Hi Rob, After installing a new t-stat and water pump in the '72 Bavaria that I'm trying to get back on the road, I started to reassemble the front of the engine this weekend (belts, fan, coolant hoses, and re-cored rad) and immediately ran into a snag at step #1... I could not get the new and OE-spec alt/fan/crank belt around the alternator pulley - too short. Grrr... Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the alternator pulley appears to be sized for a narrower belt and in fact the belt I removed is a 10 mm width belt - the (new and proper) 13 mm belt seats halfway out of the alt pulley groove; also, a couple of the wires going to the back of the alternator have butt-crimps on them between the bundled wires and the alternator, so it looks to me that a mechanic swapped in an alternator from a different car (it is a Bosch and it fits the mounting), then changed to a non-standard belt instead of switching the pulley from the old alt to the new one and keeping the stock belt. In your (encyclopedic) experience, what do you think is going on? I checked with a couple of suppliers and the alternator pulley seem to be NLA - new alternators come with a bare shaft, and you're supposed to swap the pulley from your old one to the new one. No provisions have been made for those of use stuck without an original pulley. Got any suggestions? I pulled the alternator out entirely to get access to the oil filter (there MUST be a better way to change THAT!), and have not replaced it yet, but I bought a 10 mm belt of the correct length from Autozone. Thank you for your help!
Hmmn... I have not had that particular problem, but I have had belt length issues. Can you find a cheap used alternator on eBay and just yank the pulley? Regarding oil filter changes, I usually just get at it from underneath.
Great suggestion! Thank you! I'll poke around to see if I can find a cheapo alt with a correct pulley. I cannot completely remove the bottom of the oil filter housing from below because the power steering pump and suspension parts are in the way. I can drop the housing and leave it there, but then there isn't enough clearance to swap the filter elements without getting engine grime all over the new one.
I'd need to look at my car again to see where I pull the oil filter out. Between the 3.0CSi and the Bavaria and the 2002tii, I forget which is which :^). Plus, I believe both of them have the later-style E28 oil filter housing and canister with the bolt that goes in from the top instead of from the bottom (I got tired of having oil run down my arm).
