CRD Alternator Coupler

[Billwill]

Well I jinxed myself about 5 months ago when I stated that my 2002 CRD Alternator Litens pulley had never failed!

Three days ago as I turned into the entrance to my Complex the steering got extremely hard to turn!
I managed to then turn into my garage and lifted the hood....sure enough the Serpentine Belt had snapped!

The top-right idler pulley ie. nearest to the Left door was seized solid....other idlers pulleys seem OK.

About 5 months ago I had the Timing Belt replaced as a precaution and I told them to replace the Serpentine Belt and check the idler pulleys and tensioner.

I have ordered a new Belt but the local Agent states that the Pulleys are no longer available....I am going to order them and a Tensioner from Sasquach or other overseas suppliers but I am wandering as to the state of my Alternator Pulley!

This was 20 years old so could be bad but how do I test it?

If I put a 17 mm Allen Key on the pulley-end and hold it firmly I can rotate the pulley surface with difficulty with my other hand both ways about 90 degrees at which time it locks up!

Is there any sure way to test if the Litens Alternator pulley is indeed bad?

Years ago I discussed the Litens pulley in great detail on AusjeeppOffroad and Lost but I have lost all my documentation from those days as to the replacement procedure for the Litens Pulley....the local Dealers here are useless and will probably say I need a new Alternator!

Great fun working on the Jeep with a 5 month old replacement Metal Hip on my right side!!!

 

[turblediesel]

I have mine out on the bench so I'll take a look at it later today. If I remember correctly there's a rust colored residue around the coupler when they start to go bad and then they sieze. Impact wrench should remove it, like a pulley.

 

[Billwill]

Thanks for the reply but as I remember it from the Ausjeepoffroad Site it is a lot more complicated than that...still trying to find the relevant posts on Ausjeep!

Also seeing as the Idle Pulleys are held on with Left Hand Thread Bolts I would imagine that using an Impact Wrench I would have to drive it Clockwise as with the Idler Bolts to remove it.

I am going to try soak the Coupler in some Q10 or Q20 to see if that loosens it!

Cannot get this Coupler here in SA...have to buy a new Alternator with Coupler attached......not going to do this!

Cannot get the Idler Pulleys here so need to either buy them overseas or replace the bearings.....still need to get the Belt Tensioner off for inspection!

EDIT to ADD: I have found KalleXX's post from Oct 8, 2015 in the CRD KJ's Section that explains how to remove the Alternator Pulley using a 17 mm Hex Allen Key.

I have the Allen key will just need to hire an Impact Wrench!

Will probably have to order a new Pulley from overseas!

 

[turblediesel]

You probably already have this info but here it is anyway...

Decoupler part numbers off the new part and it's Mopar box:

134D2 0001
53013554AF-001
Made in Canada

'05 2.8 CRD Alternator
56044 672AB
104210-4241
46588
Denso

If you can't find a new decoupler I can send you mine (new and uninstalled) and pick one up later. Shipping would be terrible since we're on opposite sides of the planet. Pretty sure I got it from ID Parts along with the idler pulleys.

Serpentine belt tensioners that are worn out can look fine when not installed. A bad one will be badly angled off-plane with the other pulleys when installed with the belt on. That's how the one on my parts jeep was. Crazy expensive part!

 

[Billwill]

Thanks for the advice!

I can order parts from Overseas but usually a long wait....and the exchange rate against the $ is ridiculous!

I am battling to remove the Belt Tensioner to have a close look at it.....will have to remove a few more parts to get to it and then I may get back to you as to how it looks!

 

[KJowner]

My alternator pully squeaked when I bought the jeep, loads on ebay in the UK, not sure about South Africa though!

 

[Billwill]

At this stage I have replaced the Serpentine Belt, Belt Tensioner and both Idler Pulleys.

The Alternator seems to spin smoothly so I will monitor it for a while.

The Idler Pulley near to the Alternator was completely seized so I believe that is what was making the Alternator jump about a bit!

 

[KJowner]

That will do it!
Are the bearings in the idlers accessible or is it sealed assembly?

 

[Billwill]

The bearings in the Idler Assemblies and on the Belt Tensioner are sealed Ball Bearings....40mm exterior, 17mm interior and 12mm thick...I think...can't find my Vernier Caliper at the moment! So it is easy to buy a good make of Bearing.

However all three of these Bearing assemblies are encased by the actual metal rims that you see from the outside. These metal rims are joined together by copper rivets in my case which I could drill out and replace with screws and nuts and "Locktight" to lock the nut and screw threads together.

My one Bearing was completely seized, one definitely had some play in it and the third felt a bit suspect.

The new Belt Tensioner I bought had a slightly different type of rivet keeping the two halves together.

There are lots of sites in the USA that have these complete Tensioners, Serpentine Belt, Belt Tensioner etc. available but I cannot find a site that ships to South Africa and the exchange rates between SA and the USA are so high it would bankrupt me to go that route! My Belt Tensioner was definitely bad...belt was trying to drift off the pulley so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and buy a new one from the Dealers!

You can of course obtain these parts from a Breaker Yard but they may be suspect!

The local Jeep Dealers here say that these Idlers are not available here in SA but I am sure that the Dealers here import units from the USA Sites so that they can fix any broken Jeeps brought into the Dealership to be repaired!

If you ever change these units yourself....the Idler Pulleys are bolted on with "Left Hand Thread Bolts" while the pulley on the Tensioner Assembly is held on with a normal Right Hand Thread bolt!

 

[KJowner]

The bearings in the Idler Assemblies and on the Belt Tensioner are sealed Ball Bearings....40mm exterior, 17mm interior and 12mm thick...I think...can't find my Vernier Caliper at the moment! So it is easy to buy a good make of Bearing.

However all three of these Bearing assemblies are encased by the actual metal rims that you see from the outside. These metal rims are joined together by copper rivets in my case which I could drill out and replace with screws and nuts and "Locktight" to lock the nut and screw threads together.

My one Bearing was completely seized, one definitely had some play in it and the third felt a bit suspect.

The new Belt Tensioner I bought had a slightly different type of rivet keeping the two halves together.

There are lots of sites in the USA that have these complete Tensioners, Serpentine Belt, Belt Tensioner etc. available but I cannot find a site that ships to South Africa and the exchange rates between SA and the USA are so high it would bankrupt me to go that route! My Belt Tensioner was definitely bad...belt was trying to drift off the pulley so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and buy a new one from the Dealers!

You can of course obtain these parts from a Breaker Yard but they may be suspect!

The local Jeep Dealers here say that these Idlers are not available here in SA but I am sure that the Dealers here import units from the USA Sites so that they can fix any broken Jeeps brought into the Dealership to be repaired!

If you ever change these units yourself....the Idler Pulleys are bolted on with "Left Hand Thread Bolts" while the pulley on the Tensioner Assembly is held on with a normal Right Hand Thread bolt!

Handy to know thanks, another source for parts is Europe / China, the VM engine is quite common here, not just in Jeeps.