At 8:49 AM -0400 6/9/00, KENWILFY@AOL.COM wrote:
>Paul, it sounds like to me that someting isn't lined up just right and it
>causing your failures.  ...The only other thing I can think of is
>a bent pulley on something or somehow either your alternator or waterpump is
>turning eccentric (off center) and trashing the belts that way.

If alignment etc appear ok, check the complete circumference of each
pulley to make sure it isn't dented or has a wow in it.  Somehow the
tensioner pulley on my timing belt (we're talking diesel here, kids,
don't freak out) got a very small inwards dent on it, which was just
enough to slowly eat away at the belt.  I noticed a distinct bevel
developing on the belt (inspected it trying to track down a
high-pitched whining noise, which was actually the belt getting
buzzed down) caused by the wow in the pulley milling down my belt on
one side.  Good thing I found it!  New belt, new pulley, happy camper.

Just another thing to look for.

T.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobin Copley   Bowen Island, BC, Canada              tobin.copley@ubc.ca

'82 westy 1.6L NA diesel ("Stinky")
'97 son Russell                                   =============
'99 daughter Margaret                            /_| |__| |__|:| clatter
1995: 'Round US, Mexico, Canada 15,000 mi       O|.           .| clatter!
1996: Vancouver to Inuvik, NWT   7,400 km        ~-()-==----()-~
Previous buses: '76 westy deluxe (Daisy), '76 westy standard (Mango)
http://www.sfu.ca/~tcopley/vw/