So i disconnected the battery and all the wires from the alternator, i see the 3 bolts that im supposed to take off. My problem is the belt, i have no clue as to how i should take it off. Im a rookie at this stuff, so help would be appreciated, i got the truck about a month and a half ago.
One of the best investments an owner of a new or old GM product can make is a good shop manual.
Best of luck,
Steve
Some where near the top is the belt tensioner. Use a breaker bar and a socket that fits the bolt in the middle of it. The bolt won't loosen or tighten. Its there to apply pressure to the tensioner spring. When the belt is loose use one hand on the breaker bar and the other hand to remove the belt from one of the pulleys that is easy to get to. After the belt is loose, release the pressure on the breaker bar. Now finish removing the old belt; then follow the diagram to install the new one. Put the belt around all the pulleys except the maybe the water pump or the idler pulley. Just be sure that the belt is on the tensioner. Now, use the breaker bar again and put pressure on the spring to get slack for the last pulley.
Good job Goerge :)
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So when changing the alternator I should also buy a new belt?
If it is wore or starting to crack visibly, yes.
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SnoMan has the right answer. If the belt is cracked or frayed it needs replaced. I'm sorry I referenced a "new" belt in the previous post, but you asked a simple question and somebody responded with "buy a book." I can't afford a service manual but I do have a cheapie from haynes. The belt seems like a high priced item but when you consider how many times that thing rotates and the speed it rotates at, its worth the price.
Thanks for your help guys, put a new alternator in and it runs.... for now, untill something else goes bad.
I know how you feel. I have a 91 suburban that I just love but has been giving me a little grief lately. But you have to look at it this way. A car has less then a thousand parts, eventually you will work your way around the whole truck and it will be new again... Just get a AAA membership and keep replacing. The Haynes manual is just fine unless you want to do something more complex like rebuilding the trans or work on the frame or try to chase down an electrical short. Otherwise you can get away without a shop manual. Just keep posting your questions, get a very good tool box and never throw away the old parts. And I would suggest get extra of the consumable items. For example you need 2 ft of fuel line so get 3ft of line then you will have a ft left over. Get 4 clamps nested of 3 with one left over. You will be amazed how those extra items will come in handy when something goes evilly wrong on a dark lonely road.
good luck, mark
I have a 89 4x4 burb that I bought new and it has been a very relible vehicle with about 180K miles on it now and it has never left me stranded or requred repair on more than a dozen cross country trips. Still pretty cherry as I park it during the winter for a few months when salt is bad. I have not replaced much on it in its life. It still has orginal altenator (I replaced a bearing in it at 130K) and original starter too. I plan to run it at least another 5 or 6 years until kids are done with college as it is great for hauling their stuff there and back and it gets surprizing good MPG too on college trips (18 to 19). I have only owned one vehicle longer than it and I still have that one too, a old Jeep truck that I plan to restore.
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