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Wedge TR8 Alternator Belt

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RSMTR8

RSMTR8

Jedi Trainee
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I need to tighten the belt. Can anyone tell me the best way of doing this?


I see a bolt towards the bottom of the alternator, it looks to me like I would just loosen that one, and pull it tighter? Or do I need to loosen the 2 bolts on top as well?


Thanks!


Rod
rsm@loumarks.com
 
there is a slide that is connnected to the alternator. Follow it down toward the crank pully and you will see where it is tighted down. How to get it tighted required pulling up on the alternator while having some one re-tighten the bolt on the pulley. I would suggest looking at Woody's shop, he has a device that replaces the slide and you just crank on it to tighten the belt. I really want one if his new alternator brackets.

I am hoping some one comes up with a serpentine belt system.
 
The slide is towards the bottom of the alternator, and looks like an arm coming off it, correct? So just loosen that one bolt, and have some one pull on it while I retighten it?


Thanks!


Rod
 
You have to loosen the top two bolts as well. The alternator pivots on those bolts. Use a pry bar to pull the alternator tight then tighten the lower bolt first. After that one is tight, you can go ahead and retighten the top bolts. If you try to do it by only loosening the lower bolt, you stand a good chance of cracking the alternator bracket. Common for them to break right at the top pivot bolts, and those brackets are made from unobtanium. Going rate for a used one is 50 to 75 bucks. The bolt you need to loosen on the bottom goes into the timing cover thru a stand off bracket. It goes thru the alternator swing arm and has a couple of thick washers behind it. They tend to freeze up. I just did one last week, and I had to heat and cool the bolt at the timing cover several times before it would budge.
 
All perfect descriptions of the task. You need tighten the belt because it squeals? Especially when you first start the car in the morning?

I did this on my car last year. The alternator bearing was failing and would spin and squeal sounding like the belt. Once the car warmed up and the bearing settled in it stopped.

Just an observation.....
 
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