[drowned12]

In my continuing quest to figure why the hell I've got belt squeal, I'm looking into pulley alignment. Basically, I have a rhythmic squelching noise going on at idle, and a squealing noise that happens when I turn on the AC. I think the too-tight belt that Throwdown sells with the underdrive pulley set blew out my AC pulley bearings in addition to destroying the autotensioner that I already have replaced. (I would never do business with Throwdown again, as they STILL sell the incorrect belt size even after I pointed it out to them in the previously linked thread)

Anyways, moving on since I think the AC squeal is going to require replacing the AC pulley bearing (will be doing this next weekend). What I did was take a straightedge piece of steel and line it up with the power steering pulley and the AC pulley. I then took a picture of the distance between my straightedge and the lightweight alternator pulley, and there's a pretty huge gap:





Could someone check their stock-Accord and tell me if there's any gap between your alternator pulley and a straightedge connecting the AC pulley and PS pulley? I'd rather have some confirmation before I spend $60 on tools to remove the alternator pulley and replace it with the stock one.

 

[drowned12]

So, to bump this baby back up with a conclusion: had to buy an electric impact gun ($35 or so at Harbor Freight) to crack the pulley lock nut off. I tried doing it with a 22mm offset wrench and 10mm socket holding the shaft, but I wasn't strong enough to do it (sore the next day though). The impact gun blasted it off no problem.

Side by side, the groves of the UR lightweight pulley are a different shape than OEM. Spacing and alignment seems identical to OEM , but the grooves are more triangular and less "knife edge" than OEM. Noise has gone away, so we'll see how long it lasts.

Related news, planning on dropping in a high output alternator (240A which is around 2x OEM) and doing the big 3 upgrade. Probably big 5 since the I4 has 2 engine grounds it seems in addition to the tranny ground (from what I could find eyeballing the engine bay).

 

[Stu71584]

where are you sourcing the high output alternator at? looking at adding one as well...

 

[drowned12]

Pitting Mechman against DC Power Engineering at the moment. Mechman is probably going to win. Both seem to be of good repute. Mechman's cable pricing is very reasonable as well.

Mainly I just want to be able to slam a bunch of current into the battery for my short commutes.

 

[Throwdown]

Drowned, just saw your post - if there is another belt that we can stock/offer be happy to do so... we are only selling the belt that was originally tested, sold for several years now to everyone running this kit with success, and is listed on the manufacturers instructions. If they were to change it or find that a certain year/model required a different belt we certainly would change what we offer/carry (possible difference on later models... not sure?)

Hopefully we can sway your opinion that this is not a reflection of our business, this is us stocking/carrying a product that is listed in the manufacturer instructions and many others have used for 4-5 years now.

 

[drowned12]

Drowned, just saw your post - if there is another belt that we can stock/offer be happy to do so... we are only selling the belt that was originally tested, sold for several years now to everyone running this kit with success, and is listed on the manufacturers instructions. If they were to change it or find that a certain year/model required a different belt we certainly would change what we offer/carry (possible difference on later models... not sure?)

Hopefully we can sway your opinion that this is not a reflection of our business, this is us stocking/carrying a product that is listed in the manufacturer instructions and many others have used for 4-5 years now.

As I documented in this thread (with pics):

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=93314

K070709 is the correct belt size for the I4 underdrive pulley.

I'm now trying to figure out why I have rhythmic squelching at idle and squealing with the AC on, hence why in this thread I removed the alternator pulley and put the OEM one back on. Right now it's fixed, but I've had the problem go away with a "fix" only to come back again, so I'm reserving judgement. As much as I might enjoy the performance improvements of a lightweight alternator pulley, an obnoxious squeal pulling into the garage during the summer with the AC on isn't something I can live with.

 

[Throwdown]

As I documented in this thread (with pics):

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=93314

K070709 is the correct belt size for the I4 underdrive pulley.

I'm now trying to figure out why I have rhythmic squelching at idle and squealing with the AC on, hence why in this thread I removed the alternator pulley and put the OEM one back on. Right now it's fixed, but I've had the problem go away with a "fix" only to come back again, so I'm reserving judgement. As much as I might enjoy the performance improvements of a lightweight alternator pulley, an obnoxious squeal pulling into the garage during the summer with the AC on isn't something I can live with.

We'll see if UR can get someone in to test this on a few more models... happy to carry the 09 belt as well for those who are interested in it. We just of course will be hesitant to change recommendation to a larger belt than manufacturer has written without more testing since it has been used by so many for so long and would not want to recommend a larger belt if there was a chance it could slip on some models and cause much larger issues... I completely understand that a larger belt worked for you and may possibly be correct for all, but if it risks the possibility that listing a larger belt causes a much larger issue for any single customer, it's not a liability against the UR instructions I can recommend. I would recommend anyone to ensure their belt is snug and properly installed as this is a critical component.