trainspotter Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 I know the old WD40 will remove all the carp from the alternator pulleys etc. but does it affect the rubber belts, i.e break down the rubber chemically! The reason I ask this is because everytime I take it offroad the pulleys get covered in mud and when it hardens it gets polished smooth to make a sort of coating on the pulley and then they start squealing. The only way to stop it is to take the belts off and clean the pulleys with white spirit and then hot water. The spirit gets rid of the deposits of rubber from the pulley and the hot water gets rid of the mud. However this is quite time consuming to say the least. What about a good drenching with gunk and then a wash off? Regards Trainspotter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 Assuming a 300Tdi with serpentine belt? If you get WD40 on the belts I can tell you it WILL squeal like hell because it was one of the 1,138 things I have tried over the years to stop belts squealing (and 1,137 of them made it worse!) In the long term it might affect the rubber but I doubt whether it would be too serious - you'd chuck them away because of the noise first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siggy Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 At work we used to use some sprays that where the equivalent of the WD40 and the caused problems with the cable sheething however I believe it's down to rubber compounds as to whether it'll effect it over time... ask landrover if the have a cossh assesment of the effect of wd40 on rubber belts and also the makers of wd40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Marshall Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 Best stuff to use on slipping belts is graphite powder, like you use on sticking mortice locks. Using WD40 will kill the squeal for 10 minutes then it will come back far worse as it leaves a fine hard and shiny deposit as it gets heated up and polished by the belt. You can buy a dedicated anti-slip spray from agricultural merchants, used on grain driers, conveyors etc - no idea what's in it. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gelf Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 i cannot believe that people are saying bad things about WD40..... its liquid gold. un-doer of nuts...... starter of petrol engines it a god Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 Surely pointing the hose at the pulleys will remove the carp? That or perhaps holding a small stiff wire brush against the pulley with the motor running (carefully obviously!) Lubricating the belts is not a fantasic idea IMHO as they're designed to GRIP not SLIP - you wouldn't use WD40 to clean crud off your brake pads would you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landi41 Posted October 23, 2005 Share Posted October 23, 2005 i cannot believe that people are saying bad things about WD40..... its liquid gold. un-doer of nuts...... starter of petrol engines it a god My dear Sister has a rather new Buick and one afternoon she drove into my yard......... The serpentine belt was making a "hell a va" noise.......... I said Sis, i'll fix that !! ,....... pop the hood....... (bonnet in UK speak) Anyway she opens the hood and while the engine was running on idle i liberally sprayed WD 40 on the serpintine belt.............. Ker $uckin BLAM it goes and immediately threw itself off of the pulleys................. What have you gone and done now to my car she asks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 The stuff you can buy to make belts grip better is generally called Belt Dressing. It is essentially just spray glue. Makes one hell of a mess, makes everything sticky and although the belts will transmit more power - they will squeal louder than ever! I have found rubbing the sides of the belt with a bar of soap helps. Graphite powder is good too. Both of these will reduce the power transferred which may cause other problems though. Ultimatly the solution is to adjust the tension in the belt or change the belt or even pulleys (as squealing, on V belts at least is often a sign of wear). Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 I thought there was a "proper" rubber belt renewing substance you could buy? Mind you, while you're buying things why not just buy a new belt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Fridge There is - that belt dressing - but if you thought you had heard a noisy belt you ain't heard nothing until you spray some of that stuff on! I bought a can a few years ago, and 10 minutes after using it I had to buy a new belt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonb Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Take the belt off and check there is no grit trapped in the grooves. It tends to sink into the rubber, and these "hard bits" then cause the belt to squeal. Found this out on mine after it started squealing, picked/brushed the grit out, refitted the belt and it was fine. Make sure the pulleys and grooves are clean as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FITZ Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 This is good. http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?brochure=1026 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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