Timing tensioner pulley - do-it-yourself replacement on Kalina?

When to change?

VAZ Lada Kalina vehicles use a belt drive for auxiliary units. On cars with air conditioning, the service life of such a belt is no more than 30 thousand km. On simple versions of cars, the strap can last longer, but most owners try to change it after the same 30 thousand kilometers traveled. For various reasons, the belt may fail earlier, so it must be checked periodically during vehicle operation. There should be no cracks on the working track, and delamination on the outer part of the belt is unacceptable. If such defects are present, we immediately change the strap. Another signal to replace this element is a whistle or other noise when the unit is operating.

The process of replacing the belt on a Kalina with air conditioning (sixteen valves) is presented in a video from the user Alexander.

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 places additional demands on the reliability of its bearings. The tensioner bracket is also subject to heavy load. Hence the main problems:

• Bearing wear. It simply runs out of service life or becomes unusable due to dust and dirt getting on it.
• Damage to the work surface. As already mentioned, the roller itself is made of plastic. Despite its high wear resistance, it often cannot 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 a certain angle to each other. Alignment can be disrupted in both the horizontal and vertical planes (due to the curvature of the bracket). This always causes rapid wear of the belt and the roller itself.

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

Belt and roller selection

Several types of belts are used on Lada Kalina cars.

The type of element depends on the engine model and its equipment:

1. The motor version without air conditioning and tensioner has a belt length of 823 mm. Gates (number 6PK823) is standardly used, but such a part is not supplied as spare parts. To replace it, a slightly different strap is used - Gates 6PK823SF.
2. The version of the unit with a belt tensioner, but without air conditioning is 882-884 mm. Standard part manufactured by Gates (article 6PK882). In addition to it, straps are often used - Finwhale BP6883, Dayco 6PK888 or the cheapest Balakovo belt BRT882.
3. Engine with air conditioning and belt tensioner (motor 11183) - 1018 mm. Standard element manufactured by Gates (number 6PK1018). Alternative options are Dayco 6PK1018 or Continental 6PK1015.
4. The 21127 16-valve engine with air conditioning and tensioner uses a 995 mm belt. The Gates part (6PK995) is supplied from the factory, and it is also used as a spare.

Sometimes when replacing a belt it becomes necessary to install a new tensioner. It is the same for all motors, its article number is 2123–1041056.

How to change it yourself?

The complexity of replacing the alternator belt on Kalina does not depend on the number of valves or additional units on the engine.

Replacement on 8 valve engines without tensioner

Replacing the belt on such an engine is the simplest; the only tools you need are a 13 mm wrench and a short flat-blade screwdriver. Since the tension in such a drive scheme is quite strong, when changing it is necessary to use only a Gates 6PK823SF or Dayco 825 six-V belt with the additional marking POLY-V. The remaining straps are too rigid, quickly collapse and damage the bearing on the generator shaft.

Stages of work

To complete the task you need to do the following:

1. Unscrew the lower mounting bolt of the generator 2-3 turns.
2. Unscrew the nut of the upper fastening, use a screwdriver to push out the bolt and remove it completely.
3. Lower the generator down. The eye of the mechanism must pass through the gap between the radiator and the TV body.
4. Remove the old belt and replace it with a new one. If the strap does not fit easily onto the pulleys, you can carefully tighten it using a screwdriver.
5. Raise the generator up, ensuring the belt is tensioned.
6. Insert the upper mounting point bolt and tighten the nut.
7. Tighten the lower mounting point bolt.
8. Check the operation of the belt.

The repair process on such an engine is clearly shown in the video filmed by the author Ilgiz Magafurov.

Replacement on 8 valve engines with tensioner

Here, the procedure for installing a new alternator belt is very different from that presented above.

Required Tools

To replace the alternator belt yourself, you will need at least the following tools:

• regular or box wrench for 13, 17 and 19 mm nuts;
• a head with a ratchet for 8 mm nuts; if it is not available, an open-end or regular wrench of the same size will do;
• a screwdriver with a thin flat blade;
• thin needle;
• rags;
• white spirit or gasoline, approximately 0.5 liters;
• container and brush for washing;
• CV joint bearing lubricant.

Stages of work

To adjust the degree of belt tension on Kalina engines, a mechanical tensioner is used, in contrast to the timing drive, which uses a hydraulic tensioner. When changing an element, it is recommended to carry out preventive maintenance of the roller by adding fresh lubricant.

To complete the work you need to do the following:

1. Loosen the roller bolt. The thread on it is reversed.
2. Use a screwdriver to pry up the plastic plug on the roller and carefully remove it.
3. Unscrew the fixing nut on the tensioner rod a few turns.
4. Loosen the belt tension by rotating the rod nut clockwise. The nut must be unscrewed until the rod begins to move freely in the seat.
5. Unscrew the side bolt securing the rod end, located next to the tension roller.
6. Remove the tensioner and set it aside.
7. Proceed to dismantle the strap. The procedure must begin with the generator pulley, while overcoming the slight resistance of the belt.
8. Remove the element from the crankshaft pulley and remove it completely.
9. Unscrew the roller bolt and remove it.
10. Using a needle, carefully pry up and remove the protective caps on the bearing. Wash the bearing with white spirit or gasoline.
11. Refill with fresh grease and install protective rubber caps.
12. Assemble all the parts and mount the roller in place. When assembling, you must remember that the bushing is in the bearing on the side of the bracket.
13. Change the belt by installing it in the reverse order - from the crankshaft pulley to the generator pulley.
14. Install the tensioner and begin tightening the belt by turning the nut counterclockwise. The nut must be tightened until the resistance increases. A well-tensioned strap should be slightly pressed when pressed by hand.
15. Tighten the nut securing the tensioner rod.
16. Check the operation of the mechanism; if a whistle occurs, tighten the strap.

Loosening the 17 mm left nut Removing the cover on the roller Disassembled tension roller Bearing with caps removed Cleaned roller Reassembling the unit Tensioning the belt Tightening the control nut

Replacement on 16 valve engines

The difficulty of replacing the alternator drive belt on such Kalinas lies in the need to remove the front engine mount.

Required Tools

• head for hexagonal sprockets size 11 mm or TORX E14;
• two jacks;
• 17 mm socket or wrench;
• 8 mm ratchet head.

Replacement process

During the work process you need to perform the following actions:

1. Raise the car on a jack and remove the right wheel, as well as the protective wheel arch liner and the support boot.
2. Install a safety support under the bottom of the machine.
3. Remove the protective shield under the engine.
4. Raise the engine under the crankcase with a jack. A wooden stand must be placed between the lifting part of the jack and the engine oil sump.
5. Remove two TORX E14 bolts securing the power unit support to the bracket. If the screws are tight, you need to vary the position of the motor with a jack, achieving easy rotation.
6. Unscrew the three TORX E14 bolts securing the support to the side members of the car body.
7. To loosen the belt tension, to do this you need to unscrew the fixing nut.
8. Rotate the nut 8 mm clockwise until the belt is completely loosened. Then you need to remove the strap and thread a new element through the place where the support was removed.
9. If necessary, you can replace the grease in the tension roller. The scheme is completely identical to that described above.
10. Tension the belt by turning the nut 8 mm counterclockwise. The tension should be controlled by hand - the element should bend when pressed.
11. Secure the tension with a 19 mm nut.
12. Install all removed parts in reverse order.
13. Start the engine and check the operation of the drive. To do this, you need to load the belt as much as possible - turn on all electricity consumers and the air conditioner.
14. If a whistle occurs during operation, you must tighten the strap. To do this, with the engine running, you need to loosen the lock and carefully tighten the tensioner rod until the whistle disappears.
15. Tighten the lock nut.
16. If a whistling noise occurs during operation, the belt must be tightened further.

The engine mount is outlined in red. Loosening the tensioner. Arch locker and support boot. The engine mount is highlighted in red oval. Location of the five TORX E14 bolts. Place for support on the engine.

Video “Replacing the belt on Lada Kalina”

The author Kalinin talks about the procedure for replacing the belt on his Kalina with a tensioner.

A few days ago I did a small inspection of my Kalina, and noticed the fact that too much noise was heard from the tension roller of the alternator belt - a kind of rustling sound. It was decided to look at its condition and replace it if necessary. When I loosened the belt and turned the roller by hand, the sound of its operation was too “dry”, and it was heard that it was no longer working as “smoothly” as a normal bearing should work.

In general, it was decided that it was not worth driving further with such a roller and a new one was purchased for 700 rubles, made in Vologda, which is considered a “Factory ORIGINAL” type. But to what extent this is true, I will do a review on my channel a little later, where I will tell in detail and show all the real original spare parts that have been used for more than 50,000 km, and the “original” that is sold in stores.

But for now, let’s look at the procedure for replacing the tension roller. Firstly, it is worth noting that to replace it you will need the following tool:

1. 8mm and 19mm wrench (to loosen belt tension)
2. 13 and 17 mm wrenches
3. Flat blade screwdriver

First of all, open the hood and loosen the tension on the alternator belt. To do this, slightly loosen the large nut with a 19mm wrench and turn the rod clockwise until it is completely unscrewed. We tilt it back so that it is not in the way, having first unscrewed the bolt securing it from below, as shown in the photo.

The result is shown below.

After this, you need to use a flat-head screwdriver or a sharp awl to pry off the protective cap of the roller. This is not very convenient to do, but it is quite possible without much effort.

Under it there is a bolt securing the bearing to the bracket. We unscrew it with a key 17 clockwise, since the thread there is left-handed:

And remove it carefully so as not to lose the bolt, bushing and protective washer:

Now we remove all the above parts from the old roller and install them on the new roller.

Then a washer, which is like a protective cap against the ingress of dust and other substances.

Now you can install the new roller assembly in its place:

Tighten the bolt and tension the belt properly. This procedure can be considered complete. After starting the engine, no extraneous noise is heard from the generator, everything works perfectly quietly! Time will tell how long this “factory” video will last! The price, as mentioned above, is 700 rubles.

Adjustment methods

Currently, there are three main methods of tensioning the alternator belt in cars:

1. Using a special arc-shaped strip. In this case, the generator has two mounting points. One of them is an axis around which it can move within small limits. The other is the nut on the adjustment 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. This system has become widespread in cars of the tenth family.
3. Using a tensioner. This is a special movable roller that rests on the belt between the generator and crankshaft pulleys. It is equipped with a screw mechanism. By rotating it, you can adjust the pressing force. This is exactly the kind of alternator belt tensioner on the Lada Kalina.

DIY replacement instructions

How to change and how to tighten the alternator belt on a Lada Kalina car? If you have already completed a similar task before, then completing it will not take much time and effort. But if you are encountering such a problem for the first time, then, of course, it would be better to entrust this procedure to specialists at a service station. Be careful when performing this task as mistakes can have serious consequences.

Tools and materials

To perform all steps correctly, prepare all the tools and materials that may be required.

• a set of wrenches, you will need wrenches 8 and 13;
• new strap for installation;
• open-end wrench 19 (video author - Kalinin channel).

Stages

After all the tools and materials have been prepared, you can begin replacing the belt:

1. To begin, turn off the engine and ignition and open the hood of your car.
2. The strap itself is located on the left side of the engine compartment. If you cannot find it, then start the engine and look in the engine compartment. The belt itself will rotate on special rollers, you will be able to see it, just do not confuse it with the timing belt.
3. Once the installation location has been found, you need to use a wrench to loosen the bolt that secures the adjustment rod to the bracket. Having done this, touch the RG itself to make sure how tightly it is stretched. This is necessary so that you can objectively assess how to install the tensioner after replacing the RG.
4. When you loosen the nut, you will need an 8-mm spanner; use it to unscrew the adjusting rod, this will reduce the tension. The rod itself must be unscrewed almost to the very end. These actions will allow you to loosen the tensioner tensioner as much as possible. When this happens, you can start dismantling the lower mount; to complete this task you will need a 13 key.
5. After these steps are completed, you will need to move the adjusting rod as high as possible, this will allow you to dismantle the belt. But before you do this, you will need to remove it from the generator assembly shaft. Once you manage to remove the RG part from the pulley, you will be able to completely remove it from the crankshaft.
6. Next, when the belt is dismantled, it should be carefully checked visually. If there are signs of damage on its surface, then, of course, the part must be replaced. The replacement procedure is performed in reverse order.