belt drive problems. joy.

[Chillin014]

I figured itd be a good idea to replace the belts since god knows how old they are. (on my 350)
So I got 3 belts on there.
belt # 1: goes around the Crank Pulley-Water pump-Alternator
belt # 2: Crank Pulley- Water Pump- A/C and Power Steering.
Belt # 3: Crank Pulley and Power Steering


belt number 3 is the one that has been causing the problems. The old belt always seemed loose even when i tried to tighten it up. 2 belts go around the power steering so I tried to tighten up the loose inside belt but couldnt because the outter belt was already tight enough. I figured maybe that one was loose because it was old and possibly never replaced. What is the point of this belt anyway? is it a back-up in case the larger belt snaps??

well..I went and bought 3 new belts. belt #1 and #2 fit fine. The #3 belt however (just the crank and pwr steering remember) was wayyy too big. I knew this was gonna be a problem...I went back and forth to the autostore exchanging belts like 4 times and even tried to find numbers off the internet for them to find. After the last time of looking at practically every belt they had I thought i had the right one, it was still too big beyond being able to tighten though. so they have all been either too big or too small.

I figured its a back up belt so screw it and put the other 2 belts on. The car seemed okay but today i went to pull it out and it was pretty cold out so the carb was acting up and i didnt give it time to warm up but it seemed like the power steering was being weird towards the end of my turns. like if i turned one direction and tried to turn the other way quickly it would lock up. it COULD BE due to the motor idling too low or something since it wasnt warm. but I figured I'd ask on here to see if anyone could tell me if that belt is necessary and why the hell couldnt i find the right size.

 

[megaladon6]

can you post any pics?

 

[Chillin014]

eh. the car seems to be okay without the 2nd belt...

I dont know if I could get any clear pictures for ya..i'll try next time I get out there though.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

The belts must be tightened in proper sequence. The PS pump is first and it has 3 bolts for proper tensioning. One between the block and pump behind the pump, one on the water pump for tension ( and one for pivoting) and one off the side of the pump below the A/C compressor. All of them plus any bracket bolts must be tightened to maintain tension properly. The Compressor is next up. It's belt also rides the PS pump, but it is not to drive the pump. Rather it is just there because of how it needed to be routed. Remember that the proper way to run an accessory with a drive belt is to be sure that a minimum of 90 degrees of the pulley are wrapped by a belt to prevent slippage. The alternator is not dependent on anything else and can be done last as it is the 3rd belt in the sequence on the crank pulley and 2nd on the water pump. 3rd on the water pump and 4th on the crank are for the Smog pump.

Here's my trick to get the right belt length. If the parts store can't do it for whatever reason ( like a custom install of something) I put the accessory in full loose mode and then run a piece of string around it. I then tie the string tightly and take the string to the parts store. They can then measure the string with a belt size gauge to figure out the proper belt length and give you a belt that size. If it is off, it won't be by much and you can just take it back and get a belt an inch shorter or longer.

 

[Chillin014]

thanks for all the help Brougham. I think I accidently did it in the correct order...I THINK. I swear i tried every belt in that store and it was either too long or too short. I'll try napa since the belt that was on there was from napa...although it did seem too loose...
do you know how much it matters if that belt is there or not? is it just a back up? or do 2 belts really need to run the power steering pump

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

As stated in the previous post, it is not necessary to have the outer belt as it is there for the A/C compressor. It only hits the PS pump because it needs to be routed there and so it the outer pulley is just a belt guide like an idler pulley for the A/C compressor.