Serpentine belt help
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 370
Likes: 3
From: Tucson Az., Dickinson, N.D.
Serpentine belt help
Well I'm finally bloodying my hands with my first C4. Yesterday the belt slipped off and I cant put it back on. This does not bode well for future C4 repairs.
Where do you release the tension? I have a C4 repair book and an FSM.
The consensus is that there is a tentioner that is recessed that i need to loosen in order to loosen so I can can have some slack. After bloodying my hands and finally loosening it, nothing happens.
The FSM makes it seems like you have to loosen or remove the idler pulley as well?
What everyone claims "easy as pie" or ten minute roadside job has me with a useless Vette in the garage.
What am I doing wrong?
Any help would greatly appreciated.
Wade
Where do you release the tension? I have a C4 repair book and an FSM.
The consensus is that there is a tentioner that is recessed that i need to loosen in order to loosen so I can can have some slack. After bloodying my hands and finally loosening it, nothing happens.
The FSM makes it seems like you have to loosen or remove the idler pulley as well?
What everyone claims "easy as pie" or ten minute roadside job has me with a useless Vette in the garage.
What am I doing wrong?
Any help would greatly appreciated.
Wade
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,227
Likes: 697
From: Clifton Park, NY ............Clearwater, FL ... 85 Original Owner
Well I'm finally bloodying my hands with my first C4. Yesterday the belt slipped off and I cant put it back on. This does not bode well for future C4 repairs.
Where do you release the tension? I have a C4 repair book and an FSM.
The consensus is that there is a tentioner that is recessed that i need to loosen in order to loosen so I can can have some slack. After bloodying my hands and finally loosening it, nothing happens.
The FSM makes it seems like you have to loosen or remove the idler pulley as well?
What everyone claims "easy as pie" or ten minute roadside job has me with a useless Vette in the garage.
What am I doing wrong?
Any help would greatly appreciated.
Wade
Where do you release the tension? I have a C4 repair book and an FSM.
The consensus is that there is a tentioner that is recessed that i need to loosen in order to loosen so I can can have some slack. After bloodying my hands and finally loosening it, nothing happens.
The FSM makes it seems like you have to loosen or remove the idler pulley as well?
What everyone claims "easy as pie" or ten minute roadside job has me with a useless Vette in the garage.
What am I doing wrong?
Any help would greatly appreciated.
Wade
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,884
Likes: 0
depending on the year you can use a 1/2 breaker bar on early ones or go to Auto Zone and borrow a sepentine belt removal tool for the latter ones, its an easy job you may need an extra set of hands to put it on while you man the tool.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,884
Likes: 0
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
From: Charleston SC
Wade,
If you have a 91, you have one of two tensioners.... either a 1/2 ratchet to pull the spring tension, or someone may have used a bolt style tensioner. If it's that, you'll put a 15mm wrench on the pulley bolt to release spring tension. As a note though, a serpentine belt should never "slip" off. If you threw a belt, check all your pulleys to make sure you dont have a loose bolt or bad bearing. I'd take a good look at your water pump pulley (unless you're running an electic water pump)... that's the most common cause of a thrown belt.
If you have a 91, you have one of two tensioners.... either a 1/2 ratchet to pull the spring tension, or someone may have used a bolt style tensioner. If it's that, you'll put a 15mm wrench on the pulley bolt to release spring tension. As a note though, a serpentine belt should never "slip" off. If you threw a belt, check all your pulleys to make sure you dont have a loose bolt or bad bearing. I'd take a good look at your water pump pulley (unless you're running an electic water pump)... that's the most common cause of a thrown belt.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 370
Likes: 3
From: Tucson Az., Dickinson, N.D.
Sorry guys its a 92. Is the serpentine belt tool give you leverage to move it?
All I did was loosen with a 14 mm deep socket untill finger loose. I thought then i could just move everything closer to move the belt over the top.
All I did was loosen with a 14 mm deep socket untill finger loose. I thought then i could just move everything closer to move the belt over the top.
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
From: Arlington Heights IL
Serpentine Belt Install
If you have double sided serpentine same as my 93 LT1, you can follow these steps. Using 5/8" long box wrench (11") and a work glove apply pressure to tensioner. Taking off Air Intake provides more room. Do not loosen tensioner assembley bolt just move tensioner pulley enough to slip belt into place. Good luck!
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Drifting
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,884
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Racer
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 438
Likes: 14
From: Tucson/Santa Paula AZ/CA
2017 C4 of Year Finalist
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,908
Likes: 3
From: Supreme Soviet Peace-Loving Pipple's Kollektive of Seattle Wa
If you have it finger-loose, it sounds like you're working the tensioner mounting nut, not the tensioner adjuster nut......
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 370
Likes: 3
From: Tucson Az., Dickinson, N.D.
Thanks guys she's going. I was doing everything but the OBVIOUS lol
I was taking everything apart to fix instead trying to create a fulcrum to lift :-( lol idiot ...but I learned something and know what to carry under the seat.
Thanks to everyone for trying to help a noob.
Wade
I was taking everything apart to fix instead trying to create a fulcrum to lift :-( lol idiot ...but I learned something and know what to carry under the seat.
Thanks to everyone for trying to help a noob.
Wade
