mrwebbin

I did a timing belt job on my 99.5 audi a4 1.8t last month and since I have gone thru 3 serpentine belts. All three have been shredded after 20 miles of being put on and while stopped at a red light. When i look at the the belts after install everything seems to be working fine also before the install everything seems to be spinning fine too. My alternator spins freely... how can i tell if the pulley on there is a clutched or clutchless pulley? Also i can see the center of the pulley of the ac compressor freeze at times but is that due to the clutch right? the other two accessory belts (ac compressor to crank and power steering to water pump) are not broken but the main belt from alternator to power steering to crank keeps shredding. What do you guys think it might be?

Ps i changed the serpentine belt tensioner still with no luck.
PSS when i rev the engine i can hear and see the serpentine belt tensioner kind of snap back.

Shawn

mrwebbin

actually the second belt lasted 400 miles before it shredded to crap

shawn

mister pepper

Stock up?

I'd suspect the ac compressor. It is clutched but the pulley should spin at all times. The clutch is between the pulley and the compressor so that sometimes the pulley spins freely and sometimes it drives the compressor. If it is stopping it is a problem. I've had a compressor freeze up and cause me to lose a serpentine belt.

Chck your pulley alignment as well. Maybe you have a bent pulley and it is wearing the edge.

RobQ

The A/C pulley freezes????

mrwebbin

the outside pulley on the ac compressor spins all the time it seems but when I rev the engine i can see the inner of the pulley freeze and the start.... is that normal on the ac compressor? oh ya everything worked fine before the timing belt job. The climate control on my car got messed up at the same time i did the timing belt ( stuck buttons) could that have messed up the ac compressor?

600whpA4

If you think it might be the AC causing the issue you could always try removing the AC belt and see how long the serp belt lasts without the AC belt on.

But if it was an AC causing the issue I would think the AC belt would snap before the serp belt.

mrwebbin

The inner part of the pulley on the ac compressor freezes intermittently but the outside pulley keeps spinning.

mrwebbin

Is this alternator pulley clutch or clutchless?



Here is what it looks like right now.














Here is some pics of the salvaged belt. The back side of the belt looks as if has been scraped off but the groves look in good condition.

mrwebbin

Pete@ECSTuning

Are you sure you have clearance all the way around the serp belt route? That looks more like it is getting caught on something other than a stuck pulley.