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Fan belt

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 3:55 pm
by Classiccars
Anyone carry one of these temporary fan belts that clip together for a quick get away.Any suggestions please.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 6:25 pm
by philthehill
Could you please put up a link to the temporary fan belt being referred too.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 8:18 pm
by Classiccars
Not that savvy so here are some pics

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 9:01 pm
by philthehill
Thank you for posting the photos.
Here is the link:-
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295477130087 ... R-Lo3b7nZA
Personally I would be keeping a standard fan belt in the boot in case the existing fitted belt broke.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:51 am
by myoldjalopy
What about a pair of women's tights? :wink:

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:56 am
by Classiccars
I'm not wearing them sorry.Never go back they say.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:56 am
by Classiccars
Thank you for the helpful link.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 10:18 am
by myoldjalopy
Classiccars wrote: Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:56 am I'm not wearing them sorry.Never go back they say.
You're not meant to wear them - use them as an emergency fan belt! Won't take up much space in the spares box :lol:

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 10:25 am
by geoberni
The only possible reason I can think of for having one of these as an emergency spare is the ease and speed of fitment when stranded somewhere.

All other cars I've had, of the basic classic drive belt set up, i.e. like our Minors, replacing the belt was simply a matter of slackening the Dynamo/Alternator tension adjuster to it's Minimum length and a new belt could be easily fitted and readjusted in minutes.

My Minor is the ONLY one I've ever had that requires the Dynamo to be unbolted to get the belt over the pulley...
When I tried a belt that was just long enough to fit without unbolting the Dynamo, within 1,000 miles the stretch had used up all the adjustment on the slotted bar.
So I don't know if others have this issue, but I'd be tempted to have one of these for ease for use at the most inconvenient time, Dark, Cold & Wet, which is the only time such things seem to break... :roll:

These are the ones I remember from the 70s, apparently still sold in South Africa, but I can't find them anywhere else.
https://www.autostyle.co.za/product/eme ... -fan-belt/

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 10:58 am
by myoldjalopy
That sounds a bit odd - I've never had to actually unbolt the dynamo, just loosen its two fixing bolts and the one for the adjuster, swing the dynamo down and the belt can be removed and replaced.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 11:01 am
by svenedin
geoberni wrote: Mon Nov 18, 2024 10:25 am The only possible reason I can think of for having one of these as an emergency spare is the ease and speed of fitment when stranded somewhere.

All other cars I've had, of the basic classic drive belt set up, i.e. like our Minors, replacing the belt was simply a matter of slackening the Dynamo/Alternator tension adjuster to it's Minimum length and a new belt could be easily fitted and readjusted in minutes.

My Minor is the ONLY one I've ever had that requires the Dynamo to be unbolted to get the belt over the pulley...
When I tried a belt that was just long enough to fit without unbolting the Dynamo, within 1,000 miles the stretch had used up all the adjustment on the slotted bar.
So I don't know if others have this issue, but I'd be tempted to have one of these for ease for use at the most inconvenient time, Dark, Cold & Wet, which is the only time such things seem to break... :roll:

These are the ones I remember from the 70s, apparently still sold in South Africa, but I can't find them anywhere else.
https://www.autostyle.co.za/product/eme ... -fan-belt/
I think we talked about this before. On my 1098 with dynamo, once the nuts have been slackened off (2x bolts holding the dynamo on the front and rear bracket, 1x nut on the adjuster slide) the dynamo will not drop down sufficiently to get a new fan belt around the pulley. The whole dynamo has to be slid forwards a bit before it will then drop down enough. It catches on something otherwise I think. It's a while since I did this job so I can't remember every detail.

Stephen

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 6:32 pm
by Classiccars
I have another car that when I parked her up for winter I checked for loose stuff.Found two rips in the belt so will put one in the tool box for when out with either car.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 10:27 pm
by les
If I were you I’d replace the bad belt before you take it out, rather than carry a spare for when it gives up. Better to do it in your garage, rather than out on a dark night in the middle of nowhere!!

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2024 10:04 am
by myoldjalopy
les wrote: Mon Nov 18, 2024 10:27 pm If I were you I’d replace the bad belt before you take it out, rather than carry a spare for when it gives up. Better to do it in your garage, rather than out on a dark night in the middle of nowhere!!
Agreed - a stitch in time etc.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2024 10:57 am
by Mr Spigot
When I collected my 1952 MM and drove it 200 miles home, it was not until a few weeks later that I had a close look at the fanbelt and discovered what a poor state it was in. Needless to say it was immediately replaced, but it shows how bad they can get before snapping. I count myself lucky!

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2024 11:37 am
by myoldjalopy
Yes, best to keep an eye on the fan belt. I had one break once and it sliced through a radiator hose and pulled the wiring out of one of the front lamp units as it did so! :-(

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2024 11:18 am
by rocco
I couldn't get my fan belt replaced on my 1098 without some jiggery-pokery this year. I think I took the water pump pulley off in the end but then again, I was replacing the pump, thermostat and hoses anyway. I did try to just remove the belt but there simply wasn't enough slack even after loosening the dynamo bolts.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2024 12:34 pm
by philthehill
There are several designs of dynamo/alternator adjuster bar fitted to the 'A' Series both straight and curved. If you have the right fan belt you may have the wrong adjuster bar.

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2024 1:00 pm
by Chief
myoldjalopy wrote: Tue Nov 19, 2024 11:37 am Yes, best to keep an eye on the fan belt. I had one break once and it sliced through a radiator hose and pulled the wiring out of one of the front lamp units as it did so! :-(
Funny that, I never thought of the belt doing any damage.

Reason for this is that when we picked up our Minor, we were told the fan belt was breaking, it did on the trip home, but only after it had done another 132 miles, the only way we knew was the ignition light coming on.

It happened just before a motorway exit, so we went off, found a local garage, new belt fitted in about 10 minutes and away we went again.

:)

Re: Fan belt

Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2024 1:23 pm
by myoldjalopy
I guess I was just unlucky on that occasion! But not a disaster as I was only 100 yards from home, and a good thing in a way as the hose proved to be seriously perished and might have developed a leak in a much more inconvenient location at some point not long afterwards.