Fan belt dilemma

[TR Rob]

As a new member and proud owner of a TR3A which is 63 years old, Oli am trying to put a few spares together that could be used if I have a roadside problem !

I thought a spare fan belt would be a good idea, the belt on my car is 17mm wide and with a length of approx. 1 metre. 
Now the problem starts….the clearance between the radiator and what I presume is the starting handle spigot on the crankshaft pulley is a lot less than 17mm , in other words I can’t fit a replacement belt unless I I undo the radiator or move the engine back! Both scenarios I would not want to undertake at the roadside. To immediately reassure myself I have bought a suitable length of 17mm Powertwist belting.

Has anyone on here had the same experience and is there a solution that I have not thought of !

Comments gratefully received

[Lebro]

Yes,a common subject on here.

Normally the problem is clearance between the crankshaft pulley extension, & the center track rod, this is usualy got over by putting the steering on full lock. In your case it sounds as if your rad is closer to starter dog than usual. Can you push the engine back at all, against its rubber mountings ? If you can achieve the required gap, insert a spare belt & cable tie it out of the way, so you can move it into position easily if needed.

A longer term fix is to change to narrow belt pulleys.

Bob

[RogerH]

Hi Rob,

the convenient (expensive ) way is to do the thin belt (and pulleys) mod

Or at your convenience at home fit a spare belt in position  but held out of the way with plastic ties.

As for spares in the boot  - anything that can be sorted readily by the road is a good start. On long journeys consider more complicated spares that may not be available locally

Multimeter and tools to fit the spares.

Credit card, Road rescue membership.

 

Roger 

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

The one thing that got me home recently was a length of wire.   To replace the failed exhaust rubber strap.   The cable tie I tried melted and stank of melted plastic.  
 

[Z320]

Or you use a good "Flennor 20x900" belt and very shure never have to change it.

Or you keep a power twist "17" belt (expensive) as a spare.

Edited August 30, 2023 by Z320

[TR Rob]

Thanks for all the advice, my main problem is clearance between radiator and the fan extension on the crankshaft pulley. As I have an electric fan and no hole in my radiator to put a starting handle through, could I unbolt the fan extension from the crankshaft pulley, thus creating ample clearance for a wide fan belt…. just asking ?

[RobH]

You can't get the fan extension off without removing the crankshaft bolt, and you can't get that out without removing the radiator, and that usually means taking the whole front valance off the car to get access..........

Much easier to slacken off the engine mounts and try to lever it back a bit while you feed the new belt through. It does sound odd though - the gap should be wider than that.

 Is your 17mm fan belt a B-section 'cogged' one?  Those are only 11mm deep, so you don't need much of a gap.

[Charlie D]

3 hours ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:

The one thing that got me home recently was a length of wire.

Something that occurred to me the other day while taking a bath was how useful it would be to carry a few bits of wire, say 1 1/2 yards long and have different sets of connectors on the ends. One with bullets on one end and a croc clip on the other, one with a push on terminals each end, one with bullets each end and so on.
The main idea is to always have something that can be clipped to a live terminal (like the battery ) and then used to hot wire anything that had died. Ignition coil or headlights or whatever. (But first disconnect the normal live feed in case it is shorting out somewhere upstream.)

Electrical problems are so common on old cars, usually caused by a power disconnection or lost earth.

And if needed they can be sacrificed and used as rope to tie something together as Peter says.
Insulation tape (or gaffer tape also has 101 uses)

Charlie.

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

1 hour ago, TR Rob said:

Thanks for all the advice, my main problem is clearance between radiator and the fan extension on the crankshaft pulley. As I have an electric fan and no hole in my radiator to put a starting handle through, could I unbolt the fan extension from the crankshaft pulley, thus creating ample clearance for a wide fan belt…. just asking ?

Have you got a 4 synchro gearbox in your car?   If so the extra gearbox length has been accommodated by moving the engine and gearbox forward rather than slotting the gearbox chassis mount holes and moving it all rearward.

You can slacken the radiator mounting bolts that come up through the chassis and maybe tip or move the radiator forward.   Do not take the bolts out as you will have the devils own job to get them back in, working upside down with the rad shield in place…..

[TR Rob]

Yes, it has a 4 synchro gearbox and that seems to be the problem.

Fan belt is 17mm wide but is not clogged.

Anyone one here got a link or whatever to a 17mm clogged (11mm) deep fan belt that will fit my car (OD is just under 1000mm , I think!)

[RobH]

Here:

https://www.bearingshopuk.co.uk/belts?belt_section_size=46739&belt_smooth_cogged=46748&p=4

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

5 hours ago, Z320 said:

Or you use a good "Flennor 20x900" belt and very shure never have to change it.

Or you keep a power twist "17" belt (expensive) as a spare.

From Bearing Boys in UK.

I used the belting on my Boxford lathe rather than strip the headstock assembly

https://www.bearingboys.co.uk/Power-Twist-Plus-VBelts/B-Section-Power-Twist-Plus-VBelt-17mm--2-Mtr-97397-p

 

I think the complete belt is something like…..900mm length inside ( li) and 975 length outside.

NB.   Do not over tighten this wide type fan belt on a TR.  There should be an amount of slack/deflection on the longest run of about 3/4”.  Get it too tight and it will kill your water pump and generator, very quickly.  Too loose and you will hear the squeal, but not ruin anything.

Edited August 30, 2023 by BlueTR3A-5EKT

[TR Rob]

Thanks again everyone…information gratefully received. 

[TimG]

On 8/30/2023 at 1:12 PM, Z320 said:

Or you use a good "Flennor 20x900" belt and very shure never have to change it.

Or you keep a power twist "17" belt (expensive) as a spare.

 

I decided to go for B Section Power Twist Plus V-Belt (17mm) - 1 Mtr (BB-97396) from bearingboys.co.uk, expensive but my rack steering would require the front of the engine to be lifted to get a regular belt on. Its in the boot should I need it

[Z320]

Hi Tim,

great to hear you follow my advice,

to carry one as a spare in the boot is the best guarantee you never need it.

And most of all, thank you very much to tell as what ever decision you made.
Sadly this is „out of fashion“ at the anonymous internet.

Ciao, Marco 

[Ian Vincent]

31 minutes ago, Z320 said:

Hi Tim,

to carry one as a spare in the boot is the best guarantee you never need it.

Ciao, Marco 

I follow the same principle with things like tape measures and Stanley knives - I have two of each then you can always find one, but if you only have one of something, you can guarantee that will be the one that goes missing or the item that breaks.

Rgds Ian