HELP serpentine belt is SO tight

[ambrose]

I have tried to put on 2 different belts. I have push the tensioner far as possible to get slack, and it still won't make it over the idler pulley. I will push hard as hell on the belt itself while my friend pushes hard as hell on the wrench to release tension, and it still just cant get over. It is in all the groves, and on the pulleys right, except for the idler! Should I replace the idler pulley with a smaller one just like the one on the tensioner? It would still be tensioned. I'd appreciate an answer asap so i can finish this tonight. So you think i should pick up a smaller pulley at the parts store?

Or is my belt short? It is SLIGHTLY shorter than my old belt. My old belt was VERY tight too, and was hard to get OFF!! Who knows who they got it on

98 ranger v6 3.0L w/ ac

 

[Jspafford]

Did the parts store sell you the right belt? There should be no need to change out pulley's. If it doesn't fit it's the wrong one. If it still doesn't fit your not doing something right or it's broken.

 

[kodiak024]

belt question

make sure the belt is around the crank pulley all the way, now have you changed any thing that could effect the change of a pulley

 

[almostclueless]

I've seen parts chains consolidate their replacement pullies without regard to original diameter.



I'd be more inclined to believe the replacement belts given to you aren't the right size, or your buddy is a wimp loosening the tensioner.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the tensioner itself could also be the problem. ive seen them gum up to the point that they wont pivot all the way into the release position.

im going with wrong belt or bad/stuck tensioner.

 

[Jimmeh]

or your buddy is a wimp loosening the tensioner.

I'm gonna say this is the correct answer. He probably didn't want to break a nail.

"This is hard".

"I wish the wind wasn't blowing".

"I wanna go home".

 

[ambrose]

idk man, my two friends that helped are some big dudes. one of them is a big 4x4'er, he does everything cars. id say the center of the tensioner pulley moved moved 1.5-2 inches. also, would a belt too tight squeek? i'm replacing the belt because of squeeking (i bought the truck like this.) the old belt had no cracks. I have spun all the pulleys, all feel smooth and do not squeek. the squeek used to be in intervals like squeek squeek squeek, and when i killed the engine it would let out a large one, squeeeeeeeeek. with a smaller pulley or a larger belt, the tensioner could sit at about 1/2 thru its stroke, opposed it at the very end of its stroke.

also one belt was dayco, others was gates.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

i suppose a too-tight belt could make noise, but a bad or sticky tensioner can also cause a squeak...

 

[ambrose]

i would replace the tensioner too but i can't for that is a whole another story... i'm not getting too lucky with this truck, or i'm being very very retarded

 

[skyhawk43e]

Had same problem, turned out was sold a re-manufactured alternator with larger pulley.

 

[cbxer55]

That's funny. Replaced my alternator last year, and the pulley is smaller than the original. Had zero problems with the tensioner, it sucked up the difference and the truck runs great. I replaced the tensioner back in 2002 or 3. Yeah, had a loud squeak. New tensioner and belt, no squeak ever since. Put new belt on in 2016 when I replaced the power steering pump, no tensioner problems.

 

[91stranger]

Are you sure the squeaking is coming from the belt? intermittent squeaks like that could be the camshaft synchro. They tend to squeak and chirp when they are failing. As for the belt, I would say they got you the wrong one. All those parts store hire any body with a pulse that knows how to type. 80% of them don't know the first thing about cars and the ones that do know what they are talking about don't tend to stay working there for long. A belt should not be hard to put on though especially with two people.... If you were by yourself then I could see that but not with 2 people. Take it back and tell them to double check their numbers. I try to go to o'reilly's if I have the choice out of the few b/c I had the best customer service from them but that's just my preference. Worst case scenario is you go to a junkyard and measure the pulleys on similar year truck/engines to see if you have something different. and if so then you can get the correct size pulley off the one at the junkyard.

 

[pjtoledo]

on the back side of the belt where the info is imprinted, it has a different surface and can squeak as it rides over the water pump pulley.
it chirps when too tight. its the back side that squeeks!!!!
the part number on most belts contains the number of ribs and belt length, in milli meters, sometimes inches.
decode the part # and get a longer belt.

example, for my 2000 3.0 Napa lists part numbers that contain either 2240mm or 882"
for a longer belt I would need either 2260mm or 883" in the part #

882 inches x 2.54 conversion = 2240mm

 

[JeremyS]

Compare the new belt to the old belt and see how close they are in size. That will tell you if they sold you the wrong belt, or your belt was mislabeled at the factory. I once had to return a Goodyear Gator belt for this very reason, it would not fit. They gave me another Goodyear belt, the exact same part #, and it slid right on.

Sometimes those new belts are super tight so make sure the new one is fully seated in the grooves on the pulleys.