I knew the clutch was noisy, but how it was still working in this state....

[brianh]

Clutch started getting really noisy last weekend, so decided to bite the bullet and replace it. On pulling it apart, this is what we found of the release bearing
[attach=1]
Yes the ball bearings and bits of metal should all be on the bearing!
I'm amazed it still managed to work at all in that state. (its been noisy all the time I've had it since 124k and its now on 180k!) And the clutch plate was nearing the end of its life too so its all new now, Also replaced both the idler and tensioner pulley on the other side of the engine and its much quieter now!

[Solentview]

Brianh - can you confirm that the idler and tensioner you mention above are associated with the accessory drive visible in the left hand side of the engine bay, driving alternator and A/C unit(?)? And how would you rate the job for DIY replacement - v. easy, easy, difficult or severe - and are special tools required?

I do not think that the accessory drive in my vehicle has been touched for 12 years/115K miles, and I can see faint cracks appearing in the surface of the drive belt itself, so this may rise to the top of my maintenance agenda in the near future. 

[brianh]

Don't know if the diesel is the same, but on the petrol fairly easy. Single bolt on each on. Had to reuse the bolt on the tensioner as there isn't a pulley available.  The pulley and bearing from the idler is the same though, just a different bolt. But diesel is likely a different setup.

[johnnyroper]

Diesels are relatively easy to do aswell,17mm socket on a long extension to take tension off and pin it in place. Tensioner simple bolt off job. Check the alternator clutch pulley while you are at it.

[brianh]

I did have the idler give up on my first Galaxy, though they do carry on going quite a while before failing. Mine chose the return trip from the MOT station to say it had enough of working and threw the belt off. Only thing that might be an issue is if the tensioner is seized, though the design on the diesel engine may be different, the petrols use a sprung loaded tensioner to keep the belt tight.

[Solentview]

I changed the auxiliary belt on my BRT/PD engine last weekend. I was a bit stumped to begin with because there is an aluminium pipe running for/aft in the BRT bay, underneath the air filter box, which prevents a pin being inserted when the tensioner is moved in the prescribed manner. I did not want to have to work out how to move the offending pipe, so I made up a long lever with a tight fitting socket on the top nib of the tensioner, a 1/2 inch drive adaptor, and double-ended ring spanner and a long 1/2 inch extension bar. The ring spanner was a tight fit on the adaptor and the extension bar was snug fit through the ring at the other end. This arrangement allowed me to move the tensioner very easily with my left hand while i fiddled the old belt off with my right. I then assembled the new belt onto the bottom two pullies (C/S and P/S) and held it up under tension using a luggage bungee. I eventually realised that the easiest way to complete the job was to get the belt onto the alternator pulley and then fiddle it onto the A/C using a short lever.
The socket/adaptor/ring/extension may sound a bit cowboy-ish, but it made the job quite easy, without the pin. So do not despair if you cannot pin - there is always a way!
I used a FEBI replacement belt and it has definitely quietened things down. The old belt was on for 12+ years and 116K miles.