Just got back from a week away & thought I'd get the old jalopy fired up ready for work in the morning. To my surprise it struggled to turn over.
The battery is about 7 years old. I only do a 6 mile commute, the cold weather, with lights/heater fan/rear screen on most of the time. So I thought give it a jump start & maybe invest in a new battery. I connected up the jump leads & she fired up straight away. Great I thought, WRONG. There was a loud screech & she ground to a halt.
So with an inch of snow on the ground I jacked her up, removed the rear wheel & cover. I put a 24mm ring spanner on the alternator pulley & it moved freely. Strange I thought. I turned the engine over with the spanner no problem. So I jumped in, turned the key & she started straight up, no noise.
The only lubricant I could find in the shed was a spray can of 3in1, not the best option but I thought better than nothing. So I gave the alternator a liberal spray & started her up. I left her to idle whilst I put the wheel on etc.
The only thing I'm a bit worried about is how much damage I've done to the drive belt. I inspected it & couldn't see any damage, but it must of got hot as it slipped on the pulley. Another job to do when the weather warms up!
I'm guessing the alternator pulley got hot with the belt slip, which in turn expanded the shaft slightly & by the time I got to it with the spanner, had shrunk & unseized itself.