its usually the alternator pulley that causes this

 

Mine is moving a little lets say 20 to 30 degrees. As above I thought it was the clutch pulley on the alternator but that turned out fine.

How much/how violently is yours moving back and forth?

 

Does it look/ sound similar to mine

Rob

 

'I would say it's moving back and forth about an inch or so.
Is yours moving in the video stylee? It doesn't appear to be?'

 

Yeah only slightly, changed cam belt last week and it started think it was used to the cam belt not having as much tension on it or something, deffo alt pulley on mine as been getting occasional dash flicker and the sound goes when I rev.

Sound awful when idling :-/

 

'The alternator pulley needs a special tool to change it doesn't it? Is it a fairly easy job do you know?'

 

3 x 13mm bolts I think. Not hard at all

 

'Cheers, I've had the tensioner off before now. The pulley, I've found the removal tool for that. However I've just turned the car on and turned steering on full lock both ways and there is no squeeling, is it still likely to be the pulley? Or has it not gone enough yet.'

 

would this sort the problem out? or seem too cheap ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-GENUINE-VW-GOLF-MK4-T5-POLO-LUPO-AUDI-A3-TT-ALTERNATOR-PULLEY-038-903-119-B-/281094153981?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item41728466fd

 

[quote user="Supernova190188"]

would this sort the problem out? or seem too cheap ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-GENUINE-VW-GOLF-MK4-T5-POLO-LUPO-AUDI-A3-TT-ALTERNATOR-PULLEY-038-903-119-B-/281094153981?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item41728466fd

[/quote]

This is only a pulley for the alternator.

Put your reg into Euro Car Parts - there is an tensioner at about £50.Pretty sure you cannot remove the pulley from the tensioner. Its the auto tensioner part that goes not the bearings in the pulley

 

To test your alternator pulley to rule that out, remove the serpentine belt. Lock the armature of the alternator by inserting a screw drive through the cage to jam the movement. Then turn the pulley. It should only go in one direction. If it goes in both or none at all then its goosed.

 

/ backwards with slight resistance

 

'But shouldn't the tensioner be ok ? The pulley just causing it to move? I tried before and read that I you spin the pulley then you should feel a bit inside move with a slight delay but there isn't as you spin the pulley sharply it's solid, nothing else spins at all.'