belt adjustment

[phanatikz32]

ok a few questions about adjusting the belts and problems.

my power steering belt keeps flying off i've had to replace it 4 times since i got the car and its only been 2 years, so it flew off again last thursday so on friday me and my friend get another one and he put it on for me we kept adjusting it but it kept squeeling. so we decided we'd just have to spray some of the seating spray on it and let it be, so im driving later and my car starts over heating, so we let it cool down and take it to a gas station in the fan is barely spinning and then the car looses power completely so we assume the alternator is gone and the clutch for the fan is bad cuz my friend was holding the fan with his finger and it wasnt spinning. but then later i thought about it and the fan and the alternator run on the same belt right? so is it possible my friend may have adjusted the wrong belt causing the accessory belt to loosen slowing the fan and alternator speed?

so my questions are

1. can the belt being loose effect the speed at which the alternator and fan are spinning?

2. is the adjustment for the accessory belt anywhere near the adjustment for the powersteering belt?

3. is there a sure fire way of designating the problem without pulling off the alternator and testing it, or taking out the fan clutch?

[Zwicked]

By your belt flies off, do you mean it breaks or just comes off? If it comes off, it means you have a pulley alignment problem. If it breaks, you have it way too tight. The belts should be tight enough so you can push in the center of the belt with about 14 pounds of force and the belt should deflect 1/4 to 3/8".If it's too tight you will ruin the bearings in the water pump, alternator, AC compressor. If it's too loose and it squeals, it glazes the belt after a while and you will never get it to stop slipping.

so my questions are

1. can the belt being loose effect the speed at which the alternator and fan are spinning?

*YES under load they will slip and that's what makes the squeal noise, like spinning your tires.

2. is the adjustment for the accessory belt anywhere near the adjustment for the power steering belt?

*All 3 belts have a tensioner bolt. Loosen the pivot bolt, adjust tension, and then tighten the pivot bolt. The AC one is a separate pulley so you loosen the pulley center blot slightly, then adjust the tension.

3. is there a sure fire way of designating the problem without pulling off the alternator and testing it, or taking out the fan clutch?[/QUOTE]

*Yes, Put a voltmeter on your battery + and - and see if there is about 14.2 volts there when it's running.Your fan clutch could be shot if it's overheating. When it's hot, the fan should spin as fast as the engine turns.

[evildky]

all of these problem seem to center around your friend who you had work on your car, maybe you should find someone who knows more about cars to deal wiht these issues? autozone can test the alternator on the car but I suggest having someone who knows what they are doing to check the belts first

[phanatikz32]

how do you adjust the accessory belt

[evildky]

the PS belt is adjusted below the PS pump, the alternator belt is adjusted below the alternator, the a/c belt is adjusted at the pulley between it and the crank pulley

[phanatikz32]

i looked on the online service manual and they dont even have any directions on how to do it so i guess i'm just gonna have to lift it up and figure it out, any words of wisdom on what to avoid doing or how to do it easier.

[evildky]

the a/c is the easiest to adjust, the alternator is pretty easy as well, the power steering sucks, at least on a hicas car, all the extra hoses really make it tough to adjust, and the adjuster nut going up to the inner fender makes getting a ratched on there impossible