B&D belt sander - belt misaligned

[xelaris]

My B&D belt sander worked fine for 5-6 years of occasional usage...but recently the belt doesn't keep parallel with the guides and is digging a small grove in the plastic of the sander casing. Re-aligning the belt works for a few seconds and then the belt keeps working at an angle different than 0.
I suspect the rubber cylinder which carries the belt might have loosen its original shape slightly - enough to drive the belt at a different angle...
Is there a way to rectify this problem or I have to look for a replacement?

 

[Burnerman]

In the absence of a tracking control knob, it would seem that the roller has lost its crown i.e it is no longer raised slightly in the middle.
Crowning is essential in any type of linishing machine to keep the belt tracking true.
John

 

[xelaris]

In the absence of a tracking control knob, it would seem that the roller has lost its crown i.e it is no longer raised slightly in the middle.
Crowning is essential in any type of linishing machine to keep the belt tracking true.
John

I've just found out the roller can be bought for about £4.99 + delivery - it's a reasonable price....but I wonder if this is the only cause.
I had a close look to the sander and the roller in question looks very uneven with one side more worn than the other (this might explain a lot); but I've also noticed the smaller roller on the other side is out of shape (to a much lesser extent).
If I have to spend more than £15 to repair (or partially repair) an existing sander, I might consider to buy a brand new one altogether (at least I'm sure I'll have a fully functional and efficient sander with a warranty too).

 

[Burnerman]

Life was ever thus.....if it was a professional machine costing a couple of hundreds or so then a repair is quite feasible......for a diy tool it is debateable
if a repair is worthwhile.
John

 

[Dave54]

I'd agree with John. It's probably better to get another.
The spares on a professional model would be more than the price of a DIY one. The gearbox went on my ELU. My fault, forgotten to grease it. They dry out. Kit of parts was about £60. Happened to go into Lidl the same day, Parkway belt sander £25 or £30 with 3 year warranty. To be fair I wasn't using it all day every day on site, but it still did a fair bit of work furniture making, smoothing down the tops on stools I used to batch produce. Doesn't get used so much now, but it's still going strong. When it packs in I'll get another of some sort, unless I come across a knackered ELU with a good gearbox of course.