should) but nothing has made it snap belts.

citroen7 · Post by **citroen7** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:59 am

JayW wrote:It's possible the filter in the FDV has become blocked and therefor not letting the LHM from the pump in. This would cause drag on the pump essentially making it go stiff (as i don't believe the pump itself has a PRV).

Cleaning out the FDV is relatively easy but it'll need to be off ther car.

as jay says this happenened to me on my estate that had been laid up prior to my purchase i got a spare fdv from the scrapyard (that shows how long ago that was!) and then bought a refurb kit fot the original unit ,it was full of black gunk and bits of rubber in the filters

Oilyspanner · Post by **Oilyspanner** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:46 pm

abbott wrote:Oilyspanner. PM sent
Cheers

Nothing received ?
I have a few FDVs in the pile if needed