How to install a/c belt

[coop]

I ran into this problem and searched, and came up with a couple ideas, but nothing really concrete. Some ideas consisted of having someone bump the engine over a couple times with the belt halfway on with you holding a prybar/screwdriver. I value the use of my hands too much for that. The following is what I ended up doing and it worked great.

First the belt you receive seems to be way too small. It isn't. Its just a stupid tight design. To take your old belt off just cut that bitch. No easier way to do it. I unbolted the tensioner bracket from the block and let it hang so the pump could swing as far as it could. To install, position the belt on the crank pulley. Make sure it is on that pulley fully. Now take the belt and put it on the bottom of the a/c pulley as much as you can, and let the part you can't get on there sit there wedged off the top of the pulley. Now take a breaker bar and a socket and turn your motor clockwise. It will be harder to turn than normal because of forcing the belt on and with the normal compression resistance. Keep turning and it will eventually pop the belt on. I gave it a couple more revolutions to make sure everything was in the pulley groves properly. Then I loosened the tension bolt and had to adjust it to about halfway down the bracket. I attached the bracket back to the block and tightened the adjuster.

[paperplane94]

I ran into this problem and searched, and came up with a couple ideas, but nothing really concrete. Some ideas consisted of having someone bump the engine over a couple times with the belt halfway on with you holding a prybar/screwdriver. I value the use of my hands too much for that. The following is what I ended up doing and it worked great.

First the belt you receive seems to be way too small. It isn't. Its just a stupid tight design. To take your old belt off just cut that bitch. No easier way to do it. I unbolted the tensioner bracket from the block and let it hang so the pump could swing as far as it could. To install position the belt on the crank pulley. Make sure it is on that pulley fully. Now take the belt and put it on the bottom of the a/c pulley as much as you can, and let the part you can't get on there sit there wedged off the top of the pulley. Now take a breaker bar and a socket and turn your motor clockwise. It will be harder to turn than normal because of forcing the belt on and with the normal compression resistance. Keep turning and it will eventually pop the belt on. I gave it a couple more revolutions to make sure everything was in the pulley groves properly. Then I loosened the tension bolt and had to adjust it to about halfway down the bracket. I attached the bracket back to the block and tightened the adjuster.

You say it best!



Here is what the adjuster looks like, this goes for all the belts:


Thank you OP for the nice how to :).

[Varinn]

I opted for a different method, it's worked quite well for me. First things first, just cut the belt off, as you say it's the easiest. Second step is to loosen the nut on the adjusting, and the pivot bolts. Fully remove the adjusting nut, then crack loose the A/C lines and disconnect them as well as the electrical. Remove the pivot bolt, and allow the compressor to fall freely to the ground. Job finished.

Window A/C. BAM.

[coop]

lol, that's what I'm doing with my power steering.