Straight Six belt tricks?

[tanman]

I’ve never swapped a belt on this bullnose. My 94 had the nice tension serpentine setup. What dark magic is required to loosen and remove the belts?

I need to replace the alternator belt with a smaller option. The new aftermarket part doesn’t put enough tension on the belt.

Complicating things further is my aftermarket dealer AC compressor.

[Gary Lewis]

In your case it looks like the A/C belt has to come off before you can remove and replace the alternator belt.  But both A/C compressor and alternator appear to swivel to tension the belt.

Can't tell from the pics, but some provide a square opening into which a breakover can go to provide the leverage to get the belt tight.  Otherwise you'll have to use a pry bar.

[ratdude747]

The alternator belt is a pain to put it lightly. The only way I got mine to behave was to replace the belt and alternator (my pulley was worn), and tighten with a pry bar against the top of the frame (tire irons work great for this!) You may have to retension in a day or two as the belt settles.

That said, do note that A/C has a different alternator belt than no A/C, as does the 70A+ alternators compared to the 60A and lower ones.

[tanman]

Thanks for the reply. After installing the new alternator it seems the belt needs to be a smaller size. The part number ends in 440 and I’ve learned this equates approximately to inches in length. I’m going to get *430 and *425 belts and see if they fit better. The alternator is a power master, one wire from Summit. I expected some small issues but didn’t expect to need a smaller belt.

That said, I need to remove the other belts and just spent another hour trying to figure it out with no luck.

I will keep at it.

[Rusty_S85]

tanman wrote

Thanks for the reply. After installing the new alternator it seems the belt needs to be a smaller size. The part number ends in 440 and I’ve learned this equates approximately to inches in length. I’m going to get *430 and *425 belts and see if they fit better. The alternator is a power master, one wire from Summit. I expected some small issues but didn’t expect to need a smaller belt.

That said, I need to remove the other belts and just spent another hour trying to figure it out with no luck.

I will keep at it.

If the belt is a 440 your best bet would be the 430.  the 425 would probably fit but it would be a pain to force it over the lip of the pulley.