Hi everyone, hopefully this will be my last "help" thread here for a while!

I just finished installing the new belt tensioner on my 91 Chevy Cavalier (4 cylinder). That was supposed to have been the hard part. Now, believe it or not, the serpentine belt will not fit on! I am about 1 inch short of being able to get the belt over the idler pulley when I turn it clockwise to the install position. I never had troubles installing the belt on the old tensioner.

I tried both the old and the new belt. I even swapped idler pulleys. Nothing. And there is no way to adjust the belt tension on the new tensioner by removing the pulley, unlike with my old tensioner.

Until I get this problem solved, I am stranded. Either that, or drive with no belt and limit myself to short trips (to prevent engine overheating) while recharging my battery every night (to make up for the alternator not doing it).

Isn't this ridiculous??!! How do I get the new belt on? I can't believe this!

The tensioner was from Advance Auto Parts, btw. Made by Dayco. Same one Auto Zone has. And I really don't want to get a GM one and have to uninstall/install it again, as it took me 11 hours the first time! Mostly sitting on the ground exasperated at not being able to access or align/install bolts, or getting pissed that bolts and tools were getting lost in the engine compartment!!

:)

Julie

Try going to the parts store and explain the problem. They will more than likely let you try a slightly longer belt and see if it will slip over the pulley. I'm assuming the new tensioner doesn't have the same amount of travel as the original.

First, cover the basics
Is the belt the right one? Is the belt on correctly?

Assuming it is:

Install on this tensioner should take less than an hour.

Maybe this will help.

1. Disconnect battery, remove Belt and the Alt.
2.Remove large bolts holding tensioner plate to cylinder head.
3. Use 1/4 inch drive rachet and small socket to remove three bolts thru hole in Power Steering pulley.
4. Ease the install of the new one by loosening the
powers steering pump a little. Then place the new one in there and start the large bolts to hold it in place. Get the three small bolts put in through the Power Steering pulley. Then tighten the large bolts and retighten the Power Steering pump.
5. Reinstall the Alt and battery cable.
Good Luck.

Try going to the parts store and explain the problem. They will more than likely let you try a slightly longer belt and see if it will slip over the pulley. I'm assuming the new tensioner doesn't have the same amount of travel as the original.

Hi Cletus, thanks! The travel for both tensioners seems to be the same, but on the new tensioner, the pulley is in a slightly different postion, about an inch off. I think this is the problem.

I will try your idea though, and see if they have a longer belt. I need about 2-4" more inches.

Julie

First, cover the basics
Is the belt the right one? Is the belt on correctly?

Assuming it is:

Install on this tensioner should take less than an hour.

Maybe this will help.

1. Disconnect battery, remove Belt and the Alt.
2.Remove large bolts holding tensioner plate to cylinder head.
3. Use 1/4 inch drive rachet and small socket to remove three bolts thru hole in Power Steering pulley.
4. Ease the install of the new one by loosening the
powers steering pump a little. Then place the new one in there and start the large bolts to hold it in place. Get the three small bolts put in through the Power Steering pulley. Then tighten the large bolts and retighten the Power Steering pump.
5. Reinstall the Alt and battery cable.
Good Luck.

Hi, thanks for the tips! Yes, both the old and new belts are the same length, and neither fits. The routing and seating is correct (I have done this numerous times before on this car, so I know for sure, plus there is a diagram right there next to the alternator). The tensioner is installed correctly (can only go one way), and the PS pump is installed fine (otherwise I would not have been able to torque the 3 mounting bolts).

The thing is the idelr pulley is about 1" off on the new tensioner, and this is where the problem is, I believe. I will either have to get a longer belt, or order the tensioner from GM (doubt the dealer has it in stock), and then reinstall it all over again. :(

In the meantime, I will have to limit myself to short, beltless trips. :)

Julie

Ok, this is what I have learned so far. The idler pulley on my car is fed by the PS pump pulley at 8 o'clock and the crankshaft pulley at 6 o'clock (assuming the idler pulley is in the center of the clock), so the longest distance from the middle of these two feeder pulleys to the farthest point on the idler pulley would be from 7 o'clock pointing at 1 o'clock. So rotating an idler pulley, for example, clockwise towards from 1 o'clock to 2 o'clock would make the distance shorter, hence, easier, for the belt to be installed.

So I compared the old and new belt tensioners. On the old, GM tensioner, the line from the center bolt of the movable tension part to the bolt for the idler pulley is pointing towards 4 o'clock. So when you move the pulley clockwise towards 5 o'clock to put the belt on, the distance becomes super shorter (the shortest distance would be if it were pointing at 7 o'clock when turned clockwise).

But on the new, aftermarket tensioner, the line from the center bolt of the movable tension part to the bolt for the idler pulley is pointing towards 12 o'clock! This means when I turn the idler pulley clockwise to 1 o'clock, the distance actually becomes *longer*, and even harder to put the belt on!! This is unreal!!

There is no way to adjust the movable tension part on this new tensioner, unless I were to pry the over off?? But I unbolted the movable tensioner part from the old GM tensioner, and it appears you can only install it one way, assuming the designs are the same. So there would be no way to adjust this on the new tensioner anyway, so this has to be a design flaw for the aftermarket part. Unless I am reading the mechanism on the old tensioner incorrectly? I can't figure out why the old tensioner does not work, or how exactly it is supposed to work in the first place. I think there needs to be a spring to return the pulley when it reaches the farthest clockwise point, but the spring there is not long enough. The official Chevy shop manual has nothing about rebuilding a belt tensioner.

So it's either live with the design flaw and find a new belt, or get a GM tensioner and try to return the other tensioner to the store, even though it is all dirty now from the installation!

Julie