When I install the new power steering and AC compressor belt, how do I know it's installed to the proper tension without measuring the belt deflection?

I think the answer is: I can't.

What's the problem with an improperly adjusted belt? What am I looking at in the long run? Belt wears faster? Can the belt fall off and leave me stranded?

Short term? Noisiness?

I'm about to undertake this task soon but I'm not sure how successful I will be because the nuts are all rusted and I'm assuming these belts were never changed.

A novel idea just came to me: I was reading the service manual and it appears you adjust the tension using the adjusting bolts. What if I mark the position of the bolts as it is now, install the new belts and restore the position to the way it was before? These aren't automatic tensioners with springs in them so I'm assuming even if the belts changed over time due to wear and age, the tension hasn't right?

Also I just want to make sure the service manual for the 1993 is right. It says to loosen the AC Compressor belt I need to loosen only three things, the alternator nut under the alternator, the upper-through bolt above the alternator and the adjusting bolt below the alternator.

I understand the adjusting bolt but what's the point of loosening the other two?

 

[quote=MessAround;250265]When I install the new power steering and AC compressor belt, how do I know it's installed to the proper tension without measuring the belt deflection?

I think the answer is: I can't.

What's the problem with an improperly adjusted belt? What am I looking at in the long run? Belt wears faster? Can the belt fall off and leave me stranded?

Short term? Noisiness?

I'm about to undertake this task soon but I'm not sure how successful I will be because the nuts are all rusted and I'm assuming these belts were never changed.

A novel idea just came to me: I was reading the service manual and it appears you adjust the tension using the adjusting bolts. What if I mark the position of the bolts as it is now, install the new belts and restore the position to the way it was before? These aren't automatic tensioners with springs in them so I'm assuming even if the belts changed over time due to wear and age, the tension hasn't right?

Also I just want to make sure the service manual for the 1993 is right. It says to loosen the AC Compressor belt I need to loosen only three things, the alternator nut under the alternator, the upper-through bolt above the alternator and the adjusting bolt below the alternator.

I understand the adjusting bolt but what's the point of loosening the other two?[/quote

 

Probably need to pivot the alternator out of the way a bit while it is still attatched loosely to the mounting bracket...

 

A new belt will have different elastic properties then a old one, so marking the bolts will not do any good. I have marked the bolts if Im just pulling the belts to allow access to something and then tightened to the same spot if Im putting the old belt back on. For changing Ive tightened until it was the same deflection as the one on there before. Then started the car and listened to see if squeaked, not very scientific.

 

IMO-on these belts, a little loose is better than too tight, they are not that hard to get to and adjust. Loose they will "squeal", tighten up a tad....too tight no nosie but the the alt goes, then the ps, then the ac....too much load on the bearings. Two cents from a poor man....

 

Yeah but this doesn't have an automatic spring tensioner. So over time as the belts wear down and age, the tension hasn't changed but the belt appears to be doing fine. Doesn't that mean I can just slip the new belt on to the same tension?

I understand that as they age they change in elasticity, but the tension isn't automatic, it's fixed no matter the change in the belt's elasticity. This is confusing.

If I turn the pulley's does it mess with anything? I don't think the AC Compressor or PS pulleys will have a devastating effect if they're rotated during belt installation but what about the crank pulley? I'm not even sure if that can be rotated, might take a lot of effort or a wrench.

I'm also considering cleaning the tracks of the pulleys with brake cleaner. There appears to be black dust and dirt inbetween the ribs of the pulley.

 

do it like poorman says check the tightness on the belts you take off . this will give you an idea. then make the new belts slightly looser. start your engine with the a/c on hopefully you will hear a slight squeel. then as poorman says tighten up a tad. p/s belt put in drive standing still and turn the wheel if it squeels or skips causing the wheel to get stiff " tighten up a tad" I use this method and can't remember when I changed the belts. I remember doing 5 timing belts on this hi miler but not the auxiliary belts

 

Turning the crankshaft with the alternator or power steering belts removed will not harm the engine. You don't want to turn the crank when the timing belts are removed. It does take some force to turn the crankshaft. Turn it in the direction the engine rotates if you attempt to do this.

I agree with poorman. I did the same thing. I would intentionally have the belts loose, then tighten the tension until I had no squeal when I started up the car.

 

x3 with the loose belts. It's very easy to open the hood & tighten the belts slightly. So I'd start with them a bit loose. If they make squealing noises then I tighten them a bit.

If I was a shop working on a customer's car, it would be different. Each time the customer comes back with noisy belts that's not good for my reputation.