TRINITONY

Is there a trick to getting the fan belt on over the crank pulley?. Just spent the last 30 mins trying without any luck. It feels as though the belt twisting at the bottom of the pulley.

kjr914

I bought an 18"+ flat bladed screwdriver (whatever the longest Sears had) just to help me get the fan belt past the lower pulley from the top. Is this the problem you are having?

Silver993

You might try running a magnet on a stick down there, to be sure nothing is in your way. I once had a similar problem and found a small object down there.

TRINITONY

sort of, bottom line when the belt is over the crank pulley, the belt can barely go over the 3 holes in the shims, it's almost like the belt is too short, but it's not as I measured it to the original. A bit thicker though. I hope there's nothing at the base of the crank pulley blocking the belt. I'll try a magnet tomorrow to make sure....

mgianzero

I agree with this comment. The belt should slip over the pulley with little effort. Sometimes you have to nudge it carefully with a screwdriver or blunt tip rod. Otherwise there's probably something in the way.

Once the crank pulley side it engaged, put on the pulley halves loosely with the correct number of shims (remember, the more shims used, the looser the belt becomes). It's best to start with AT LEAST the same number of shims as when you took these upper pulleys apart. A new belt will always be shorter because it has not stretched under tension yet.

Make sure not to pinch the belt by tightening the pulley halves down before rotating the pulleys at least 1 to 2 complete turns. You can do this by pulling the DME relay (THIS IS A MUST - you don't want the car just yet) and turnover the car a few times with the ignition key.

Hope this helps -

Marc

TRINITONY

tks..it definitely feels like something is in the way, just by the length of the belt laying next to the shims. The top hole is obstructed by the belt, and the bottom two not close enough for the bolts to catch.

IXLR8

And since it might not be magnetic (an old part of a previously failed belt), use a length of 14 gauge solid house wire to move anything down there out of the way. A good flashlight helps. Anything down there can be vacuumed with a twelve inch length of 1/2" clear vinyl hose stuffed into the end of the crevice tool; it'll at least have it stick to the end of the hose.

TRINITONY

this is how tight the belt is....

mgianzero

Actually that might not be too tight, although I cannot say for sure without being there. This might be a silly thing to think at this point, but realize there are two different size belts for these cars. The inner belt is typically a 776mm length and the outer one is 760mm so make sure you are installing the larger one first.

As long as you can pull the belt above (or out of the way) of the shims when you clamp down the pulley halves with the bolts, then you should be okay. Then turnover the car (DME relay removed) a few times with the bolts somewhat tightened on the pulley halves to get the belt to slide up on the V-groove a bit. Then tighten the pulley halves down again until the pulley halves are tight together. Turnover the car a few more times and see how tight your belt is after its initial stretch. If not too bad, then start up the car and run for a few minutes. Turn off and then check your tension again.

Marc

TRINITONY

too tight to clamp pulley down..

this photo taken from pcar diy, shows the clearance which I don't have...this looks to have a 1/2 inch or more compared to mine which is tight...

IXLR8

It looks like you are trying to fit an alternator belt in place of the cooling fan belt.

Check the part numbers:
Alternator belt - 999 192 343 50 - 9.5 x 760
Cooling fan belt - 999 192 338 50 - 9.5 x 776

mgianzero

If you're off that much, double check the numbers on your belts to make certain you have the same size belt as original.

I also can't say this with certainty, but make sure you are installing the correct INSIDE pulley half on the alternator shaft. It sounds crazy, but it's not that difficult to try and install these pulleys backwards when doing a rush job.

mgianzero

Forget my comments regarding the pulley halves as I can see the cutouts for the bolts on this pulley half makes it the correct one.

But I'm still sticking to my initial impression which is that you have the belts switched. I believe Alex (IXLR8) is stating the same thing I am.

TRINITONY

it's the right belt, longer of the two..seriously think there's something below by the crank pulley that's blocking the belt from going all the way over...

mgianzero

That's strange. Because it looks as though the inner belt is over enough that it's in the correct crank groove.

You could try having someone turnover the car just a turn or two while you watch the belt to see if the crank pulley looks good.