Okay, so I have that lovely squeal coming from my alternator belt, and I read that I need to add a little tension via the tensioning screw under the alternator. Now I am wondering if any of you know if that tensioner can be replaced?

I ask because the screw seems to be seized in the little metal block it threads into. I got the 12mm tightening bolt to come loose, but not the 10mm. I definitely do not want to snap the head off of it.

 

i had the same issue, replaced the idler pulley and it stopped,maybe this will help

 

Hmm maybe I'll look into that. The belt seems relatively tight anyhow so that is a possibility if there is an idler on that routing. I don't remember off of the top of my head.

Thanks for the suggestion =).

 

I have one question. How did you replace the belt without loosening the alternator? You would have had to have loosened almost all if not all of the mounting bolts to move the alternator in order to install the belt. You would have then noticed that the bolt was missing. Did you force the belt on there with a screw driver or pry bar? If you did, you stretched the belt and it was too loose so it just slid over the alternator pulley and busted.

 

There is no missing screw.

The belt was replaced a couple years ago when my dad still owned the truck by a shop. I have never removed the belts from this truck. The truck has been driven about 1000-2000 miles in the past 4 years so I didn't really think there was much of an issue with the belt. Looks brand new to me, no cracks or anything. I don't know if they stretched it over or not. But there is still room to tighten it up.

I don't do half-assed work, but the shop may have.

As I said, the tensioning screw is seized in the threads, not missing, so I can't really do much about it at the moment, unless I break the screw, drill it out of the little block it goes into and tap that to put a new screw in. Unless it is available somewhere so that I can replace it.

 

Get some pb buster, way better than wd-40. what year/ motor is your rig?

 

I was using PB to no avail. I put quite a lot on there too.

It's a 1996 with the 3.2