serpentine belt trouble

[Moose22]

hey, i got a 99 blazer dont know much about cars, but i just changed my alternator and bought a new belt. now i am trying to put the belt on but i dont know how to get it on cause its so tight. never have done it. any ideas or help? thanks a lot. i loosened one pully that has play in it but still too tight??? thanks again.

[BlazerLT]

you have to put a racket and socket on the pulley end of the tensioner, spring it back and hold it and slip the new belt on.

[Moose22]

i pulled back the tensioner but the belt was still way too tight to just slip on. belt is really really tight , any other ideas?? thanks for the help

[boomer62]

Originally Posted by Moose22

i pulled back the tensioner but the belt was still way too tight to just slip on. belt is really really tight , any other ideas?? thanks for the help

Check to make sure you got the right length belt. The one you bought might be to short. If it is the right one make sure you route the belt the right way over the pulleys and it is seated all the way down in all the pulleys.

[BlazerLT]

Yip, sounds like the wrong belt.

Bring in the old belt when you size a new one.

[Moose22]

well i brought the old belt to napa and they looked at the number on it and gave me a new belt. i lined them both up and they look about the same length. it is routed correctly and in the groves but still really tight. dont know what to do? not too happy! thanks for the help though

[BlazerLT]

Are you springing the tensioner back?

You put a rachet on the bolt on the pully part and spring tensioner back while putting the belt on.

[Moose22]

yeah but still too tight and its not the wrong belt because i tried putting on the old one again and that wont go on either. i dont know? but then maybe its just me? thanks for all the help, it would be bad to use a crowbar or suttin to give it a little help, right? ha

[BlazerLT]

It is you, you aren't pulling the tensioner back enough or the alternator was installed improperly and wasn't installed back where the old one was.

[DCIV]

I just changed mine and if you will get a friend to help you and one of you actually push down on the tensioner (below the altenator) and the other try and loop it around which ever aplication you want to pick then it will go on alot easyer but its really hard to do by yourself. You can push that tensioner so its almost directly down and it will go on just use a little force.

[BlazerLT]

Tensioner on a 4.3L is on the top of the engine.

[Moose22]

thanks i defineltly need someone else to push on it because i did push the tensioner all the way down, but just not enough hands to use force on the belt too. not easy! thanks!

[gserve]

Tensioner is below the alternator on my 2000 Blazer LT. I changed my belt this morning and it did not sqeal. Will see what tomorrow morning brings (fingers crossed).

[DCIV]

Moose22, just curious but how many miles do you have on your blazer when your altenator went out? and BlazerLT by on top of the engine do you mean below the altenator because thats deff where it is on my 2000 and I dont know if they put it somewhere else for 95?

[BlazerLT]

It could be so, mine is right on top.