dr bob

What most folks fail to notice is that he has the truck up part-way on stilts so he can arc-weld on the gas tank.

In the next frame, the air is clouded over in millions of chicken feathers. Title of that one is "Regular or Extra Crispy?" I just can't find the chicken in the original picture...

Landseer

Now THAT'S funny, I don't care who you are.

928 at last

There was some discusison a while back on how to retain the warning light system without the stock tensioner.

Don't know if anyone actually set up a working one though.....

Landseer

Just drive the cars. Too much obsessing going on. If your water pump seizes the chances are you won't save it anyway. And you chose the wrong pump.

The guy who saved the valves when the belt melted to the wp was as lucky as the canadian pilot that ejected from the F-18 the other day.

I mean, he posts here frequently and hadn't serviced the waterpump and belt properly. Not a test case that is very valid.

Imo000

That woud be me! To make thing clear, the belt was actually properly serviced. Besides the pump everything else was only a few years old and had very few Kms on it. The timing belt, rollers, bushings and so on were changed not that long ago. Only the pump was old. I strongly think that if you shut the engine off as soon as the belt warning light comes on, you will save the engine. Mine was shut off about 2 min after the belt warning, and that's an eternity. Where I got really lucky was that the belt didn't snap before the temp gauge tripped the warning system. I'm all reality, I'm an idiot for not shutting it down when the belt light came on.

Imo000

I remember reading about it too. This was probably a couple of years ago it not longer. But I don;t remember anyone getting one working. If there is an actual working solution for this, Ken should be all over it.

PorKen

IIRC, it was for a water pump warning, which I'd be happy to buy if someone were to make one.


I never liked the idea of adding a warning system, and now I reckon there's really no need, with a super pump, and a super belt, available.

dr bob

The warning light is a critical point, the next hurtle for the PorKensioner in my amateur opinion. I installed the tensioner on James M's '85 Euro here a couple months ago. It looks like it takes care of the critical issue of maintaining the belt contact with the various gears, particularly the crank gear. PO's mechanic had already grounded the switch lead before I got there, so one less step for me. Old/original tensioner was frozen, whole insides were dry. New owner's preference was Ken's piece so I had some hands-on time with it.

It would be relatively simple to fab a switch actuator based on position of the roller, so that it essentially comes on when the piston extends "too far". But that doesn't really tell you that the tension has reduced, only that the tensioner is adjusting maybe too much for belt stretch or a cold engine. Would that be enough warning to be useful? The original tension-checking "switch" is a simple yet elegant design. There's just no good way to adapt it back to work with the Audi piston/actuator as Ken has it mounted. It would need to move back some to make room for the switch, for instance. I'd have to do a little measuring on the OEM piece to get a feel for whether the original switch spring would work, and also decide on what the new minimum belt tension value really is when using Ken's part. Getting a small run of a few hundred custom spring would be very easy, and with a couple plastic screw-machine bushings and sleeves it would be possible to have a working tension safety switch.

PorKen

We find whinnying about whining; wearisome.

Damn straight, and I paid for a certain amount of bandwidth per year - I'm damn sure gonna get my money's worth.

Who you callin' a homo*?



*NTTAWWT

If you didn't guess, I'm kidding. Smiley face, too, for good measure:
..............................................



If folks are uncomfortable with any of my products, or my attitude (WTF?), then do not buy/install one. If you had/have no intention of buying/installing, though, what is the point of finding fault where there is none? Especially when they have been working fine for years? Seriously, WTF is the point of that?

I suppose I am whining again. Fudashi.

Anyhu, all good things must come to and end. Since it is not in my nature to harbor grudges against anyone, I offer a heartfelt apology to those whose eyes or egos may have been bruised by my unkind words.

I do not think GB is a chickenman, needs glasses, or has ED, and I do not think GN is a wuß, either. Fuhgehdabodit.



Cheers,
Ken

928 at last

Was a "Belt Flutter Detector"..IIRC, two contacts placed on/in the top of the belt cover @ very close tolerance to the belt itself, but not touching @ proper tension. Flutter or loose belt would then close contacts for warning.

The concept I remember, it's the finer points of the execution I'm foggy on.

M. Requin

If I understand you correctly I don't think this is necessary. From studying the literature it seems that belt tension is independent of the application, and is determined by the specs of the belt itself. I could be misunderstanding that, too, though!

Imo000

Ken, how can one tell when the Audi tensioner is on it's way out?

Imo000

Ken?