Belt Tensioner

[ittlfly]

Hey Guys...a dumb question here but can the belt tensoner be installed incorrectly? By that I mean, can the locating tab that goes against the block be placed in the wrong location against the block thereby making putting on the belt a real bit*h? I was looking at the picture in this post and noticed the ''humps'' on that tensioner located in the 12-3-6-9 o"clock position. http://www.zr1netregistry.com/forum/...8566#post68566 I installed mine with the humps at the 2-5-7-10 position. I really had to fight the belt to get in installed.
Thanks

[secondchance]

Originally Posted by ittlfly

Hey Guys...a dumb question here but can the belt tensoner be installed incorrectly? By that I mean, can the locating tab that goes against the block be placed in the wrong location against the block thereby making putting on the belt a real bit*h? I was looking at the picture in this post and noticed the ''humps'' on that tensioner located in the 12-3-6-9 o"clock position. http://www.zr1netregistry.com/forum/...8566#post68566 I installed mine with the humps at the 2-5-7-10 position. I really had to fight the belt to get in installed.
Thanks

Last time I installed the belt I had to walk it by using the starter to rotate the crank.

[VetteMed]

I had a really tough time installing the belt until I routed it behind the driver's side of the water pump pulley (resting against the pump itself), all the other accessories routed properly (with belt on pulley in normal position). Remove tension from belt with tensioner, then slide belt forward from behind the water pump pulley.

[Sgreg]

Originally Posted by VetteMed

I had a really tough time installing the belt until I routed it behind the driver's side of the water pump pulley (resting against the pump itself), all the other accessories routed properly (with belt on pulley in normal position). Remove tension from belt with tensioner, then slide belt forward from behind the water pump pulley.

For some reason, the GM belt goes on much harder than say a Gates belt. Too rigid maybe. Gates is easier for me.

[secondchance]

I have a 26 and 22 year old boys. I have one of them holding the tensioner down and the other pulling on it. All I do is bark out orders!

[ittlfly]

Thanks for the replies. I really had to struggle to get the friggen thing on. Finally had to use the help of a BF screw driver to get it over the last pully. I even had a breaker bar inserted in the slot on the tensioner then tied it down as far as it would go to get the max clearance.
FWIW.... Here is waht Mark H had to say about it:

''I have put so many tensioners on that I don't think about it any more, so I don't have fine detail. There are two notches on the mount on the water pump. It will only fit on one of them. Maybe you could put it between the notches. I don't know what happens if it is installed wrong.

There is a lot of variance in how tight the belt fits. Small variations in belt length and groove depth seem to have a huge effect. I presume that you slipped the belt behind the water pump pulley to install it. There is a tag on the radiator shroud with the installation procedure. If the belt is not slipped behind the water pump pulley it will always be nearly impossible to fit.''

I may have gotten it mounted ''betwen the notches'' as Mark points out.

[Z51JEFF]

I had a belt that would not go on,period.This had the G.M. part number.I got a Goodyear belt and it went right on the car,no problem.With the first belt I tried everything,loosen up the Alt mounts,put the belt on from the back of one of the pulleys,nothing worked.I even had my brother give me a hand.I think the belt was a Gates but Im not sure.