Remove Belt around AC on 1990 Subaru Loyale

Last one of those long bolts I worked on bent so the tensioner couldn't be released enough when I was trying to get at the power steering pump and eventually just stripped things out so that I had to cut the belt off. Gave up on the AC in that car. Hard part to find, Subaru won't just sell you the one piece you need, they want $180 for the whole bracket. Eventually tracked one down in a Subaru only wrecking yard a few one-horse towns away.

All I can think of at the moment is to look and see that there isn't some sort of locking nut someplace, such as the alternator tensioners tend to have. Don't have that poor Soob anymore or I would go look myself.

~Brian

The idler pulley has a nut that has to be loosen before you turn the bolt. The entire pulley will move up or down when the nut is loosen and the bolt turned. Surprised you haven't broken that bolt.

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Where is the nut I have to lossen?

It's the only pulley that has an acorn nut. That long bolt you have been turning goes down and connects to the backside of this pulley. Once the acorn nut is loose, the entire idler pulley can move up or down as it rides in a slot arrangement (backside of pulley).

Don't know any other way of describing it. Just look for a pulley with an acorn nut. Don't forget to tighten it after the belt adjustment.

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So Its the 14mm nut in the center of pulley ?

The idler pulley seized on mine, so I just cut the belt off...

Shame, it was a new belt, too...

I need to take the a/c unit off, to replace water pump. I'm going to have to get the idler pully loose because I plan on using the a/c. I'm sure it going to be fun. .

Do yourself a huge favor when changing the pump and carefully replace the oil pump to engine block gasket.

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