Aluminum Pulleys, please help me cause I'm going crazy!!!!!!!

[JBarnette]

I'm New to this world of super beetles. I bought a new pulley for my 73 super. It's chrome because I wanted just a little shine on the motor. Now the thing is, it's aluminium!!!!! So,of course, I've now set off a S#*@?+=%T storm over it! It's ok, you'll be fine, never change from the original, aluminium will swell\shrink and fly off while you're driving, ECT. ECT ECT. ......... I know I'm going to get varied opinions on here but I just want to have fun with my bug without destroying it!!! So please help me , what should I do?????????or

[Buggeee]

People run them all the time and they're fine. I tried mounting one (a lower pulley on the crank) to my motor and the particular one that was in the box of stuff I got with my car didn't line up straight with the generator pulley above it so I didn't use it and then ended up getting a stock steel one and just painting it. The one issue that you want to be aware of on the lower pulley on the crank is that some of them come in a smaller diameter than the stock pulley. Sometimes they call these "power pulleys" because they don't spin the generator as fast, saving the horsepower for the wheels. However, when the generator doesn't spin as fast it doesn't create as much cooling for the engine because the cooling fan is mounted to the back of the generator. Therefore, with a smaller diameter "power pulley" it may let a few more horsepower go to the wheels rather than the generator but it also makes the engine run hotter so they're not supposed to be a great idea for driving around but better left for a drag strip. Or so I have heard.

If you're talking about the one on the generator that's easy to pop on and off so you could just see if it lines up and go from there.

Aside from the ones that change the diameter of the crank pulley, I have not heard of any performance issues with the bling that you can use for pulleys, when they line up properly.

I think they look good too by the way
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[JBarnette]

Thank you so much for your reply!!! It's a EMPI crank pulley and it's the same diameter as the orginal. I also have the chrome for the alternator as well! I will double check the alignment!!!!!!

[67rustavenger]

[Rome]

JBarnette, does your new pulley have degree marks at every degree, or at every 2? Does it have any large holes around the hub? Traditional-looking alu pulleys have 5 round holes of 1 1/8" dia., or can have none at all.

Degree marks help to accurately set the ignition timing using a strobe timing light with the engine running.

[Glenn]

95% of all aftermarket crank pulleys are aluminum.
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[Zundfolge1432]

Most of the problems you mentioned are possible because of rough handling improper use of hammers and pry bars and poor quality parts. Some of the bargain pulleys are junk including scale that washes off. The power pully only frees up horsepower above 4000 rpm. The rest of the time it’s just there doing nothing. Beware of junk quality parts.

[Tim Donahoe]

I run stock pulleys, but from lots of reading, I’ve deduced that Scat pulleys are the top of the line, and don’t have issues; whereas, there are many less expensive pulleys that cause problems.

You get what you pay for, I guess.

Tim
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[JBarnette]

Rome, yes. Blue markers all the way around and five hole. TDC and BDC. It's EMPI pulley, May not be the best quality but it seems pretty good. For sure not a power pulley

[bluebus86]

so what causes the aluminum to swell and touch the case? I cant think of anything to swell them other than heat, and seeing as they dont get all that hot, and that the case also will swell when hot, (a consideration if the hub is touching the inside hole in the case that it passes thru) if thermal expansion is the problem, that pulley is likely within a few thousands of an inch from contact at room temp.

I know power pulley turn the fan and generator slower, and that can cause charging or cooling issues. Generally not a good thing to add, unless your racing and dont worry about engine life or added electrical accessories, and such.

By using a 356 generator pulley, i.e. smaller diameter pulley, the fan can be sped up, makes the reving engine sound like a jet! But fans have been known to explode, taking out generator, fan shroud, oil cooler, even punching holes in the case. Seen it first hand, shrapenal damage can be bad when a fan lets go. racers have the fans welded to prevent this.

using a slightly smaller, i.e. skinny or short vee belt will allow belt to sit lower in the adjustable generator pulley, thus effectively decreasing the pulley diameter, for a faster fan. likewise a longer or wider vee belt will result in a slower fan, as that belt will ride higher up. Thus belt size change to longer or wider does what a power pulley does, i.e. reducing engine fan load, although maybe by a different ratio.




Bug On! We Are All Fans Of That!
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[kangaboy]

One of the big drawbacks of aftermarket pulleys is the lack of oil slinger threads. A lot of them have very weak threads.
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[slalombuggy]

The only aluminum pulley I've ever had a problem with is the matte black anodized empi Santana style pulley. I've had 2 of the gaul up the case and seize the engines while cranking them over to get oil pressure before break in. One was in a CB white rhino aluminum case and the other was in an AS21 stock case. But then I've seen a couple other guys with them that haven't had a problem. Other than that I've only ever run aluminum pulleys and never had an issue. I just got a steel hubbed CB aluminum crank pulley with a sand seal for the race engine. Trying to keep salt out of the engine, I found a bunch inside when I tore it down

[Maddel]

[JBarnette]

Thank you all for your replys! I'm going to spend some time today looking and comparing the treads on the aluminium pulley to the original one based on your advice.

[grandpa red]

I'm running an MST serpentine pulley on mine.

I had to machine .070" off of the crank pulley end to align to the top pulley.
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[ashman40]

Post a link or pic to your pulley so we know exactly which one you are talking about. Empi sells MANY different aluminum pulleys.

Here's my pros/cons list for aluminum pulleys:

Pros:
They "look nice".

Unlike the stock pulley which has timing notches ONLY for the distributor it left the factory mated to, you get degree markings on the aluminum pulley for setting timing with ANY distributor.

Cons:
Solid pulleys without any openings on the face may not allow the use of stock pulley remover tool as the tool expects there to be openings in the pulley opposite each other. I don't believe they work with the 5-hole pulleys either.

Earlier aluminum pulleys had stickers for their labels which tend to wear off over time. More recent pulleys use better labels to include laser engraving which should last the life of the pulley.

Cheaper made pulleys may not have the degree markings properly positioned. Meaning the TDC mark may not be exactly at TDC.
To test/check this, install a TDC checking tool (screws into the spark plug hole and contacts the top of the piston - you can make one from an old spark plug + bolt). Rotate the crank pulley CW until the #1 piston contacts the tool. Place a pencil mark on the rim of the pulley where it lines up with the case split. Rotate the crank pulley CCW nearly 360deg until the piston again contacts the tool. Make a second pencil mark on the rim of the pulley. Measure the point on the pulley exactly halfway between these two pencil marks. This is your "true" TDC. Does it line up with the TDC mark on the pulley?

There are cases where the snout of the pulley is the wrong length and either require the use of spacers or require the snout to be ground down to get the proper belt alignment.

The above mentioned lack of a proper oil groove in the snout allows oil to flow past the case opening and mess up your engine compartment.

Also mentioned above the extra care needed to pull the pulley off w/o bending it. Even using a puller, it is possible to damage an aluminum pulley if it is really stuck on there. Consider some anti-seize inside the snout ID when installing.

My only aluminum pulley was a solid faced Scat and I never had any problems.
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