I got a little mirror, a flashlight, and found the little tab... I'm not going to be able to do this without removing the center cover. You know why? Because when I mounted that little tab on the tensioner arm last year during the rebuild, I deliberately pointed it away from the belt, towards the cover. I remember being concerned that otherwise the wire might foul the belt. So now that the wire has slipped off, I have no simple recourse. Wizard!

Hoisted on my own petard. I'm working towards removing the center cover now. Perhaps done by this weekend, working in half hour snippets. Dang.

 

It is possible to use a long allen wrench, loosen the bolt, useing a long screwdriver go in from the top and move the spade. The trick is to loosen the bolt enough to move the spade but not so loose it doesn't stay where you nudge it. You will be doing this while viewing with the mirror from the side so it takes some time to get combobulated. Took me about 1 1/2 hours of trial and error but it can be done and you will get pissed.
Good Luck.

 

Hi Thaddeus for a second there I thought you were talking about me and the wife called ya!

 

You can loosen the bolts on the center cover and pull it foward enough to work on this without removing it entirely (which requires the crank pulley and harmonic balancer to come off)...unless you really have the spade in a screwy location. The wire inside the cover is so short there is no way it could have fouled the belt.

 

Well, I think I may have turned the corner. I loosened but did not remove the alternator mounting bracket, loosened but did not remove the center cover, and was able to re-attach the wire. I then did a bunch of reassembly... The car is about back to where I was before the wire came off-- ready for a last couple of engine revolutions, a last check of belt tension, and then button 'er up. Hopefully tomorrow night, assuming no more unexpected turns of luck.

It may rain here Thursday... which would wash away the salt.. Nice weather forecast for the weekend. Maybe I'll actually get to DRIVE that thing.

 

Good going, Thad. Hope you get a nice ride in this weekend.

 

 

Thursday update: it's alive. But no rain yet!

Please rain... please rain... wash away the salt...

RAIN, dammit!