ozzie1989 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Did a yearly service on the Defender today consisting of all oils, filters, rear shock absorber bushes (that was fun), lots of greasing and changing the drive belt. Easy - or so I thought! It has a tensioner, oh it will be just like the Ford take the tension off, belt goes floppy, slip off the old belt and slip on the new - oh no! Undid the tensioner as far as it would let me, only just about managed to slip the old belt off. Offered up new belt which appears roughly the same when off the vehicle and it won't go anywhere near it... it's like I need another inch or so! God forbid if I'd have tried to do it with the fan still on! I have already checked the part number stamped into the belt and it is for a TD5 with Air Con (no ACE of course) suitable for a Defender 04 which matches my vehicle perfectly. Before I go off into my "why can't this be as easy as our Ford" rant - are there any tricks, anything I need to know? Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLineMike Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 in the past i have found the belt to be pretty tight to go on, i have in the past needed a helping hand to be able to get the belt slipped on whilst holding the tensioner at its max, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Obvious question is have you got the routing over the pulleys right? It's a surprisingly common mistake to try and put it on routing in the wrong order! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzie1989 Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Guys thanks! Yes routing is correct! I tried the 2 person method, even tried warming the belt up, you think you're getting close but everytime I turn the crank to try and get it to slip on - no luck, I have officially given up! I have ordered in a Genuine one this afternoon (that will probably cost me an arm and a leg) to see if that's any better than my pattern one. I'll let you know how I get on, currently vehicle-less! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLineMike Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 what make of belt are you currently trying to fit? i normally aim to use either a gates or a dayco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzie1989 Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 That's exactly what I'll aim for next time too! I was fitting a Bearmach belt (although it was stamped with a number that corresponds to a Gates manufacturing code). The genuine belt, whilst still fairly tight, went on like a dream! Lesson learnt... that's another thing I won't buy from Bearmach again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Know this: It is easier than a 2003 Audi A6 2.5Tdi belt. That is a bumper off, radiator out job apparently. My brother knows this. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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