C16xe Fanbelt

[samb12]

Hi all, i have a slight problem with my nova, which i am hoping one of you can help with - so hit me with some knowledge!

My fan belt snapped last night on the way home (why do they always snap at night when you need your lights!) the cars been converted to a C16Xe by the previous owner, i popped down to the local motor factors who gave me a belt for a corsa gsi - attempt to fit it onto the car today the length seems slightly to short and way its way too wide!

ive had a google and seems to be that once the engine has been fitted in the nova, the alternator has to be mounted differently to when it was in the corsa (due to the air con and PAS) - is this true??

does anyone know what belt might fit or the best way to find out? Im not even sure what year the engine is and alot of the places all dont want to know unless i have the reg number.

Thanks, Sam.

[chrisd1986]

Got a pic of your pulleys matey? And do you have your old belt still as the motor factors could try and match it up for you with one off the shelf

[samb12]

Chris thanks for the reply, ill get some pictures of the pulleys tomorrow and post them up, all i can remember from messing around earlier is the bottom pulley is pretty big and the one on the alternator is small haha, the old belt is on the M1 somewhere!

[chrisd1986]

No worries matey, another suggestion is to wrap some rope around the pulleys the same way that the belt would and use that as a mesurement guide for a belt. Dose it have a self tensioner or it that done by the alternator?

[craig green]

/\ As aove you can mock up a belt with cable ties or string to calculate the length, if it is tensioned manually its easier to approximate. It sounds like you have the old type single-V belt which all Novas had, length varies. Depending on who/how the engine install was done there is no standard length obviously.

[samb12]

This is what I have, the alternator can be moved 15-20mm as it's bolted onto a bracket that it can slide along, the belt needs to be about 900mm in its shortest position... But seems very thin! What size thickness do they come in? And does anyone know the standard nova belt sizes? Thanks for the help

[jeremy fisher]

I lowered the alternator to fit mine, and by chance the standard Nova belt fitted, so might be worth a try.

[jeremy fisher]

Oh, and its an alternator belt! Surprised nobody else has commented on that.

[samb12]

Think it's sorted now. Got a belt from parkers 900mm by 10mm, fits and been out for a a while tonight and has stayed on.., yeah alternator belt, fan belt, drive belt....... I just picked one and ran with it.
Thanks for the help and advice.