Air conditioning drive/pulley belt

1995-98 Models

1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal.
2. Remove the splash guard on the right side of the vehicle.
3. Loosen the alternator belt idler pulley.
4. Slip the drive belt off the alternator pulley.
5. Remove the four air conditioning compressor mounting bolts.
6. Remove the radiator fan and fan shroud.
7. Move the air conditioning compressor forward.
8. Disconnect the alternator harness connector.
9. Remove the alternator mounting bolts, and lower the alternator from the vehicle.

To install:

1. Hold the alternator in place and install the mounting bolts.
2. Plug in the alternator harness connector.
3. Move the air conditioning compressor back into location.
4. Install the radiator cooling fan and shroud.
5. Install the air conditioning compressor mounting bolts.
6. Place the drive belt on the alternator pulley.
7. Tighten the drive belt to the proper tension with the idler pulley.
8. Install the splash guard.
9. Connect the negative battery terminal.

Proper belt tension is important. A belt that is too tight may cause alternator bearing failure; one that is too loose will cause a gradual battery discharge and/or belt slippage, resulting in belt breakage from overheating.

ok check to make sure your drive belt is on or in good condition,if it is check your crankshaft damper pulley

Have a load test done on the battery . Check battery posts and terminals are shiny clean and tight.. Check the alternator drive belt condition and tension because if it drives both the alternator and the power steering pump it indicates a belt problem.

Remove the alternator/power steering pump and water pump drive belt to gain access to the air conditioning drive belt.
To remove and install the air conditioning compressor drive belt, first loosen the tensioner pulley lock nut, then turn the adjusting screw to raise or lower the tensioner pulley assembly Accessory Drive - 3.3L Engine or Accessory Drive - 3.5L Engine To adjust the air conditioning drive belt, loosen the tensioner pulley nut and adjust belt tension by tightening adjusting screw. Torque pulley nut to 54 N•m (40 ft. lbs.) after adjustment.
The Poly-V generator/power steering belt has an adjustable tensioner pulley located on the timing belt cover Accessory Drive - 3.5L Engine to maintain proper belt tension. To remove or install this belt, Release tension by loosening the tensioner pulley nut and adjustment bolt Accessory Drive - 3.5L Engine Reverse procedure to install and tighten belt to specified tension.

I had a problem like this. My alternator tested good, but the no charge light came on a lot.

My pulley had a wobble, It looked difficult to replace the bearing so I replaced the alternator
with a second hand one from the junkyard that was in good condition. Then the no charge
light didnt come on anymore.

Check the alternator pulley while the car is running and look for a slight wobble of the pulley.
Also, remove the belt and pull up and down on the pulley to check for movement. Im not certain
this is your problem, but it sounds very much like the problem i had with the same symptom.

And have the battery tested at your local auto parts store.

The ancillary belts routing diagram for a 1998 VW Passat 1.8 Turbo


AC = Air Conditioning
CS = Crankshaft
F = Fan pulley
G = Generator
PAS = Power Assisted Steering
T = Tensioner pulley
WP = Water Pump

1. Viscous coupling removal (lock the viscous coupling).



2. Lock the ancillary drive belt tensioner.



3. Lock the coolant pump.


4. Remove the coolant pump drive belt.
5. Remove the ancillary drive belt.
6. Release the A/C tensioner if vehicle is equipped with A/C (Air Conditioning).
7. Remove the A/C compressor drive belt.

Check for low power steering fluid, a broken belt (there is a belt that connects the engine's main drive pulley to the power steering, alternator, air conditioning, etc. pulleys) or your power steering pump went bad and will need to be replaced.

A/C Compressor Belt

1. Remove the alternator/power steering and water pump drive belt to gain access to the air conditioning belt.
   

2. Loosen the tensioner pulley locknut, then turn the adjusting screw to raise or lower the tensioner pulley assembly. Remove the belt.
   

To install:

1. Install the belt.
   

2. To adjust the belt, loosen the tensioner pulley nut and adjust the belt tension by tightening the adjusting screw. Tighten the pulley nut to 40 ft. lbs. (54 Nm) after adjustment.
   

3. Install the alternator/power steering and water pump drive belt and adjust.
   

4. Start the engine and check for proper belt alignment and any abnormal noise.
   

I recommend having the battery and charging system checked out. Car fax is great but it will never beat a good technician.

If the brake and battery light are illuminated then you should have your alternator tested. It is possible that your charging system is failing in some way. Make sure your belt is on the engine. If the belt is on then make sure it is in good condition and tight. Make sure battery terminals are tight. Have the charging system tested.