98 contur problem with belt keeps breaking PLEASE HELP!

[kornflake]

This Is The 4th Time Now My Belt Has Had To Be Replaced In 3 Years. Last Time The Belt Was Replaced And The Pulley Wheel. It Continued To Squeel When I Ran My A/c Or Heat. When I Turned It Off The Squeeling Noise Would Stop. Then Here Recently It Squeeld Even When A/c And Heat Was Off. The Past Few Days It Smelt Like Rubber Was Burning. Tonight My Lights Started Going Dim And My Radio Kept Going On And Off. This Is The Same Thing That Happened Last Year Right Before My Belt Broke. I Got Home Tonight Looked Under My Hood And Part Of My Belt Was Shredded. I Pulled A Few Pieces Off Of It. The Belt Did Not Break But Some Of It Is Shredded. Now My Car Will Not Start At All. I Am Wondering Why I Have To Keep Replacing My Belt Every Year. The Belts Are Supposed To Last 3 Years. Can Any Help With Any Suggestions Or Has Anyone Else Out There Had The Same Problem. I Am Not Sure Why The Car Wont Start Now. The Belt Has Not Broke. Also The Last Time I Took The Car In To Have The Belt Replaced. They Said You Had To Use A Special Tool To Replace It. I Could Not Do It Myself Last Time. Any Suggestions On How To Replace This Belt. Thanks

[ppg960]

Your pulleys are running off center from each other. The belt needs to run evenly through the pulleys in the rotation. Alternator is misaligned,
tensioner is weak etc..
Take a straight edge and line up the pulleys across center from each other. They should all be equal. You will need a 13mm wrench to push the tensioner towards the front of the car and release the belt. It should be very stiff. If not, replace it.
On a 2.0 z-tec you need to remove the upper motor mount as well as support the engine at the bottom so it doesn't lean over. Remove the front wheel and the bottom of the fender liner ( 2 10mm bolts) to gain side access.
Any problems, re post.

Cheers.

[kornflake]

The belt is still tight and in place. it is not loose. Would this make my car not start. Since I got home and turned if off it will not start. Just clicks but will not turn over. Would my belt coming apart make my altenator bad. Would it have caused my car to run it hard?

[ppg960]

Your battery must be dead. Or your Alt is not charging cause the belt is loose. You should have at least 14 volts accross the terminals when it's running. Charge light on when it's running?
If your belt is shredding, it's likely slipping as well.
Boost the car and check.

[corning_d3]

Your belt coming apart may not cause the alternator to go bad, but the other way around. And your dead battery confirms the alternator is locking or locked up. Pull the belt off and try to turn the alternator. It should freewheel. Remember, if you find that the alternator is bad and replace it, charge the battery fully before starting to prevent burning out your new alternator.