rustyk
06-18-2014, 15:13
My AMG 6.5L TD has been trouble-free for many miles, although I manage to find defective replacement accessories. The last issue was a broken serpentine belt a year ago.
On the second leg of a recent 3,000 mile trip, I ran through some standing water on I-75, the tach dropped to "0" and the PS and PB disappeared. Pulled over, and the belt had come off without damage. Odd. I put the belt back on and took off; 150 miles later, after more standing water, the tach dropped to "0" and the PS and PB disappeared. Pulled over, and this time the belt was mangled. Put a spare belt on and made it to the RV park without further incident, except OD dropped out about 20 miles from the planned overnight.
On a walkaround, I noticed ATF around the radiator and bumper. The next day, I was referred to a truck and RV shop about 9 miles away, and made it there with no problems. We worked out an external cooler for the tranny (works well), and I asked the owner to look into the belt issue while I was there. It took the owner's father about 30 seconds to diagnose the problem - 25 seconds of which were getting the lift up.
The crankshaft pulley is called a "damper pulley" for a reason: It has a rubber insert, and mine was shot to the point the pulley had hammered the bolt heads to be unusable. The cooler and new damper pulley installed, I left the shop around 4 PM. About 1/3 mile from the shop, I ran through some standing water and the tach dropped to "0" and the PS and PB disappeared.
We got back to the shop and the next day a new tensioner was installed. I left and the next 1500 miles were without incident, including heavy rains in MI.
Here's what happened: The tensioner (which had been installed less than a year and 7K miles ago) had its pivot shaft damaged by the hammering of the defective damper pulley. The slight amount of slop allowed the pulley to tilt. when the belt was dry, friction held it on, but when it got wet and slick, it slid off.
Epilogue: On my next-to-last leg, I-77 near Rock Hill, SC, the tach dropped to "0", but I still had PS and PB (odd). Pulled over, shut down, lifted the engine hatch, and the alternator was smoking! The spare alternator went on, and the remainder of the trip was uneventful.
Score Extra Points! I'm on the road again, but when I return home next week, with the oil change, I'm going to have my mechanic install the rebuilt alternator I just got, and put the "spare" back into "onboard spare" status. Why would I do this?
On the second leg of a recent 3,000 mile trip, I ran through some standing water on I-75, the tach dropped to "0" and the PS and PB disappeared. Pulled over, and the belt had come off without damage. Odd. I put the belt back on and took off; 150 miles later, after more standing water, the tach dropped to "0" and the PS and PB disappeared. Pulled over, and this time the belt was mangled. Put a spare belt on and made it to the RV park without further incident, except OD dropped out about 20 miles from the planned overnight.
On a walkaround, I noticed ATF around the radiator and bumper. The next day, I was referred to a truck and RV shop about 9 miles away, and made it there with no problems. We worked out an external cooler for the tranny (works well), and I asked the owner to look into the belt issue while I was there. It took the owner's father about 30 seconds to diagnose the problem - 25 seconds of which were getting the lift up.
The crankshaft pulley is called a "damper pulley" for a reason: It has a rubber insert, and mine was shot to the point the pulley had hammered the bolt heads to be unusable. The cooler and new damper pulley installed, I left the shop around 4 PM. About 1/3 mile from the shop, I ran through some standing water and the tach dropped to "0" and the PS and PB disappeared.
We got back to the shop and the next day a new tensioner was installed. I left and the next 1500 miles were without incident, including heavy rains in MI.
Here's what happened: The tensioner (which had been installed less than a year and 7K miles ago) had its pivot shaft damaged by the hammering of the defective damper pulley. The slight amount of slop allowed the pulley to tilt. when the belt was dry, friction held it on, but when it got wet and slick, it slid off.
Epilogue: On my next-to-last leg, I-77 near Rock Hill, SC, the tach dropped to "0", but I still had PS and PB (odd). Pulled over, shut down, lifted the engine hatch, and the alternator was smoking! The spare alternator went on, and the remainder of the trip was uneventful.
Score Extra Points! I'm on the road again, but when I return home next week, with the oil change, I'm going to have my mechanic install the rebuilt alternator I just got, and put the "spare" back into "onboard spare" status. Why would I do this?