TheSamba.com :: View topic - Shredded air hose, then v belt snapped, then overheated...

Sun Mar 21, 2010 5:42 am

you have an alternator

Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:11 am

Thank you Randy. Appreciate your thoughts and they do fall in line with our thinking. I would LOVE to do a basic mechanics course, albeit in Basque which is the language here. The annoying thing is that I did have the spare belt when we broke down and I could have fitted it. I phoned the mechanic at that very moment to make sure I would fit it properly, and that is when he told me it would be fine to drive. In a pressured moment like that, if a mechanic tells you it's fine, I'm more likely to believe them. In this case we got stung hence the need to learn more ourselves.

Every time I've tried to read the Haynes manual, no matter how 'simple' it seems to be, to someone that doesn't understand mechanics it might as well be written in double-dutch...or Basque.

Thank you though for the knuckle-wrap. If you could have seen the state of the van when we first bought it to where it is at now, it is a completely new deal.

Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:38 am

Thanks Silverside. That's great.

Can anyone recommend any books about the basics?

Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:45 am

get a bentley manual

http://www.bentleypublishers.com/vw/transporter/1968-1979/VW-Type-2-1968-1979-Repair-Manual.html

Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:50 am

or the "how to keep your VW alive" will be a big help to you i put alot of it in easy to understand terms that the average guy can understand easily

Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:05 am

That's an alternator BTW.

Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:51 pm

Randy in Maine wrote: The owners manual clearly states that driving around with no fan belt is bad with this Type 1 engine set up.
I would hope that you will buy a few "must have" extra parts tht you will carry around INCLUDING a fan belt and that you LEARN how to put it on yourself with the tools that every VW came with. .... that spare fan belt is more important to have than a spare tire. Good luck!

Randy's evaluation plus his other comments are excellent.
To stress it a bit more the Owners Manual talks about the Red Warning Lignt for charging and cooling. "Check the belt that drives the generator (your alternator). If this belt breaks, the engine cooling fan also stops working, which will overheat the engine and cause damage. The proper way to fit a new belt is described on page 38." And the instructions and pictures for Adjusting or Replacing V Belt are very good and descriptive. And it says you should always carry a replacement belt. And VW furnished the very simple tools for this and other basic tasks. A belt is as critical as coolant in a radiator in the other cars.
Just saying this to reinforce your responsability in having a VW. Here is a link to the latest year U.S. owners manual that has your basic 1600 engine. Later manuals probably have information on your later bus features. You will have to find what's needed.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/71bus.php
A bus can't wait until after you take a "basic mechanics course". And that is a real nice looking bus. :wink:

Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:55 pm

Doubt the vid will be around for long. It's been removed from the Samba before. There are bound to be people here that think it's an instructional video. :lol:
EDIT
Yep it's gone already. It was that vid on how to remove and replace a fan belt in 5 seconds. And how to die from a flying screwdriver.

Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:08 pm

Quote: Yep it's gone already. It was that vid on how to remove and replace a fan belt in 5 seconds. And how to die from a flying screwdriver.

some one showed me that in 1980 on another brand of car. It breaks the back of the belt and causes it an early failure. It is no more than a simple way to cheat flat rates.

Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:13 pm

[quote="SGKent"] Quote: It breaks the back of the belt and causes it an early failure.

Plus it's not adjusted and other major problems. On the other hand it might be better than running an engine without any belt at all. (if you don't end up in the emergency room.) :lol:

Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:19 pm

I could just imagine OSHA or MEMIC being on site, and seeing a mechanic perform that manuever

Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:02 pm

Quick question for the original poster:

Was the mechanic that installed the belt the same one who told you it was ok to drive without it? Or was that a second mechanic? (I ask because I thought you were on a trip and therefore may have called a local mechanic instead of the original.)

If it was a second mechanic, then he didn't know what engine was in this bus. If someone were to call me and say, "My '77 bus' belt broke, can I drive it?" I might say the same thing the mechanic did, because on nearly any '77 bus in the United States, the belt truly only does run the alternator; the fan is connected to the crankshaft and would continue spinning. **

So, the mechanic who said this, his real mistake would be assuming which engine was in this bus.

That said the mechanic was clearly in Europe, where '77 buses were sold with 1600 engines along with type 4 engines. He should have asked.

**During the conversation, I would ask to verify which engine was in the bus. So I would actually only say this after confirming which engine was installed.