Had a really squally alternator belt, was goign to get it into the garage this week to look at. Driving tonight sounded really suqally and a big whine under acceleration, then the ASR light came on. Parked up at training, then when I re-started a couple of hours later, no squeal, a bit of whine tho (have been having suspected whine from the power steering), then couple of miles down the road, ASR light comes on again, and dashboard lighting seems dim. Pulled into Sainsbury's car park, popped the bonnet and the belt was hanging off the alternator pulley, and pretty shredded. RAC reckon pulley bearings have gone, and there are some small slivers of metal in the engine bay, which RAC man reckons came from the pulley wearing on the alternator casing.

RAC prognosis - new alternator. I live too far from Awesome to get it there and RAC have recovered me to home, but would charge me £85 to recover me again tomorrow to Awesome. So I think try a more local garage.

Anyone had any experience of these belts and alternators? Do you have to buy pulley and alternator as one, or are there separate bits? Costs?

Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers

If it's the pulley they can be bought seperately. Quite common for them to go as they have a clutch type thing in them that let them free-wheel under certain circumstances.

It sounds like it is the cause. They eventually fail then lock up and cause the belt to shred/snap.

Phil

Hopefully it is just the alternator pulley. They don't cost that much but you need to remove the alternator from the car to change it. You will also likely need a new aux belt tensioner.

What has most probably happened is that the pulley has come apart with the centre bit still attached to the shaft on the alternator and the outer piece is somewhere on the undertray, or it has escaped completely and is lying on the road somewhere.

The pulley has a one way clutch which allows the alternator to continue spinning when the engine revs drop, obviously when it siezes every time you lift off the gas the alternator suddenly slows down by several thousand rpm and that is a lot of energy to dissipate, hence the shredded belt.

In local garage, couldn't get it to awesome, not enough juice in the battery. Quoted £258 for belt, alternator, labour and vat

Spoke to Awesome and they quoted roughly same ballpark, and they said would need new alternator as they come as one unit :'(

Garage had to try 3 alternators, got one working, but when they charged to battery, they had to stop charging after 20 mins as battery got too hot. They reckon the alternator going cooked the battery, new one £105!

They then spoke to Skoda technicians at the local Skoda garage, who said to check all wiring and the found the wire connected to the gearbox had snapped off, which they say would explain why the circuit wasn't completing and why the battery could have been giving off a low voltage output.

Would jumpstarting another car from mine (the other was a knackered petrol Rover) cook the battery? Although he got the wrong terminals on mine first-time round (sparks!), mine started ok, and ran fine with no faults coming up - the alternator belt prob started about a week later.

Advice???

Garage had to try 3 alternators, got one working, but when they charged to battery, they had to stop charging after 20 mins as battery got too hot. They reckon the alternator going cooked the battery, new one £105!

They then spoke to Skoda technicians at the local Skoda garage, who said to check all wiring and the found the wire connected to the gearbox had snapped off, which they say would explain why the circuit wasn't completing and why the battery could have been giving off a low voltage output.

Would jumpstarting another car from mine (the other was a knackered petrol Rover) cook the battery? Although he got the wrong terminals on mine first-time round (sparks!), mine started ok, and ran fine with no faults coming up - the alternator belt prob started about a week later.

Advice???

If you've jump started a car and got the terminals the wrong way round sounds like you could have fried the voltage regulator so it has over charged the battery. I thought that they came complete with the new alternator though so fitting a new alternator would fix this.

I did this on my felicia and just replaced the voltage regulator.

They are telling porkies though that the pulley only comes with a new alternator. The pulley is available as a separate part.

As for a new battery you can get those delivered for £50-60.

I think a new voltage regulator is also available as a seperate part.

As above the pulley is definately available separately and only costs about £25 IIRC.

I have had several pulleys replaced for £40 all in at a alternator/starter motor reconditioner

Just needed car sorting, so new alternator, belt and battery £360 all in. They worked out why the battery was throwing out low voltage even with new battery and alternator fitted and the garage knew a Skoda tech who suggested that the wire from DF plug (?) near the gearbox might have broken. They looked, and hence it has! Common fault with the Fabia apparently, so they have done a temporary fix, and I'll get a kit to fix the broken wire.

Not what I was planning on spending on a big red thing on Valentines day!

Ouch. Pretty sure that could have been fixed for about £100 but never mind.

Yes that earthing wire is a common fault. There is a replacement available that should sort it out.

Phil

Hi philje 123,

have you any more details on this replacement!

I think this is the one:

6Q0971537H

Ground strap 560MM / ASZ,ATD,AUA, BBY

Think it will be the same for the later BLT engine too but best to check first.

Phil