Belt missing

[PlatinumX]

So I was fiddling around under the car and noticed that the lower 2 pulleys dont have a belt on them. What are they for, and how hard is it to put on a new belt? Do I need any special tools or does it just slide on?

[KenC]

probably a/c compressor

[PlatinumX]

Yeah, looking through realOEM I think the 2nd thing is the idler, not another accessory.

How hard is it to replace the belt? I've never done anything like this.

[Axxe]

It's really simple. The bently manual goes through it in detail, all you need to do is make the adjuster go as far in as possible, slip the belt on (might need a bit of massasaging to fit), and tighten the belt up using the adjuster.

[nickmp0wer]

is it easy to turn the steering wheel wiht one hand when stopped?

[Sean]

Those two front most pulleys are used for two things: Front one is used for ac, and second from the front is used for power steering. The Alternator uses the same belt as the water pump.

[PlatinumX]

It's really simple. The bently manual goes through it in detail, all you need to do is make the adjuster go as far in as possible, slip the belt on (might need a bit of massasaging to fit), and tighten the belt up using the adjuster.

Thats good to know, unfortunatley I have the e30 bentley so it doesn't cover the M42. Is there a writeup online?

I haven't noticed a problem with the power steering but this belt has probably been gone since before I bought the car. Heres a quick pic of it, sorry about the cameraphone quality.

[jht3]

on my S14, the a/c belt is furthest away from the motor. 2 bolts hold it to the engine bracket. if you loosen both you can push the alternator in enough to slip a new belt around it. then to tension it i pry it back and tighten the bolts. beware of hot exhaust headers. best to do this w/ a cold engine.

the alternator and power steering belts are tightened w/ a fancy geared adjuster nut. you need to use 2 wrenches to adjust it properly. it's fairly self explanatory if you dig in there while standing on the drivers side of the engine bay. hold one wrench steady on the non geared end (right hand) while turning the other wrench (left hand) to adjust tension. reverse by holding your left wrench steady and turning you right wrench to lock in position. to change those belts you have to first remove the a/c belt as they are all stacked.

i don't know about your m42 so your mileage may vary

[Sean]

Holy crap, my post is entirely useless. Didn't even notice it was an M42! Sorry!

[nickmp0wer]

ac, and it looks like the pulley is non existant but i cant quite tell