reggie Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 I started having an annoying belt squeal that's got worse over the last 6 months. It was ok until I jet washed the engine so I just thought I must have dried out the bearing a little. I tried a little spray grease which sorted it for a short while. I then noticed that it wasn't the bearings but the actual belt. If you misted it with water or anything else for that matter the squeal would stop but then return after it dried off. I then tried some belt stop squeal which seemed to do the trick....................but no! The squeal started to return gradually, then on further inspection I noticed a split going through the belt but not across it, just in one place. So that's that, now needs replacing. I've looked on eBay etc and found loads of belts but also read a few stories on the net how certain belts don't fit right. So what I want to know is, can I buy an aftermarket belt that is known to fit with no issues? Also how hard is this job to do, can it be done quite easy on the drive or is it a ball ache that could make me immobile for a short time? I only have the one vehicle so need to plan it so I'm not off the road too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Gates and Dayco are good. Draw a sketch of the route the belt takes, release the tensioner and remove/ replace. There's not much of a gap so it's a bit fiddly. Les Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reggie Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 Gates and Dayco are good. Draw a sketch of the route the belt takes, release the tensioner and remove/ replace. There's not much of a gap so it's a bit fiddly. Les Thanks Les, I'll do that with the sketch. Any idea the best place to get one of those belts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Any motor factors should have one on the shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reggie Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 Got one for £22 and did it in about 10 mins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 Hi, The main thing is to make sure the back of the belt is not one of the smooth finished ones. OE has a slightly rough finish to grip better. As it's probably going to be on for another 80k I'd buy LR Griff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 TD5 belts last a long time,so if it started squealing 6 months ago I would have a careful look at the belt tensioner,see if its worn and running out of line. Gates spent millions of dollars in the US researching belt squeal on multivee type belts and concluded that poor alignment was the main cause. 300TDI tensioners often had a penny shoved under one side to cure noise because the tensioner was worn. Gates,Dayco and Continental are all good brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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