Yet more probably poop from my shop - alternator belt

[MikieP]

I have been told by my second shop that my alternator belt started shrieking and eventually blew off on my first drive of 150 miles after picking the car up after a 2 1/2 year absence due to having a plastic tension pulley on it getting hot... They told me they have made me one of metal to replace it. Is this for real or simply more crap? I have never, ever seen plastic used in a pulley of any kind. Looking at the few engine pics I have found there is not even a tension pulley on the alternator belt. Wot say you all?

 

MikieP

[910Esprit]

Suspect they are referring to the nylon tensioner bar.  I'd be tempted to replace if I had one too...  Be interesting to know why lotus tooled up to make it in the first place. 

[Sparky]

If they mean pulley, they're lying.  If they mean the bar, it'll be the first incident of this kind I've ever heard of.  Nothing wrong with a bit of nylon there - it's sufficiently heat-resistant, and strong enough in that configuration to do the job.

[Simon350S]

It's important with the nylon bar that the correct washer is used, it's flattened off on the outer edges to stop the nylon from being able to spread.

I fitted one in place of the metal item when I bought my new engine.

[Advantage]

[sailorbob]

There's nothing wrong with using a nylon alternator strap. Cosworth used one on the BDA/G engines and many works race engines ran with them.

[MikieP]

Hi fellas,

 

Boy, I am starting to smart from my personal level of stupidity about my own car. Having gone on two weeks since the drive, I thought the noise did not seem to be rpm related though and can not seem to understand while looking at the pulley arrangements in the picture (thank you Advantage!) how any belt noise could not be related to rpm, just louder the higher the rpm went? Am thinking of moving to GB so I can get my car drivable sometime before I croak.