5 hours and still didn't get blower belt on...help !!!

[notagt]

Here is the deal: 2003 Cobra motor in a Mach. I started getting a chirping I narrowed down to a bad idler bearing. I went to remove belt (so tight wind up cutting it). I changed bearings and put on pulleys in same spot removed (Billetflow..3 the same and one different one for snubber). I grabbed another belt off the wall (I bought 2 off ebay) and after 5 hours just gave up. The belt is a Gates Green Fleetrunner K080810HD. The main issue is it is to thick. I could barely get it onto the tensioner due to belt thickness. Then, I was trying to put on blower pulley then slide under snubber..no way, the belt physically will not fit in the gap between the 2.I couldn't even get it on the blower pulley. I moved coolant tank and the next issue was I had the tensioner full loose (wouldn't go anymore), and still couldn't get belt on. I finally just cut it and gave up. My setup is

2.93 Upper
4 Lb lower
Billetflow idlers
3.50 pulley on alt.

Anyone with this combo happen to know belt # ?? I noticed the grooves weren't real deep, it would slide on the tensioner side to side like wasn't gripping grooves. I think, somehow, I got a bad belt. It is a 1/16" thicker than the gap between the blower pulley and snubber and just would not go on. The first belt took me 2 hours but once I figured it out, I was able to slide under snubber after first putting it on blower. This time, I can't even get on blower since I can't get it to slide at all under snubber..any help will be great, this is a fairly new swap and I haven't gotten to drive the car since issue after issue. Should the belt be so tight that after maxing tensioner I have to try and pry on ? Thanks !

 

[bigmoose]

If the belt won't fit between the upper pulley and the snub idler with a 2.93 you are running a 100mm as a snub. It can be done but it is tight. You can move a smaller idler to the snub.

As for the tensioner, you need to have it pushed all the way down with a ratchet to fit the belt behind it, that's what I usually do first.

 

[f2hatch]

Another trick is to remove the snub idler pulley from the bracket. Get the belt on the supercharger pulley. Then while holding the tensioner loose slide the idler pulley back on the bracket. Reapply the tension and put the bolt back in the idler

 

[theparker]

I just knocked off the stop tab on the tensioner so it would give me a little more movement to install my belt.

 

[Bdubbs]

Another trick is to remove the snub idler pulley from the bracket. Get the belt on the supercharger pulley. Then while holding the tensioner loose slide the idler pulley back on the bracket. Reapply the tension and put the bolt back in the idler

Ding ding we have a winner. This is simply the best way of doing it. But I'm now testing out the whipple sliding pulley setup.

 

[funmoneypit]

Ok, using CobraBob's belt chart (here http://www.stangshiftergaskets.com/belt_length_chart.htm) it seems you should need a little over an 80" belt if I did my calculations right.

2.93 upper plus 4lb lower = 77"
Metco idler = +1"
100mm idler = +.5"
3.5" alt pulley = + 1.5"
For a total of = 80"
Now the total is actually a little over 80" as Bob's chart only lists a 2.9 upper and not a 2.93.

Looking up your belt, it states it is 81" long so it should actually be a little too long. As stated, if you can't get it between the upper and snub, take off the snub. Also (and please do not become upset as many have done this wrong) are you sure you are releasing the tensioner the right way? It seems you had a lot of issues removing the old belt too. Maybe that was just the thickness of the belt though.

Good luck.

 

[SID297]

I just knocked off the stop tab on the tensioner so it would give me a little more movement to install my belt.

Used that trick as well. It works.

 

[notagt]

Another trick is to remove the snub idler pulley from the bracket. Get the belt on the supercharger pulley. Then while holding the tensioner loose slide the idler pulley back on the bracket. Reapply the tension and put the bolt back in the idler

Doing it this way is this with the belt routed on ALL the pulleys and idlers first and this is done last? If I had help, can the tensioner be moved from under the car to allow me to do my work up top?? I tried removing the sunbber (hell after 5 hours what didn't I try lol), but was having trouble with my hands in there trying to slide, push, etc. Also gonna get a bigger breaker bar, I was using a 1/2" ratchet with a metal tube as an extension..thanks guys, heading to parts house now since I get fed up and cut the belt..oh, this stop tab, guessing you have to remove the tensioner for this and it is on back side????

 

[SnakeBit]

I had a tight belt and I had difficulty installing it. I put it on all bullies except for an idler (smooth surface, no grooves). Pulling the tensioner all of the way, I was able to slide the belt over the smooth pulley. It was tight, but that was the only way to get it on. It was too tight to slip over the grooved pulley.

 

[notagt]

Ok, using CobraBob's belt chart (here http://www.stangshiftergaskets.com/belt_length_chart.htm) it seems you should need a little over an 80" belt if I did my calculations right.

2.93 upper plus 4lb lower = 77"
Metco idler = +1"
100mm idler = +.5"
3.5" alt pulley = + 1.5"
For a total of = 80"
Now the total is actually a little over 80" as Bob's chart only lists a 2.9 upper and not a 2.93.

Looking up your belt, it states it is 81" long so it should actually be a little too long. As stated, if you can't get it between the upper and snub, take off the snub. Also (and please do not become upset as many have done this wrong) are you sure you are releasing the tensioner the right way? It seems you had a lot of issues removing the old belt too. Maybe that was just the thickness of the belt though.

Good luck.

Man I take any help, not one to get offended, hell I know I am a dumbass lol.. I moved coolant tank, had ratchet on tensioner and was pushing, standing looking down at it, towards the ground, would seem to just get where I couldn't go down anymore and it wasn't enough and dang after coming from a Mach 1 tensioner with a P1, this one is STIFF !! Please anything I may be doing wrong, you won't hurt my feelings...just want to get the b***h on.

 

[whitedevil95]

Try and get a friend to help you. Take the snub idler off. They route the belt all the way around. Then have a buddy push the tensioner down while you put the snub pulley back on. Thats how i do mine.

 

[funmoneypit]

I will be honest, I have not changed my belt yet. I have a 2.76 upper along with a full set of idlers waiting to go on. I have changed many belts though including my vortech supercharger one on my Fox. Is the toughest one for you the upper with the snub idler? I would start there first. Get that on and then the lower and alt pulley. From there you should be able to work it on the idlers with the tensioner released. When you pushed on the tensioner, did it release any pressure at all? Without being at my car, it seems pushing down would put more tension on it. I might have to go look.

Maybe someone with more knowledge will chime in.

 

[cj428mach]

2.93 and the billetflow with a 100mm is going to probably be very tight. I'm running a billetflow snub idler bracket on my TVS and with a 2.9 pulley and 100mm the pulleys almost touched but i could remove the idler and get the belt on. With a 3.0" pulley and the 100mm idler the pulleys actually lightly touched. i had to jump down to a 90mm idler to make it all work.

 

[Bdubbs]

Doing it this way is this with the belt routed on ALL the pulleys and idlers first and this is done last? If I had help, can the tensioner be moved from under the car to allow me to do my work up top?? I tried removing the sunbber (hell after 5 hours what didn't I try lol), but was having trouble with my hands in there trying to slide, push, etc. Also gonna get a bigger breaker bar, I was using a 1/2" ratchet with a metal tube as an extension..thanks guys, heading to parts house now since I get fed up and cut the belt..oh, this stop tab, guessing you have to remove the tensioner for this and it is on back side????

Use a 1/2" breaker bar. It really isn't that hard. Put breaker bar on tensioner, take bolt off of aux idler pulley. Using your left hand push down on the breaker bar to release tension, now remove pulley with your right hand. Next with the breaker bar pushed down to release tension, take the belt off of the blower. Do reverse steps to install.

 

[ctgreddy]

Get rid of the garbage green hd. Get a normal dayco or gatorback. Use a 1/2" breaker bar for tensioner. Get the next size longer belt. If you cant get it after that take it somewhere because putting a belt on should not be this hard. Also I'm not sure why everyone always tries for the tightest belt imaginable. with a 2.93 upper you're not going to be fighting belt slip with a slightly looser belt.

 

[Bdubbs]

Get rid of the garbage green hd. Get a normal dayco or gatorback. Use a 1/2" breaker bar for tensioner. Get the next size longer belt. If you cant get it after that take it somewhere because putting a belt on should not be this hard. Also I'm not sure why everyone always tries for the tightest belt imaginable. with a 2.93 upper you're not going to be fighting belt slip with a slightly looser belt.

Hmm I've always had best luck with the green hd belt.:shrug:

 

[GodStang]

Hmm I've always had best luck with the green hd belt.:shrug:

I think it depends on what pulley material you are running. I know a couple of the pulleys will squeal bad with the gates green ones. Have to run the gatorbacks for the squeal to go away.

OP your squeal could be from belt. I had 3 pulley setups with brand new gates. All squealed. Swapped to the $16 gatorbacks from rockauto and it is dead quiet.

 

[funmoneypit]

Well OP, did you ever get it on? Hope so!

 

[01yellercobra]

One of the idler bearings was toast. That's where the chirp was from. He ended up getting a belt locally and it slipped right on. The lesson? Don't buy cheap belts from eBay.

 

[notagt]

Literally 15 minutes I got the belt on. I took a little input from each of you. First I loosened tension and slipped belt on, then put on blower pulley and snub idler. After routing , I loosened tension and slipped under the idler next to PS reservoir. It was a a vendor on ebay that I got 2 belts..who gets a bad belt size wise?? They look exactly like what I got locally, must have been some kind of blemish problem that was being sold in that batch. I could tell how nice it fit I got the right on..plus a 20" breaker bar helped and I was able to do tensioner from under the ncar. No chirps..thanks guys.