Well due to Covid and time the dealer arranged for a local garage to carry out this task. so i am not able to do a write up. i know it was a full days job and they did take the front end off to gain good access (They have done them before and found this way better for them) it took the 8 hrs to complete in total. Also according to the manual from WiKi removing the front end avoids having to discharge the AC so you can split the pipe running across the front of the housing. this needs to be done to remove the housing of the fan so you can remove it from the top of the engine bay.
below is a pic of the main belt you can see it was on its last legs
I have to say the car is very quiet now i think there was more noise than just the squeal. I got back all the parts changed and some of the bearings are quite noisy but the plastic parts all seem to be in good order i am tempted to replace the bearings in them and sell them on!!

great write up - was just doing the oil cooler and happened to look down and notice the belt was running right at the edge. When i levered it up to take the tension off you could see the lateral movement in it. Once i got it off, on the back of the tensioner the housing was actually cracked.

There's no need to split the AC pipe, just unbolt it from the fan shroud & there's plenty of flex in the rubber hose to allow the shroud to comeout👍


Rob. 2011 (MY12) 4.4 TDV8 Vogue
2016 Golf GTI PP

Gone
Audi A4
VW Passat
VW Corrado G60
VW Golf GTI
BMW E30
Mini
Vauxhall Chvette

John w wrote:

Hi,
adding this here as this seems to be the go-to thread for tensioner / belt replacement.

I'm replacing my belt and pulleys as the belt came off this week.
A couple of things that might be helpful to others.

- removing the airboxes is necessary, but not the upright plastic air tubes, they just need unbolting so they can be pushed out the way.
- it is easier to get the tensioner bolts out / in (especially the top left one) if you remove the top right pulley first. You can then clearly see them and get a hold of them (less risk of dropping them).
- it is possible to change the belt without having to remove the fan / cowling, and no need to drain down the cooling system, but you need a bit of patience.

In order to replace the belt with fan / cowling in place you need to:
- unplug the fan connector, unclip it from the housing, and feed it out of its location into the fan blades, gently pulling it through them a bit.
- You can then pass the old belt over the fan between the blade and the housing, which will also be in front of the cable too now. Getting the new belt in the same way.
- It is necessary to remove one bolt on the aluminium coolant tube located behind the fan, bolted to the front of the engine. This is necessary regardless of how you do it. Its an 8mm bolt, and a nightmare to get to with the fan in place, but doable. You are likely to drop this bolt, so stick a nail or something to the head of it once loose to make it easier to get a hold of (don't use too much glue as you will need to remove it later). Put a bit of card up the front of the engine from below to help guide it out when you do drop it, saves trying to find where it went multiple times.
You then lever the bracket forward a bit to get the belt between the bracket and engine.
Use the nail/whatever attached to the bolt to help you get it back in and the threads started. Then you can pull it off so you can tighten it up with a socket / spanner.

Hope that helps.

The 'chirp' on my belt is driving me mad. Had the lot replaced last year but think I spilt oil on it while topping up without a funnel. Tried everything to clean / degrease the belt in situ but the noise just comes back so may have a go at this. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

I have had the belt tensioner mod done. The chirp started when it got cold in December.

I still have the chirp now. 10ºC here in the mornings on the car temp gauge. No affect to performance in any way.


. 2012 L322 4.4 TDV8 AB low mileage - a peach
1986 V8 Defender 90 County ex-Swiss Army - Red everything....

My preferred Independent: Roy Hardy. R & B AUTOS LTD, 20 Brook Road, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2BH 07500 866775‬ (Ex LR Chief Technician)

Last edited by Range Rover L322 on 24th Aug 2022 9:48pm. Edited 1 time in total

Is there a 'mod' for the standard tensioner to stop the chirp? 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

John w wrote:

Hi,
adding this here as this seems to be the go-to thread for tensioner / belt replacement.

I'm replacing my belt and pulleys as the belt came off this week.
A couple of things that might be helpful to others.

- removing the airboxes is necessary, but not the upright plastic air tubes, they just need unbolting so they can be pushed out the way.
- it is easier to get the tensioner bolts out / in (especially the top left one) if you remove the top right pulley first. You can then clearly see them and get a hold of them (less risk of dropping them).
- it is possible to change the belt without having to remove the fan / cowling, and no need to drain down the cooling system, but you need a bit of patience.

In order to replace the belt with fan / cowling in place you need to:
- unplug the fan connector, unclip it from the housing, and feed it out of its location into the fan blades, gently pulling it through them a bit.
- You can then pass the old belt over the fan between the blade and the housing, which will also be in front of the cable too now. Getting the new belt in the same way.
- It is necessary to remove one bolt on the aluminium coolant tube located behind the fan, bolted to the front of the engine. This is necessary regardless of how you do it. Its an 8mm bolt, and a nightmare to get to with the fan in place, but doable. You are likely to drop this bolt, so stick a nail or something to the head of it once loose to make it easier to get a hold of (don't use too much glue as you will need to remove it later). Put a bit of card up the front of the engine from below to help guide it out when you do drop it, saves trying to find where it went multiple times.
You then lever the bracket forward a bit to get the belt between the bracket and engine.
Use the nail/whatever attached to the bolt to help you get it back in and the threads started. Then you can pull it off so you can tighten it up with a socket / spanner.

Hope that helps.

Attempting this shortly but trying to find out where to do a partial coolant drain, the WM has this:

Without sounding like a a partial coolant drain is gonna depend on how you you drain , I did a full drai no of the system and removed everything the first time I had the belts changed this time I have done it without draining or removing any of the coolant system. It is horrendous to do it as I have fat arms and big hands and space is limited . You can change the main belt and tensioners without stripping out fan etc . But if you want to change the small belt you will need to remove the fan assembly.

That oil cooler you have the picture from will be seen the second you remove the lower plastics beneath the engine bay from underneath the car

Thanks I’m doing it all including fan belt so it looks like I’ll do a drain from that point. Was just puzzled at what that box in the pic was had a suspicion but wanted to make sure.

just changed my water pump which meant belt off, and fan and shroud. its quite a big job, lots of hidden bolts. and getting the water pump off the front of the engine was tricky, as I had to make a bracket to allow me to hammer it away from the engine, without hitting the radiator. its all back, and running fine. (except the coolant level float has gone faulty. so get the warning etc.). he-he. one job leads to another!

This thread makes interesting reading. I've just ordered all the pulleys and belts to do mine. Just waiting for LR025988. Doing the water pump as well. I've gone for genuine parts. Trying to get rid of an engine speed related whine.
Anyone found a particular dodgy bearing in anything they've changed?

this guy, does the alternator, and takes the fan and cowl off, and does his pulleys, whilst the opportunity is there. the water pump is just 4 bolts, but its hard to prise it away... it needed a 'U' shaped plate bolted to the pulley wheel holes to allow tapping it forward. good luck.