Hello everyone.

I need to replace my alternator belt. Its very dry looking. I have never replaced these belts before so i have a few questions.

Alternator Belt

- Is it correct to assume i have to do both belts since the alternator belt is behind the power steering belt? Or is there a way to get the alternator belt off only?

- I no longer have an airpump. However next to the water pump I do have a Pineapple racing idler pulley. Anyone know what belt works with this setup?

In terms of doing the install, While looking at the alternator i noticed a pivot bolt and an adjustment bolt on the bracket that allows the alternator to slide up and down. Ive read a bit that says you have to pry the alternator up to set the tension. However i also read there is a tension

bolt. I could be confused. However is the bolt in the pic the tension bolt or do i need to pry method once i loosen the bolt on the bracket that allows for the sliding?

For the AC/Power Steering belt:
- I think i saw the pivot bolt and adjusting lock bolt on the power steering pump. Again, is there no bolt that is used to set tension ? I just pry?
- Anywhere to get an oem (or OEM equivalent) size 6 rib belt? How long is it?

 

since you have to take the AC/PS belt off to change the Alt/WP belt, it makes some sense to do both, especially if you're paying for labor.

Banzai has a good chart of all the various belts https://www.banzai-racing.com/store/...lley_belt.html
a pic of the idler setup might be helpful too

 

Banzai doesnt sell the right sized belt for just the pineapple racing idler pulley with stock other pulleys.

Here is the better question i guess. Why does my alternator belt look white/grey like that? its only got 20k miles on it. I thought they last 60k? Is it slipping on the water pump pulley? What causes that? any other reason?

 

Your water pump pulley is worn to the point of being chrome. I've never seen that before but 99% that is the reason. In addition, that belt could be way too tight.

 

i was thinking along those lines. the pulley got polished.
I think the next step is to loosen the belt and manually spin the water pump to check the bearings. assuming the bearing are shot, i assume i need a new water pump? or just replace the bearings if that's possible.

are water pumps still available?

 

Replied to your other post in another thread, but water pumps are still available new. I think they are $100-ish from Ray.

If possible try and get a Bando brand belt, they are top quality, have had great luck with them.

I had a thread recently on belt sizing, once you change the pulley setup (idler pulley or under drive pullies) replacing the belt is a chore unless you have documented what size you used. You may have to get a few sizes to find which fits.

Dale

 

@DaleClark I was actually about to pm you asking for phone number to go over this. I spoke to several people today including banzai and ray crowe. The water pump is cheap. Replacing is above my pay grade and finding someone reliable to do the work is very very hard. Sooo. I don’t want to replace it unless it’s bad.

I just ran the car at various rpm’s and don’t see any wobble or hear any noises. Car has 50k. Engine has 20k.

Other than that Banzai said I need a 42 inch belt. I can replace it no problem. But the question remains. Why is belt turning white and why is the water pump being polished?.

the alternative option is that the belt is simply loose. Fsm says .25 inches of movement is spec. I just tested mine. It looks greater than that but I am not sure if it’s way out of spec. What do you think?

please watch this vid and let me know what you think
What should I do from here ?

 

@DaleClark

Also I thought I need a belt with a naming convention similar to 5PK1080

the belt I have on there is called a PIX XPOWER 420K5.

it is a 5 rib. But what’s up with that? Ever hear of this belt. I found it online on Amazon and Vbeltguys. It’s also a little long as per banzai recommendation. They said 42 inch but unsure if he meant inner or outer circumference. This one is 42 3/4 outer circumference. If you noticed from the pics the alternator is all the way up at max.

 

I think i am ok here. I found the belt i need. I will replace ac/ps belt as well since it has to come off anyways.

I am going to replace that waterpump pulley if thats possible. Is it as simple as removing the four bolts and putting the new one on in its place?

 

Yep water pump pulley is just the 4 bolts. Remove, pulley comes off, new one goes on, done.

It's possible the belt has rubbed the bottom of the thermostat housing and picked up some aluminum, I think I had to clearance mine a bit for the Pineapple pulley. It's easy to check.

Water pump isn't a bad job to do, I've actually done it on the side of the road at Deal's Gap on a friend's car with a bobo set of tools

Dale

 

ill grab a small mirror and check it out

look how close that is!! how did you adjust the clearance?

 

5PK1080 is Metric.
5 is the number of ribs
PK is the style of the groove, there are K and PK, which seem the same? there is a DPK too, the D is double, so its ribbed on both sides
and then 1080 is the length in mm of the belt. I.D. or O.D. depends on the manufacturer

420K5 is in Inches
420 is Length in Inches, so 420 is 42.0" long. they go to half inch increments
K and PK are the same.
and 5 is the number of ribs, same as the metric one

its 25.4 to convert between them. so 420 x 25.4 = 1070mm, so you'd want a 5PK1070
and 1080 is 42.5", so you'd want a 425K5

although there IS adjustment on belts, so there is a range of what works

 

i gotchya. thank you..

I ended up finding the belt that came with the Pineapple idler pulley kit. Part #K050420 in case someone searches to find this post in the future. There was an old group buy from 2018. So i just ordered that.

But i think Dale could be on to something. It might be rubbing is the issue

 

If that idler pulley location is not adjustable to give you some clearance, you'll need to remove a little material off of the water pump housing in the area I highlighted in yellow to make some space

 

ty pete

 

Really, if you ever have a question about length, go grab yourself a piece of string, or some thin wire. Adjust the tensioner to the shortest length, run the string how the belt would go, measure. Adjust the tensioner to the longest length, same deal. Find a belt that fits somewhere in the middle of those numbers. Err to the shorter side to account for a bit of stretch. Easy. There's so many pulley combinations out there. It's far simpler to just measure and find the belt you need.

 

The water pump is not too hard to replace. After taking off the belts, remove the pulley. Then remove the bolts. Note: one bolt is longer than the others. You will need a new pump and a new gasket. While you are in there, you may want to replace the thermostat but that requires removing the thermostat housing just above the waterpump. It is right there when you take the T-stat housing off and just pulls right out.

 

I am all set with this. Replaced the belts. Water pump is fine. Ty