Hi I have a 1985 245ti that has noisy pulleys. When I start it in the cold the pulleys not the belts make sound. I was wondering if there is anything I can use to lubricate these. Thanks in advance. :)

Charles 1985 245ti 134K

Beetle,
Ringlee got it right. Never lubricate a pulley! A little belt dressing is okay, but I would speculate your problem is either 1) misaligned pullies or 2) a deteoriating harmonic balancer. My car used to make the same noises... then, during a timing belt change, I replaced all the old accessory bushings (to polyurethane) and the harmonic balancer. Now, she purrs quietly like a kitten. The squeeky noise used to drive me crazy but what you are experiencing is a very common 240 issue. Just make sure the rubber on your balancer is not cracked or rotted because if it fails huge problems result.

The noise is not really a squeeky noise. I can't really think of how to describe it. I was wondering are you saying not to lubricate the thing the pulley rotates on or the pulley. I was thinking of lubricating the thing the pulley rotates on. Also what is a harmonic balancer? Thanks

Charles

Beetle,
Right... there is no need to lubricate the shafts the pullies are connected to or rotate on. That is not where/how the problem originates. The problem is usually pullies that are misaligned due to wear and rot affecting the rubber bushings that center the alternator, power steering pump, a/c, etc... A harmonic balancer dampens crankshaft vibration. Its location is on the front of the motor, right in the center. It has a main pulley on it where all the belts, from the right and left of the motor, pass around. Hope this helps.

I'm not sure about the turbo engine but it is easy to check if your's has a harmonic balancer. Reach down and feel the front of the lowermost pulley on the angine (engine NOT running please). If you find the pulley has 6 fasteners, 2 stud/nuts and 4 bolts heads, the engine has the split sheave pulley and no harmonic balancer. The harmonic balancer is held to the crankshaft by a single large nut in the center of the pulley.

The harmonic balancer pulley has an outer rim, where the belts ride, joined to the inner hub by a layer of rubber which is bonded to both. When the bonding fails, the outer rim can slip with respect to the inner hub making a noise which has been described a a squeal or shreek. If you do have the balancer, you can check to see if the rubber bonding is failing. With white chalk, draw a line from the center of the face of the pulley to the rim. Start the engine briefly, then turn it off. If the two parts of the balancer are slipping, the chalk mark on the hub will be moved from the mark on the rim. If this is the case, you need to fix it right away. It's possible for the whole thing to come apart and do bad things to your radiator, etc..

The most common causes of squeeking in the belts are worn belts and pulleys out of alignment due to worn accessory bushings. My '86 sounds awful and I'm getting ready to replace the belts and bushings. I have had power steering pumps go bad and make a noise too. You can get a mechanics stethoscope for a few bucks at Harbor Freight and use it to listen to the bearings on the power steering pump, the alternator, and the AC compressor. The timing belt tensioner bearing can also go bad which can result in a broken timing belt.

You should never lubricate pulleys. To remove the noise, check them for glazing (which can be removed with sandpaper or a wire brush.) Check the belts for glazing, wear, and correct tension. Finally, check that the mountings have not worn so as to allow the pulleys to become crooked.