nile13

First of all, let me thank David for landing me your tools and expertise!

Ray, I've bought an aftermarket Gatorback belt due to time constraints. Perhaps a wrong thing to do, but if it breaks (it was cheap enough and the job was fairly easy) I'll replace it with an OEM one. Interestingly, the Gatorback belt is wider than the OEM belt or other aftermarket belts I've seen. Therefore tension is different. We'll monitor it and see how it goes.

Cab993, I have the original tool kit, but this tool is not there. My car is early '95, April 94 build. maybe that's why. I will pick up a triple square socket just in case, probably. Alsthough a 24mm wrench is also needed, of course.

aam993

I have an alternator belt from Autozone(from the one, which is closest to VIR) and it works perfectly. It has been on the car for about 9 months now and 5 DE days.

nile13

Thanks, Alex, I hope mine will be OK as well.

Was yours also wider than OEM?

aam993

I didn't compare replacement belt with OEM one, because OEM one was shredded, but we installed Autozone's replacement without any problems(disassembled/put new belt/reassembled) and kept all the shims to get needed tension.
The only thing that stands out in my memory is that I initially tried to incorrectly install the belt outer-side in and it didn't fit - it felt as it was too wide.

nile13

Ummm... I didn't realize that it has two different sides :-(

How can one tell?

aam993

Mike, from what I remember grooved rubberized side should face outside for that belt. The belt is trapezoid in profile and wide side of the trapezoid should be facing outward, narrow side - to the pulley.

nile13

Oh, that is obvious to me :-) I was thinki of turning the belt 180 degrees (if teh trapezoid was not symmetrical alonf the vertical plane).

aam993

Good, you started to make me worried...

No, I don't think that is the case.

ColoradoMark

My '95 is at the shop getting the belts replaced right now. I was going to do it myself but the triple square wrench was missing from my toolkit. I have now ordered the bit from snap-on which will work in conjunction witht he 11mm wrench in the toolkit.
One further thing tht my mechanic mentioned was to replace the allen head screws that are underneath the pulley with ones that are less shallow. he said the factory screws are very prone to stripping.