delete

[iwantspeed]

Hey Guys.
I'm helping my buddy on his e 30 project. I removed his a/c belt and power steering belt to replace his alternator. I put the alternator in. Alt belt Powersteerig belt.

Now I'm at the point to reinstall the a/c compressor back on and I can't get it on properly. It was a struggle to take the belt off with all the bolts removed. If I install the belt then try to attach the bolts it cocks the compressor to an angle and does not allow the top bolt to slide all the way through.
If I attach the compressor on first then try to install the belt it's not long enough to reach over the pulley.
Any ideas? It almost seems like if I bought a little bit longer of a belt and tried that approach it would possibly work.

[scottinAZ]

going with a bit longer belt has its own problems, IE may be too long for the adjuster to compensate. What I do with mine is get the belt on as far as I can, and bump the motor over, pulling the belt the rest of the way onto the pulley. My belt is stock length, and still sits about halfway through the adjuster range. the next size up would likely be too long to work at all. YMMV

[SpecM]

next time, do what pros do: don't take the belts off!

just loosen the alt/wp belt enough to slip it off the pulley, and let the belt hang in place

unless you're replacing the belt too of course...

[iwantspeed]

Ya he wanted a new belt.

I will try bumping the engine. Still need to replace the battery.