belt squeaking when A/C is on! '00 Civic EX

[titantn24]

Last September, I replaced my stock crank pulley with an Unorthodox Racing lightweight crank pulley. I ran the A/C a time or two after the initial installation and everything sounded fine. Like I said, it was September so I didn't need to run the A/C. Now it's the middle of July the following summer and I desperately need it. Whenever I turn the A/C on, the belt constantly squeaks. Not a bone-chilling, high pitched shrill, but an embarrassing, loud enough that others hear it, continuous squeak. When driving at highway speeds with the A/C on, I can't really hear the squeak. There is no squeaking when the A/C is off. The A/C blows cold air when it is on, so it is working from that standpoint. The car is in excellent shape, both mechanically and cosmetically, so it's frustrating not to be able to correct the problem. I've tried what I thought was adjusting the A/C belt by turning a bolt that adjusted the belt tensioner, but that didn't help. Is the A/C belt tension even the problem? Am I not adjusting the belt correctly? Could the belt be too tight? If anyone has any insight to the problem, I would appreciate your help. By the way, I replaced all the belts(A/C, Alternator, and Power Steering) with brand new Gates belts. Please help, I'm tired of sweatin' it out just to avoid turning the A/C on!

[titantn24]

Okay, I think the problem is a loose A/C belt. Does anyone know how to adjust the tension on the A/C belt? There is a tensioner that needs to be adjusted, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it. Just tell me which bolts need to be loosened to move this tensioner, and I should be well on my way. Thanks.

[bluevp00]

You need to loosen 2 bolts:

*First, loosen the bolt in the middle of the idler pulley.
*Second, turn the adjusting bolt - located directly above the idler pulley to loosen or tighten the belt tension.
*Retighten the idler pulley bolt.

[titantn24]

After spending a couple of hours in my garage, I finally got the A/C belt tightened. And low and behold, the squeaking has stopped! I like it when problems are easily solved and at no cost other than time. I found that removing the power steering belt and loosening the power steering pump and pulling it forward as far as it would go gave me a little more room to work. Man, that is a tight spot to try and get leverage on the idler pulley bolt! Anyone who has done this knows what I'm talking about. Have a pipe or something handy to slide over your wrench to give it some extra length for leverage. Just be patient and think every move through. You don't want to damage other pulleys or anything else by bangin' around in there. Be sure to double check everything before starting it back up. It's real easy to get excited about fixing something and rush putting it back together. Thanks bluevp00 for your help.