Noisy Air Pump (1986, 302 Windsor)

[Archangel]

I got gatorback belts, just told them I need the 560 one with the 6 ribs. To make sure it fits I even wrapped an old one around the pulleys and cut it to desired length, it matched the 560 belt perfectly.

Thain, our belt routing should clear the pump without any issues, Rob's problem is cause the belt runs from the crank pulley directly to the A/C one and thus hangs a little lower than necessary - the way we have it the tensioner makes the belt goes way up there, so there's no way it bothers the air pump anymore.

[RobClark]

Here is the one I got:

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?t=8506

[RobClark]

Ivan D:

GOOD NEWS: Got the short belt on with the routing show in your pic. Thanks.

BAD NEWS: There is absolutlely no way I can get the bolt in that adjusts/tightens the tensioner. The Tensioner is at the end of its travel (100% 'down') and the belt seems (luckily) at the right tension.

Details:
The tensioner is mounted on a triangular piece of metal. The left side has a pivot bolt (stud actually that goes thru to the AC compressor foot). There is a 2nd bolt that slides up/down in the arc behind. You tighten that bolt (from behind) to set the tensioner position. It is that 2nd bolt that I can not get on. The hole I need to screw it into does not appear in the 'arc'....not even close.

Am I missing something here guys?

At this stage - it is only the pivot bolt holding the tensioner plate in place - and I am worried if the belt stretches even a tiny bit - it will start slipping.

Rob The Aussie

[Archangel]

Rob, drive it like that for a while, when you hear slipping then it's ready for the tensioner bolt - get a long breaker bar with a 1/2 square and put it in the square hole on the tensioner's triangular arm, get a buddy to help you and make him/her yank on the breaker bar pulling towards the right of the car, that will make the tensioner swing up and eventually bring the threaded hole into position where you can put the bolt in. There is another trick you can do, but I wouldn't reccomend it too much - take the pivot bolt off and screw the other one first but don't tighten it (this will allow for some flexing of the triangular plate), then move the tensioner arm aroun until you can slide the pivot bolt in too, then start tightening the two bolts and the tensioner will strtaighten itself - that's actually how I did it on my car, but belt was already pre-stretched, on a new belt it might not work.