Serpentine Belt Alignment Issues on an 08 Mini Cooper S R56 turbo

[Amiee]

I had a bad clunking noise coming from my drive belt tensioner when I started the car cold. So I replaced the drive belt tensioner thinking it got old. While replacing I noticed the alternator pulley wasn't even aligned with any other pulleys. So moved the alternator over as much as possible to be aligned, got it aligned after some small modifications. Well the next morning I started my car and the noise was back and the belt started to shred. Replaced the belt hoping it had a defect, nope and the noise is back. All pulleys are in working order and bearings are good. Any help would be great this car is going to drive me nuts. I cant even drive it at the moment.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

If a new belt started to shred, obviously something was overstressing it or physically scraping on it.

Start looking in the area for anything that might be coming in contact with the belt, especially anything that you might move or remove (e.g., a cover) to access the belt area. Use a mechanic's stethoscope or a plain piece of hose to listen all around the belt area while the engine is running. (Obviously be careful not to let the hose get caught in anything moving!!) Try to isolate exactly where the noise is coming from. Visually inspect the pulleys as the engine runs to see if there is anything not moving or turning irregularly.

It is possible that your alternator is causing problems. I can imagine that it being out of alignment with the belt could cause excessive wear or damage. But check before you throw another part at the problem; if it turns out to be something else that would just be money and work wasted.

--DD