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2G Alternator Belt Problems

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Dragnous

Proven Member
294
18
Nov 29, 2014
Clearwater, Florida
Sorry if i missed another topic about this I did search but wanted to go more into detail of what iv done and what is happening.

First thing when I bought the car the belts did not look too bad so i drove using them.. after about a month the Alternator Belt starting to wine and screech till one day it just destroyed itself. Replaced with new one.. at this point i noticed the screw holes on the alternator adjust where stripped and not tighten down.. Fixed that! Now i still have had wining and been trying to find the right tension for some time now..

Yesterday I got stuck and had to be jumped as it would seem alternator wasn't tight enough to charge battery properly. So i got the belt pretty tight but with some flex still. Today the belt went poof again.

Thinking from running with too loose of a belt and maybe too tight just killed it.. Thoughts?

I checked for play in the pully on alternator and pretty solid. Edit: Also checked that the alternator pully spins nice with little effort. Also the Harmonic Balancer seems pretty solid as well no wiggle.
 
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Check the alignment of the alternator pulley in relationship to the crank and water pump pulleys to see if they are straight. That COULD be a problem that I have seen before. They will chew up belts if not lined up as perfect as can be and sometimes will throw the belt off also. Just a thought.
 
Check the alignment of the alternator pulley in relationship to the crank and water pump pulleys to see if they are straight. That COULD be a problem that I have seen before. They will chew up belts if not lined up as perfect as can be and sometimes will throw the belt off also. Just a thought.
Will check after work.. ( Gotta go get new belt to drive car home).. but if the alignment is off what is best to adjust and how... Still kinda noob at auto work but getting there.
 
It might have a bent bracket or such. Sometimes I have seen them "cocked" out or in which wears on the belt also. It's kinda hard to bend the mounting bracket but stranger things have come up. Lets cross that road after you get a good eyeball on it. :)
 
It might have a bent bracket or such. Sometimes I have seen them "cocked" out or in which wears on the belt also. It's kinda hard to bend the mounting bracket but stranger things have come up. Lets cross that road after you get a good eyeball on it. :)
Thank you, yes I will post findings later on and Ill even try to post a video as well.. some times another eyeball can help.
 
It sure doesn't hurt right? I think my own car had the alternator bracket not sitting straight (the bolts that bolt it to the block allowed the alternator bracket to angle down slightly). I had to loosen up those bolts and sit it nice and straight and then tighten them up real good, but don't break them off! Mine would throw the belt at high RPM's but is fine now.
 
True Ill check the mount see if odd or anything..

This weekend I think I gonna go pull a Alternator from LKQ.. they have 30 day money back or replacement and long as it tests good and pulley not all bent up should be good.

I've adjusted but it does look like there is a few bends in the pulley.. nothing major but could be messing with belt..
 
I bet it is eating it away, maybe slowly but surely. Try to get them to align as best as possible which is what I did. Make sure it has the proper long bolt size in the pivot point so it isn't sloppy down there too. (down by the oil filter)
 
I have seen one some cars the lower bolt on the alternator, the long one by the ofh, can wear a groove in the bracket causing the alternator to sit side ways and spins the belt off at high rpms. Look up jafromobile on you tube. He has a video on there of this problem and how to fix it.
 
Yep, I run a '96 Galant 90 amp unit. Completely plug and play. Luv2ralley brings up another good point about the pulley possibly being on backwards and gbd1039 is talking about that lower bolt at the pivot as I mentioned also.
 
Thank you all for the great input on this.. I have inspected the pulley and there is no huge cap and the belt does seem to run true with very very little side to side wiggle.. I did tighten the new belt a bit more it feels like 1/2 inch deflection. (Gotta get me a tool so i can set it exact). That is great idea about the Galant Alt. I will look when I go there this weekend.

I will check the mounting bracket this weekend as well it seems that could be an issue to at least double tap.

I will post a video of the belts running this afternoon as well. Ran way to late last night.
 
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yea i got it on and running true but got a squeak LOL.. gonna try to do like a little quarter turn on the adjuster to see if it helps LOL.
 
When I adjust the alternator belt I use a crow bar and pressurize the tension then back it off to medium tension or so this has been the best result for me
 
Yea I think i am gonna order mine this weekend.. Id imaging having the correct tension on belt is best practice :p
 
Many people say just tension a belt so you can twist it 1/4 turn. Well IMHO that's a useless statement since there's no mention of how much force should be used. And it was directed at non multi v-belts anyway.

BTW there's a Krikit II model (KR2) that measures 100-320lbs that says it's for multi V-ribbed belts. However it's more for industrial applications and I've found the Krikit 1 (KR1) works best for autos (even multi V-ribbed belts) and supports a more useable 50-160lbs range.

Here's a usage video:
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
 
hey got a new question. I notice when i pull my power steering pump back to tension the belt it looks like it cocks (twist) a bit.. any good tips for tricks for keeping it straight .
 
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