Alternator belt tensioner on Kalina: installation and replacement

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

On Kalina, as on most modern cars, a generator belt tensioner is installed. It greatly simplifies the adjustment and makes it possible even with the minimum skills of the motorist. But this is not its only function. Why else do you need a generator belt tensioner on Kalina? The article provides an answer to this question. Information is also provided on the tensioner device, its most frequent breakdowns and replacement.

Adjustment methods

Currently, there are three main ways to tension the alternator belt in cars:

1. With the help of a special arcuate bar. In this case, the generator has two attachment points. One of them is an axis around which it can move within small limits. The other is a nut on the adjusting bar. If you release it, you can move the pulley to the required distance. This method is now considered obsolete. It is mainly used on VAZ classics.
2. The generator is moved by rotating the adjusting bolt. Such a systemhas become widespread in cars of the tenth family.
3. With tensioner. This is a special movable roller resting against the belt between the pulleys of the generator and the crankshaft. It is equipped with a screw mechanism. By rotating it, you can adjust the pressing force. This is exactly the alternator belt tensioner for Lada-Kalina.

Benefits of tensioner

What didn't the designers like with the previous adjustment methods? Why did they add an extra video? It's not just about convenience. The tensioner significantly increases the resource of the generator. Without a roller, all the load falls on its bearings. If the belt is tensioned normally, then there is nothing to worry about. The generator in this case will serve many thousands of kilometers. However, very often car owners tighten the belt, and this is bad.

The load on the bearings increases many times, so they quickly fail. In itself, this is not so scary and expensive, although repairing the generator is quite laborious. But the car owner does not always recognize the breakdown in time. The bearings gradually “break”, the rotor shifts and begins to cling to the stator winding. The result is the need to purchase a new generator. Of course, the belt tensioner pulley of the Kalina generator can also fail, which happens quite regularly, but this is only 400 rubles, not twelve thousand.

Design

The main element of the tensioner is the pressure roller. It's made fromplastic, and a sealed bearing is pressed inside. The roller is mounted on its own bracket, which, with the help of a threaded stud, is able to move in a vertical plane. This ensures the necessary moment of pressure on the belt. To prevent the bracket from moving spontaneously from engine vibration when the car is moving, the stud is tightened with a lock nut from above. The whole structure is placed on the generator bracket. It has two holes for attaching the Kalina generator belt tensioner.

Most common faults

During operation, the surface of the roller is constantly in contact with the generator belt. In addition, it is in continuous rotation, which imposes additional requirements on the reliability of its bearings. The tensioner bracket is also subjected to a large load. Hence the main faults:

• Bearing wear. It simply exhausts the installed resource or becomes unusable due to dust and dirt getting on it.
• Damage to work surface. As already mentioned, the roller itself is made of plastic. Despite the high wear resistance, it often does not withstand loads. This manifests itself in the form of scratches and chips, which quickly render the alternator belt unusable.
• Misalignment. This means that the belt and tensioner are at some angle to each other. Alignment can be broken both in the horizontal and vertical planes (due to the curvature of the bracket). This is always the cause of rapid wear of the belt and theroller.

Often the cause of the malfunction is the driver himself. When trying to make an adjustment, he forgets or does not loosen the locknut enough. As a result, the stud hexagon breaks off, and the Kalina generator belt tensioner fails.

Signs of malfunction

Pretensioner damage is usually easy to diagnose. It is often visible visually. Short-term operation of the car without an alternator belt helps to fix the problem. This often allows localization of damage. You should think about replacing the Kalina generator belt tensioner in the following cases:

• Traces of rust and corrosion on the roller axle.
• Characteristic whistle during engine operation.
• Alternator belt short life.
• Curvature of the roller relative to the belt.

If the cause of the malfunction is precisely established, you can proceed to its elimination.

Replacing tensioner

The device consists of several elements, each of which is removable. Therefore, the need to replace the assembly of the Lada-Kalina alternator belt tensioner does not occur so often. As a rule, it is associated with mechanical damage to the bracket and stud.

Replacement work must begin with the preparation of the tool. A special variety is not required, enough keys for 8, 13 and 19. Replacement is carried out in the following sequence:

1. The tensioner locknut is released with a 19 key.
2. Using the 8 key, rotate the pin clockwise. Here you need to be careful and not put much effort. If rotation is difficult, it is better to loosen the locknut a little more.
3. The pin is released until the roller stops acting on the belt.
4. By unscrewing the two bolts by 13, you can completely remove the tensioner.

Here you need to pay attention to one point. Bushings are inserted into the mounting holes of the tensioner. When removed, they often fall out and are lost, and they may not be on the new tensioner. Bushings are necessarily included, but not everyone knows about their existence, so they do not check when buying. Installation of the Kalina generator belt tensioner is carried out in the reverse order. The pin is tightened with a force of 0.18 kgf/m.

Forced tuning

Unfortunately, since 2011, the designers have abolished the tensioner on Kalina. At the same time, they were guided primarily by considerations of economy, but they did this without any refinement of the generator. In practice, cases of its premature failure immediately became more frequent. Therefore, the owners themselves began to install the tensioner on their cars.

This is not very difficult to do. True, you will have to purchase not only the tensioner itself, but also the generator bracket. The only problem is the dismantling of the standard belt. It is very difficult to remove it, as it is very tight at the factory. It can be simplycut, as you have to buy a new one. The fact is that the belt of the Kalina generator without a tensioner has a size of 820 mm, and 880 will be needed.