Recently, on my (2000 Accord EX V6), my drive belt started slipping horrendously and making an awful noise out of nowhere, all at once. So i got a new belt. The best was still loose and i realized the bearing in the idler pulley was shot. So I bought a new tensioner. After an hour of cursing, throwing tools, and punching my garage door in the over 100 degree sun, I finished installing tensioner and the brand new belt. Only to find that the belt is still loose and hindering the alternator from properly keeping my battery charged. After crying in the corner of my closet for an hour I decided to make this post to see if anyone could help me diagnose this problem because I dont believe in spending hundreds on a mechanic to fix a problem that I can fix myself. Any ideas are welcome. Thanks

 

Can you post a picture of the installed belt?

If it is still loose after a new belt and auto-tensioner, there are various possibilities.

• Is the belt routed correctly?
• Is replacement belt the correct belt?
• Was entire auto-tensioner assembly replaced or just the tensioner pulley?
• Problem with the replacement auto-tensioner. Where does the auto-tension indicator point with the belt installed and car off? Does the pointer move around with the car turned on?
• Problem with the other pulleys.

See auto-tensioner inspection/replacement instruction:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/at...8&d=1247081781


Belt routing for your car on the attached pic.

 

ride on Redbull! listen to this man cuz he wrote everything i was thinking!good luck an no more crying!lol

 

I think RedBull has got this problem by the horns..let us know if he was right..

WheelBrokerAng

 

Yes the belt is routed correctly as pictured in my owners manual. The replacement belt is a duralast 463K6. yes i know its not the greatest brand but the next one up was double the price. Im 99% sure this is the correct one. The other ones were for p/s and timing belts etc. The entire tensioner assembly was replaced with a brand new one. The new one doesn't have an indicator to my knowledge. I recently found that the alternator would move if i pulled on the metal tab at the top. So I pulled up (which did tighten the belt) and tightened down the upper mounting bolt to the best of my ability. (There isn't much room down there it's hard to do with one person.) However after tightening that, the belt now squeaks again. So I pulled on that tab to tighten it more while the engine was running and the squeak got louder as the belt got tighter. This is confusing me. Do I need to put some kind of dressing on the belt since its a new belt and the idler pulley is new? On a good note, after tightening the alternator, it seems that it is getting enough rotation to properly keep my battery charged unlike before.

 

I'm trying to think which metal tab you're referring to. Is it pictured as part of the these pictures in this other link?
https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...uestion-48021/

Generally, belt squeals are usually related to tension being too loose. Too tight and noise can come from other components such as the alternator bearings. There are other components that can cause noise (e.g., whining, etc.) that are not related to the belt.

With the car off, does the belt tension seem okay? Press down with light pressure with two fingers, then try to twist it a quarter turn. How does it feel? Can you easily do it or not?

If it feels okay, turn on the car and observe the movement of the auto-tension pulley and the other pulleys. Look for excessive movement, wobbling, unusual rotation. Later turn on the headlights and some accessories to increase the load on the alternator and observe and listen again.

It may or may not have anything to do with the alternator; but, Honda put some Delphi brand alternators in your generation Accord V6 that were not very good. Denso brand was better and what they used in most other Hondas.

Another thing you can do is take the belt off and try spinning the pulleys by hand to see if there is excess noise or movement.

I would not recommend belt dressing, I view them as temporary bandages and can cause more problems. Better to address the cause.

 

Well I found the culprit. The mounting bracket that i was referring to is broken as seen in this picture. This is making the alternator drop down and the belt loose. Does anyone know where I could buy one of these or should I just get it welded back?

 

That looks like Honda part number 31113-P8E-A00, alternator stay (bracket), Honda list price $15.52. Be aware local dealers sometimes try to mark-up over list price. Check your local Honda dealership website for parts discount coupons. Or you can try a salvage yard.

 

go to wrecking yard you pull it

 

Found some info. why your alternator mounting bracket may have broken.

If the alternator mounting bolt is cross-threaded or wasn't torqued to spec when the alternator was installed, the stress on the alternator bracket and its mounting bolt can cause one or both to break.

See attached pic. for the info. Note that I highlighted in yellow which mounting bolt to check and possibly replace too.