Engine Drivetrain 1st Gen Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: Now I Know Why Belt Tensioner Stops Break...

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  1. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #39 minsanity, Jul 27, 2013
    Just a lil bump....Can anyone point me to a vendor, a link or anything to help our quest for Goodyear Stretch or Gates Micro V Horizon Stretch Fit in 6PK1370 to 6PK1390 sizes? We've at least 2 R53s willing to be guinea pigs for this mod.
     
  2. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    #40 Dave.0, Jul 27, 2013
    That's easy, just search Amazon.

    BTW~ I don't think any MINIs vendor has "Stretch" belts.

    Good luck with your experiments and let us all know how it goes.
     
  3. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #41 minsanity, Jul 27, 2013
    Thanks, Dave. Been searching w/o any specific hits. Purpose of this experiment is really to share results.....We'll see once we hurdle the belt search challenge.
     
  4. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    #42 Savvy, Jul 27, 2013
    It can... but you are better off buying the whole asembly.

    I actually went so far as to contact Stabilus about the cost to replace that little effer. One of their suppliers got back to me with a price that made me laugh hysterically.

    It's not that "cheap" $-wise anyway.
     

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  5. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    #43 Dave.0, Jul 27, 2013
    I have offen thought about braiding a bunch of office rubber bands together to get just the right tension and resistance and the rubber will absorb and damper any movement.

    I call it the Office Depot Mod. :idea::lol:
     
  6. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #44 minsanity, Jul 27, 2013
    Hehe, won't that slacken the belt, Dave? The Stab-o-shoc should dampen both tension & compression.
     
  7. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    #45 Savvy, Jul 27, 2013
    read the spec sheet I posted. the tensile force generated is only 10N worth. compared to the 200N of compressive force.
     
  8. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #46 minsanity, Jul 28, 2013
    Thanks for the damper spec sheet, Savvy. Much like most dampers, resistance is greater on compression to prevent too much spring bounce. Too bad, they're not exactly durable & are priced ridiculously higher than a tensioner assembly.....Thanks, BMW MINI!

    The search for those Stretch belts continues....:fingerscrossed:
     
  9. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    #47 ScottinBend, Jul 28, 2013
    The cost probably has to do with the fact that this engine may be the only one to use that size/spec of damper.
     
  10. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #49 minsanity, Jul 29, 2013
    Help me comprehend why those longer rear hatch struts are way outpriced by the much smaller tensioner damper. That won't just be about supply & demand?

    Gates Micro-V Horizon Stretch Fit
    Contitech Elastic V-Ribbed Belts
    Goodyear Stretch
    Dayco ELA

    Searched all the above & never came up w/ details on our belt size equivalent.
     
  11. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    #50 Metalman, Jul 29, 2013
    ^^^ Because they can...

    Spend $160.00 to keep a $17,000 MINI up and running....
     
  12. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #53 minsanity, Jul 29, 2013
    I've changed the damper once though. After about 45k mi. A poll might show its average life. How often have you guys done yours?
     
  13. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #54 minsanity, Aug 7, 2013
    Just an update. I've tried how the drive felt w/ a busted tensioner damper, how new it felt w/ a new tensioner.......Dug into my tensioner assembly today for inspection. Damper resistance still good.
    Decided to swap it w/ the adjustable Alta. Marked the tiny stock tensioner stop above the spring as base for proper belt tension......
    Guess what....It felt better than when having a new damper. Call it psychological, but drive was way smoother. Alternator voltage saw consistent maxima/minima. Idle fluctuation range seems more limited.
    This is my 1st impression on test, not yet a recommendation. We'll have to see how this does long term.
    I'm still in search of those STRETCH Belts! Help me.:beer
     
  14. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #55 minsanity, Sep 11, 2016
    Update....after a lil over 5k mi of non-track use...my Stabilus tensioner damper is limp....dead...AGAIN....
    P_20160909_130445_zpssaayfjwt.jpg
    Renewing that 3yr old quest for 6PK1374-1388 StretchFit equivalent for a tensioner delete experiment.....Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, guys.:)
     
  15. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    #56 Dave.0, Sep 11, 2016
    See my other post to your duplicate post in another thread.

    Buy a new tensioner from Amazon. Tensioner a wear out just like belts, brakes and tire's. The little shock is not the only part that fails.
     
  16. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #57 minsanity, Sep 11, 2016
    But 5k mi is like oil change interval....unlike belts, brakes & tires, Dave.....& they're no longer $80 in Amazon.:(
     
  17. ZippyNH

    ZippyNH Well-Known Member

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    #58 ZippyNH, Sep 11, 2016
    My best guess...
    A stretch to fit belt will not work on a MINI S due to the extra load of the SC...hate to be the Debbi downer on stuff...but maybe I'm the voice of reason....the fact that gen1 cars are a shrinking market.... doesn't bode well for many more changes beyong the "homebrew" type of changes....
    SURE, those belts work fine with an alternator and air-conditioning compressor....but you are likly doubling or trippling the load with a SC....
    Just make the best of it...heck....my car was still on the OEM unit with about 100,000 miles and 10 years....might have swapped it if I kept it....but I'm thinking cheaper units might get a junk strut to save a few $$....
     
  18. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #59 minsanity, Sep 11, 2016
    Thanks, Zip. We'll never know til we try. Stretch belts weren't used during the time the gen1s were designed. Might be worth giving it a shot. Worst thing is going back to stock. You reckon cheaper tensioner assemblies hook in a differently made or inferior Stabilus damper? Hmmmm.
     
  19. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    #60 Dave.0, Sep 12, 2016
  20. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    #61 minsanity, Sep 12, 2016
    Salute yah, Dave. Thanks for dragging me back center.:)
    Now, can anyone confirm if that Merc damper would have the same length & bolt holes as our Stabilus 5754PR? A stronger damper would probably be better.
     
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