chineydupes

Any dyno results??

redpoint

I just ordered this from the group buy last night, but now I'm wondering how it's a good deal when people were getting it for $280 a few years ago.

I'm hoping I don't notice more noise, because our cars are noisy enough to begin with. I really bought the thing just for the experience and to see for myself if it can improve fuel mileage.

Did anyone with these pulleys find improved fuel economy? I would think that accelerating quicker, even if just marginally, would give a marginal return in fuel economy.

2nd page, and elsewhere of this thread.

chineydupes

Jtso, why do we have to remove th alternator? We can't remove that pulley without taking it out? And what use is that plastic orange thing? Thank you!

JTso

iTrader: (2)

You don't have to if you are able to hold the pulley in place while removing/installing the nut. The orange thing is a strap wrench to keep the pulley from moving when using the impact gun.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Well, prices change over time, it is a deal, I promise. How else could we get 30+ people?

eg5

iTrader: (4)

it would seem that all the voltage readings would still be the same. i mean the crank pulley is decreased in size but all the other pulleys are increased, so in a sense wouldnt everything be the same?
also is there an advantage to swaping in a non vibration absorbing pulley? isnt the factory pulley lined with rubber to actually absorb the cranks vibrations?

808havok_tsx

just want to clarify:

UR's documentation recommends gates k070683 69.09" or 1755mm.
i bought the belt today and the dimensions on the packaging is 68 7/8" or 1750MM.

when i try to mock wrap the belt around the pulley, there is *ever* so a tiny-itty-bitty space on both sides but the belt seems to sit perfectly in the grooves...

can anyone confirm this is kosher?

curls

I'd think that's fine. As long as all grooves are mated with the ribs on the belt, it's cool.
The tiny bit of gap between the edges of the pulley and the belt is likely to prevent squeaking and/or deterioration of the belt on pulleys with a ridge on the side. All of the friction the belt needs is from the v-grooves and ribs anyhow, not the edges. You want the edges to remain untouched so they don't begin to fray, as fraying leads to belts snapping!

Kennytops

with this write-up, putting this pulley on is more simple than I thought. Great write-up and I hope to have this setup done soon

808havok_tsx

that makes perfect logical sense... thanks curls!

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Just updated the voltage test chart to better illustate the effect when each additional load is being added to the electrical system, and the same load being tested at the specific rpm range.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

I take it you are still running around with no problems, right? I am loving mine!

Years and mileage check on who has the most use of their pulleys?

Itchytoe

Have had my UR pulleys for about a year and a half, and 60,000 miles. No problems at all.

zidenx

iTrader: (1)

Tried installing the pulley's today. Ran into a problem with the alternator pulley nut not wanting to come out. Neighbor was helping and he only had a 120lbs impact wrench that we used along with the strap wrench. Strap wrench would not hold the pulley and the impact wrench was too weak to snap the nut off. After about an hr we found some penetrating oil. Soaked that nut for about 1 hr came about tried it again, still a no go. Soaked it again for another 10 mins and finally it came off. After examining the nut, the threads were stripped a little so now I have to wait until Honda gets it in tomorrow. Nothing was damaged on the pulley bolt.

Also did the starter crank trick. Worked like a charm.

For those having trouble removing the bottom alternator bolts, removing the passenger side fan helps out a lot. It's very easy to remove and there's so much more room to work with after.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

How bad is the damage on the threads? You might be able to repair it with the correct size die from your local hardware store.

zidenx

iTrader: (1)

I'd rather just buy a new nut. It will screw on if I gave it enough force though.

808havok_tsx

pulleys were installed today by a friend of a forum member (former acura tech) earlier today.

everything seemed fine until later on today i noticed a rougher idle. call it a vibration if you will. still idles at 700rpm. in neutral its a little better. the whole car vibrates... doesn't matter if i have radio or a/c on/off... haven't noticed any dimming of headlights or anything... i have the correct belt... i haven't had time to check but i'm hoping its something as small as adjusting belt tensioner. i'm going to take a look tomorrow morning.

any ideas otherwise?

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

It probably has to do with the fact you have an automatic. Those things are so sensitive to vibrations at idle.

808havok_tsx

if that's true... that sucks. it just lost the "luxury" side of things and feels like a cheaper honda now...

anyway, i noticed that the belt tensioner is nice and tight - arrow is to the left most edge of the little square divot (closest to the large rectangle). i didn't notice any wobble from the belt or any of the pulleys. i did notice the engine itself vibrating a little bit every now and then. it vibrates enough where i can feel it through the seat, armrests, pedals, etc...

i also noticed a liquid leak at the bottom of the big black hose you see in pic; right under the alternator:


closeup:


i did notice it dry out when i turned the a/c off... i've never really paid attention to that area before so i can't say if that's a new problem or not... anyone with UR pulleys notice this? or this normal a/c condensation or something?

Simba91102

Could someone tell me what the advantage of this mod is (aside from that they look cool)? I read the first page and didn't find it, and to honest, don't feel like analyzing the other 8 pages.

808havok_tsx

me me me!

other than the vibration, i'm honestly a believer lightweight pulleys work. my butt-dyno says so anyway.

basically, it helps acceleration. you do NOT "gain" torque/hp; you free up what you have... so far, butt-dyno says car will rev easier and faster, coasts easier, accelerates faster, downshifts/decelerates smoother, steering wheel also got a little bit lighter but feel is still there. its a subtle but definite change. if i can only get an answer to this vibrating issue i got, this mod is a keeper!

Simba91102

OK, thanks.

808havok_tsx

closest thing i found on the intarwebz is on the civicforum.com...

a poster there reports:
i have no idea what he means by "funky"... and i don't run any custom sounds or anything...

808havok_tsx

here are more observations in case any guru wants to chime in:

with the car in "P", a/c on, motor looks like it vibrates more. noticeable on the belt tensioner; almost looks like it pulses adding more pressure to the entire belt. UR pulleys look straight with no wobbles. hard to tell if belt is running straight; if there is movement, i'd say its a milimeter left/right movement.... engine shakes enough where i can see it shake the front motor mount, which in turn would vibrate the entire car. car does idle in "D" at 700rpm; sometimes will even dip to 650rpm. idle in "P" is at 750rpm-800rpm.

with a/c off, the vibration is not as bad. belt tensioner doesn't pulse as obviously and the vibration is minimal but still there...

what'd ya'll think? try new belt? re-torque crank pulley? i'm driving it gently to see if ecu needs to "relearn" how to use the pulley... so far, no real change... if i can't get this settled, as much as i love the mod, i may have to get it removed since this is my DD and reliability and longevity mean more than "performance"...

this is all on the assumption that the UR pulleys i have is machined right and is straight and true...

Cochism

Any gains noticed?

curls

No, there's just 9 pages of talk surrounding a product that doesn't deliver anything.

Yes, there are gains. Quite good ones, actually, especially when rating them on the bang-for-the-buck scale.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Cochism, the TL pulley definitely gains power as well.

StealthTSX

Wow, you need to take a math course!!

Thecrazytrains

I know you don't have an answer for this problem yet, but could replacing just the crank pulley with an aluminum one of the same size raise any problems for an 5AT? I never really took the transmission into consideration until now.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

You won't have any problems whatsoever installing any of these parts (although I do get a tad more noise from the belts, it is sort of a non-issue).

buddylie

I installed these pulley last week and I'm getting some extra engine vibration as 808havok_tsx mentioned. Its a bit rougher at idle and while revving. I also don't feel much difference from the butt dyno. If anything, it feels a tad slower ~2000-3000RPM but livelier in the upper revs. Im not sure how to make sense of it, but thats what my butt tells me. I'm pretty disappointed so far and I'm going to run an oil analysis during my next change. if it does affect wear at all ill have no qualms taking these off

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

I have been doing oil analysis on my engine since I got the car and noticed absolutely no change whatsoever after pulleys were put on.

Also, Butt dynos are not known to be really reliable. I know mine sucks ass. I can say that I did not notice a dramatic increase either but there are definite times when the engine just feels lively and I am sure a lot of that has to do with the few little mods I have, such as the pulley set.

Oh, and zero vibration increase that I can tell. Check your front and rear engine mounts (actually remove the brace/stopper on the top of the mounts and see if they are torn). I HAVE seen this problem come up in customer cars. The UR pulleys are made nicely. Don't be too quick to judge based on circumstance or speculation.

buddylie

Now that you mention it, I think it may be something wrong with my mounts... The installer couldnt get the crank pulley off with the gun so he used a breaker bar and was pulling it parallel to the ground instead of perpendicular, so the engine was moving quite a bit in a direction the mounts arent designed for. I sure hope this isnt the case but the symptoms are there...

I'm not sure what to look for examining an engine mount - will it be visually obvious if they are bad?

kdawg123

does this mod do anything for fuel economy?

rexdale_tiger

Looks great! Im planning on doing this mod next and this will definitely help.

feuss2

iTrader: (1)

Excellent analysis!

Note that 13.8V~14.7V is the range of charging voltages for sealed lead-acid batteries (and the number of readings in the range before and after this mod).

ellocobryan93

where can i buy this set for my car ?

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Most of the gains are from the crank pulley; the accessory pulleys might add 1 hp.

We have the crank pulley in stock for $200 shipped to the cont 48 US if interested. Just send payment via Paypal to excelerate@sbcglobal.net and specify what you're ordering.

Ga16sentra

great thread

MtnBkr

Just completed this mod and am very happy with the performance gain. I have an '04 AT and the difference is definitely noticeable. I agree with one of the previous posters, I notice the gains at half throttle and pulling onto the freeway.

I used the starter method to remove the crank bolt and it worked flawlessly.

Also, I took the advice of one of the previous posters and removed the electric fan from the passenger side. This made it much easier to work on the alternator. I put a piece of cardboard against the radiator to make sure I didn't damage it.\

Also, per the instructions, make sure you wash the pulleys before install to remove any oils from production.

Here's another view to show the size difference between pulleys. From left to right: Crank, Power Steering, Alternator: