How do you replace/install the alternator belt and set the tension on it?

[Tiki2777]

Just straightup tell me how .

 

[DeadlyScone]

well i only have a 1g dsm but i'm sure they are pretty similar. you will have a main bolt that holds the alternator to the engine block, the bolt has a square flat head on it and on the opposite side there is a bolt that a 12mm socket should fit. there is also a brace that the alternator also hinges on and where it does you will find the adjuster bolt mechanism. so in total you should only have to remove 2 bolts (the main bolt, and the bolt that that's held to the brace) whala. to adjust the tension which if i recall and tell me if i'am wrong your belt should only have about a 1/4 of an inch deflection when you press on it.

Increase Belt Tension
to do this find that adjuster bolt mechanism i was talking about. The bolt that heads in the direction of the hood you will turn this right to increase the tension of the belt.

Please invest on a repair manual for your car, they don't cost that much and will save you a ton of asking and time.

 

[TwiztedEclipse]

1- On cruise control cars, unless you have small arms/hands, you will need to loosen the cruise control modulator and move it out of the way. The CC Mod (might not be the correct term, I will look in up and edit this if it's not) is a round, silver looking thing that is about 3 inches in diameter. It is located roughly just above the alternator. It has a cable coming out of the top of it that is routed to the induction system. There are two 10 mm nuts that hold the modulator to the mounting bracket, and two 10 mm nuts that hold the mounting bracket to the frame. Remove all 4 nuts and relocate everything so that you can access the top alternator mounting nut. I use a tie wrap to hold everything out of the way.

2- You should now be able to see the top alternator mounting nut. It is a 15 mm nut and can be difficult to get on unless you have a longer wrench. Find whatever tool you have and loosen it.

3- On some cars you would pry on the alternator until the belt is tight, then re-tighten the mounting nut or bolt. The system on my car utilizes an adjustment bolt. This bolt is located at the back of the alternator mounting bracket. It is difficult to see, the head points right at the firewall. It has a 12 mm head and to remove slack you turn the bolt as you would to tighten any normal bolt. It can be a turd to get on and turn. I finally got a very small 1/4 inch drive socket/ratchet on it. You really have to cram your arm down in there and pretty much work by feel.

4- Do not over-tighten your belt. If you do you will cause accelerated wear on your belt and/or bearing failure on your alternator. Adjust a bit, check the belt tension, adjust more if needed, repeat. You want the belt to be reasonably tight, but not so tight you cannot deflect the belt with moderate pressure with a screw driver.

5- After you have your belt to the proper tension tighten the top alternator mounting nut.

6- Now back the alternator adjustment screw off about 1/4 of a turn. This helps reduce the binding force in the alternator mount and helps preserve the adjustment screw.

7- Replace the Cruise Control Modulator if present. Watch out, it is easy to drop those 10 mm nuts down into never-never land.

8- Re-attatch the negative battery cable and you should be able to start it up and see if the squeal is gone.

 

[DeadlyScone]

1- On cruise control cars, unless you have small arms/hands, you will need to loosen the cruise control modulator and move it out of the way. The CC Mod (might not be the correct term, I will look in up and edit this if it's not) is a round, silver looking thing that is about 3 inches in diameter. It is located roughly just above the alternator. It has a cable coming out of the top of it that is routed to the induction system. There are two 10 mm nuts that hold the modulator to the mounting bracket, and two 10 mm nuts that hold the mounting bracket to the frame. Remove all 4 nuts and relocate everything so that you can access the top alternator mounting nut. I use a tie wrap to hold everything out of the way.

2- You should now be able to see the top alternator mounting nut. It is a 15 mm nut and can be difficult to get on unless you have a longer wrench. Find whatever tool you have and loosen it.

3- On some cars you would pry on the alternator until the belt is tight, then re-tighten the mounting nut or bolt. The system on my car utilizes an adjustment bolt. This bolt is located at the back of the alternator mounting bracket. It is difficult to see, the head points right at the firewall. It has a 12 mm head and to remove slack you turn the bolt as you would to tighten any normal bolt. It can be a turd to get on and turn. I finally got a very small 1/4 inch drive socket/ratchet on it. You really have to cram your arm down in there and pretty much work by feel.

4- Do not over-tighten your belt. If you do you will cause accelerated wear on your belt and/or bearing failure on your alternator. Adjust a bit, check the belt tension, adjust more if needed, repeat. You want the belt to be reasonably tight, but not so tight you cannot deflect the belt with moderate pressure with a screw driver.

5- After you have your belt to the proper tension tighten the top alternator mounting nut.

6- Now back the alternator adjustment screw off about 1/4 of a turn. This helps reduce the binding force in the alternator mount and helps preserve the adjustment screw.

7- Replace the Cruise Control Modulator if present. Watch out, it is easy to drop those 10 mm nuts down into never-never land.

8- Re-attatch the negative battery cable and you should be able to start it up and see if the squeal is gone.

sounds like a pretty lengthy process to do in 2g's and allot different than a 1g from what you said.

 

[Lou98GSX]

to replace the alternator belt you have to loosen the 12mm lock bolt that's on the adjustment screw block on top of the alternator. then you loosen the 12mm nut on the bottom of the alternator that's on the engine block side. after that you turn the 12mm belt tension bolt counter clockwise until you can unhook the tension bolt from its bracket and push the alternator back enough to remove the belt. put new belt on reinstall the tension bolt back in its bracket and turn bolt till belt is tight but not to tight. tighten lock bolt and lower nut and you are done.

 

[JayB12]

1- On cruise control cars, unless you have small arms/hands, you will need to loosen the cruise control modulator and move it out of the way. The CC Mod (might not be the correct term, I will look in up and edit this if it's not) is a round, silver looking thing that is about 3 inches in diameter. It is located roughly just above the alternator. It has a cable coming out of the top of it that is routed to the induction system. There are two 10 mm nuts that hold the modulator to the mounting bracket, and two 10 mm nuts that hold the mounting bracket to the frame. Remove all 4 nuts and relocate everything so that you can access the top alternator mounting nut. I use a tie wrap to hold everything out of the way.

2- You should now be able to see the top alternator mounting nut. It is a 15 mm nut and can be difficult to get on unless you have a longer wrench. Find whatever tool you have and loosen it.

3- On some cars you would pry on the alternator until the belt is tight, then re-tighten the mounting nut or bolt. The system on my car utilizes an adjustment bolt. This bolt is located at the back of the alternator mounting bracket. It is difficult to see, the head points right at the firewall. It has a 12 mm head and to remove slack you turn the bolt as you would to tighten any normal bolt. It can be a turd to get on and turn. I finally got a very small 1/4 inch drive socket/ratchet on it. You really have to cram your arm down in there and pretty much work by feel.

4- Do not over-tighten your belt. If you do you will cause accelerated wear on your belt and/or bearing failure on your alternator. Adjust a bit, check the belt tension, adjust more if needed, repeat. You want the belt to be reasonably tight, but not so tight you cannot deflect the belt with moderate pressure with a screw driver.

5- After you have your belt to the proper tension tighten the top alternator mounting nut.

6- Now back the alternator adjustment screw off about 1/4 of a turn. This helps reduce the binding force in the alternator mount and helps preserve the adjustment screw.

7- Replace the Cruise Control Modulator if present. Watch out, it is easy to drop those 10 mm nuts down into never-never land.

8- Re-attatch the negative battery cable and you should be able to start it up and see if the squeal is gone.

I think that one is for the 420a. Because the cruise control is nowhere near my alternator on my turbo model.

 

[TwiztedEclipse]

yea its on a 420a, i just realized his car is a gsx sorry.

 

[crusada]

Its not that god for saking hard USE COMMON SENSE. Loosen the long tensioner belt loosen 2 bolts on the alternator bracket so you can push it and pull it. Take the belt off put the new one on pull the alternator forward to put the bolts back in the alternator bracket. then put the tensioner bolt back in its place tighten it so the belt has enough tension. VIOLA you have changed it. Check tension a few days later due to it being a manual tensioner.

 

[jpmxrider489]

Loosen the long bolt enough and the bolt on the right so you can slide it up out of the notch. Then slip the belt off. You might as well replace the ps belt as well.

 

[DeadlyScone]

Its not that god for saking hard USE COMMON SENSE.

someone said it .

 

[2slow4now]

If he wants a spec to shoot for then If you put a straight edge from pulley to pulley with the pulleys 7-10" center to center apart the belt should deflect when pushed about a 1/4" from the straight edge. 11-18" its about 1/2" deflection

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Honestly I just tighten and push on it with my finger and guess if its tight enough based on what the "spec is". If it slips any on startup you should hear it and tighten some more.

 

[supermario300hp]

crusada. thank god you said it because this was kind of ridiculous. open your hood, look at the alternator and look to see which bolts hold it on.

 

[Tiki2777]

Easy people easy... Its fricken cold out and i am not gonna sit there and try to figure it out by staring at it. Thanks for the help sounds relatively easy.

 

[DanielzTSI]

Let me google that for you

 

[wilfred3]

I have a 96 2g 2.0 non turbo and the only bolts I see are the pivot bolt and the three bolts for the alternator mount. Is there supposed to be a bolt on the top of the alternator? And to replace the alternator belt there's a belt in front of it, how do remove that one?