VW Beetle Forum banner
Cancel

Help, Tensioner Bolt broken off, how many needed, Bracket replace?

1000 Views 9 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  Thejarhead, 
L
Hi Folks:
New to me 2006 beetle tdi 1.9 has a problem. I lost the serpentine belt becasue the tensioner came off the braket is is mounted to. New tensioner, new belt and three new bolts. All goes well until... the hole foe the lowest of the three tensioner bolts has a broken off piec of bolt stuck in it. too deep to grab ahold. So here are my questions:
1) Can I get by with only two of the tensioner bolts installed? the two upper ones are fine, It.s the lower one that must have broken off. (Btw: no, I did not overtorque). Bad weathe ris on the way and I would rathe rnot have to do any of the following.
2) Try to somehow drill our the partial bolt. Given the loscation, that is a PITA.
3) Find a used generator bracket (which is what the tensioner mounts to. Sounds like major PITA. Seems I would have to remove the alternator, AC and partially loosen the Pow Steering unit.. Has anyone done this? I search and could not find a post with enough details. Can the AC unit stay in without the lines having to be remove (system drained etc.).

What shall I do?
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
Thejarhead
I would not recommend using only two bolts. If the tensioner breaks and the serpentine belt turns to spaghetti and a couple of pieces could get sucked under the timing belt cover and then wind around your crankshaft....that will pretty much ruin your head.

You can remove the accessories, ac, and power steering pump and just let them hang while you remove that big accessory bracket. There are about 6 bolts that hold it to the block, I think I would just get a new bracket. I searched for one on idparts but I couldn’t find one. I think I have one off a Jetta BEW engine I’m fairly certain they are the same but I’m not absolutely sure. A junkyard would probably be your best bet.
Reply
Save
Like
L
Hi Jarhead:
Thanks for sposting so fast. I was afraid that this is where we are heading. I am a little concerned about the allen bolts that hold the bracket on. They seem to like to break. Time to soal them for a day or two.
I am interested in your bracket. What year is you your vehicle? The parts catalogue come sup with a part number of 045903141C which fits my vehicle. Would you pm me and we can talk details?
Michael
Reply
Save
Like
Thejarhead
I have an ear broken off on mine around the ac and I planned on using my spare to replace that the next time I do the timing belt.
Reply
Save
Like
L
Thejarhead said:
I have an ear broken off on mine around the ac and I planned on using my spare to replace that the next time I do the timing belt.
Click to expand...
OK. Found a replacement, but now I have a new issue. I ordered a replacement gates tenioner but it has a smooth pulley and not a ribbed one. I sthat going to be an issue? When I search for replacement tensioners (even with vin search) I only see smooth pulley versions.
Reply
Save
Like
Thejarhead
Swap the pulley from your old one to the new one. I can’t remember if the fastener is a Torx or triple square. Regardless autozone or other auto parts stores have cheap sets of both available.

Wait you said you got a new tensioner? I thought you were talking about the idler pulley on the big bracket. Here is one of the best places to get quality parts and the correct parts for your diesel beetle.



Just make sure it is the same bracket, there may be slight variations.
Reply
Save
Like
L
That's is where my confusion starts. IDParts shows tensioners that have smooth pulley's while the one on my car is ribbed.$$$. Am I ok with using the tensioner with the smooth pulley? Both Roskauto and most VW pull smooth wheeled tensioners when I do a vin search. What gives ?

Would you use the smooth one?

Michael
Reply
Save
Like
Thejarhead
No I would not use a smooth one, mine is ribbed and i got it from idparts. Call them and ask about it they are great about being helpful.
Reply
Save
Like
L
The saga continues. Got the new bracket in the mail. As I started taking the alternator off, I realize there is no lower bolt, or rather, no bolthead. prior owner must have broken it off. Now the challenge... how do I get the alternator out! I cant get to a point where I can drill out the stuck bolt. I don't have enough clearance behind the alternator to take out the bracket mounting bolt. I am willing to sacrifice the alternator if I could only figure out how to get it out without causing lots of collateral damage.
Is there a way to take the plastic electronics pack off and loosen some nuts so the two halves come apart?

What a mess. Any thoughts? I like the car, but it may not be the best deal anymore :)

Michael
Reply
Save
Like
Thejarhead
If you can remove the power steering pump and the ac. Letting them both hang by their hoses, the ac is a bit heavier it might not be a bad idea to tie it or bungee cord it for additional support. With those out of the way you might be able to get a pair of vice grips on that lower bolt. It sounds like whoever worked on this previously should not have been any where around a car.
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
VW Beetle Forum
The New Beetle forum, come in and join our discussions on the new Volkswagen Beetle. Talk about modifications, performance and color choices.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Photos: New Beetles Questions, Issues or Problems with the New Beetle 2.0 Liter Gas 1.8 Liter Turbo New Member Forum
Top