Power steering

[Haribo!]

got a 16v gti now, has power steering which has recently had a new belt, it sqeaks when on full lock and also abit when moveing i when sat  still so basically when its working hard i guess....  the seller told me it probably needs tightening up would this solve it? also how do i go about that? will it be obvious when i look at it?

[Uruk Hai]

The belt on mine squeals a bit on full lock, I think a lot of them do. I know this is a bit boring but you should try and avoid turning the wheel while the car is stationary and don't hold it on full lock if you can help it.

[Dizzie]

you'll need to loosen off the 13mm's that hold the pump to the carrier and then there's a smaller one halfway down the belt which will move the pump to tighten the belt.

[jezza16v]

Hi, I would assume it has been squeaking/slipping for quite a while, if so the belt will be worn & polished. First thing to do is get a new belt of the right size. There are three bolts to 'loosen' from the mounting to the pump to allow the pump to rotate for adjustment, one is almost impossible to see and tricky to get to from the thermostat side. For once there is a good 'blow up' in the Haynes manual. You do not have to undo the long bolt below the alternator, it is not the pivot point. I struggled for ages with mine until I realised  Once you have the three bolts loosened there is a 'wind up' type adjuster. The belt has to be very tight to stop it slipping, this belt does a lot of work because it drives the water pump as well. Although it appears so, the alternator belt does not drive the water pump at all, the double pulley on the water pump has a 'slip' flange so the alternator belt runs independantly of the PAS belt. 

[Veedubgt18v]

i did not know that had wondered that before lol

[Agreeable Slick]

tbh you only need to undo 2 13mm hex top screws. One on either side of the pump to move it around. Jack the front of the car up, take the drivers front wheel off for ease of access, and then just work from the drivers side wing. It's not hard at all, i had both the PAS and Alternator belt changed on a mates 8v within an hour. Just use a breaker bar to pull the PAS belt as far forward as possible to get it extra tight. They will need tightening again after they have been fitted if you drive it for a day or so.

[Veedubgt18v]

i did not know that had wondered that before lol

the slip flange thing that is lol i knew how to tightten me belt lol

[Haribo!]

as said above the belt was recently replaced but it is loose as you like! so ill probably tackle that sometime soon, any idea how tight it needs to be, i dont want to over do it? or do i?

[jezza16v]

Well... its hard to say how tight, but you don't want 12mm of play in it like the alternator belt, I mean, it needs to be tight but not 'twanging' like a guitar string. Its tight enough when the squeal has gone I suppose....!  I take your point that the belt is recent, but if that's a month old say, and its been slipping for all that time then it will be worn and polished. For the sake of a fiver and peace of mind I'd stick a new one on while its all loosened up. 

[Agreeable Slick]

there should be no more than 5 mm of play in it in the middle when tightened ideally.