A/C, power steering, and fan (water pump/alternator) belts

Maybe this will help?
The first pic is left(engine side washer) to right(the nut holding it on) in order going away from the engine.
The second is all the washers and bearings' backside or what you would see if you were the engine facing out but from right to left.
The pictures do not show the depth or shape of the cupped washers-maybe I'll amend this post later for clarity.
Is that confusing?


Attachment 6487Attachment 6488

Hi all,
I have a 1989 Toyota Van LE 2.2 L and recently the power steering belt snapped (scared me to death on the freeway). Does anyone have any technical advice or photos of the installation/how the belt should normally look? I have the original manual, but it does not show any useful diagrams on installing the belt. Any help is appreciated! Love the site, thanks for everything.

Cedar - While replacing the belt will certainly correct that aspect of the failure, you need to determine why the belt failed.
99% of the time it will be a seized idler pulley (the pulley that moves to adjust tension on the Pwr Str belt)


As a side note, you will need to drop the belts that are in front first, alternator for sure, not sure about A/C (if so equipped), been awhile since I was in there.

Thanks Burntboot. I looked at that thread earlier, for some reason the videos/pictures were not loading. I will try looking again. Also, thank you for the advice on the idler pulley. How do I know if that seized/if it did seize how do I fix it? Thanks a ton!

Does anyone know if it's okay to drive without the belt? It is obviously harder to turn but from what I could tell the belt was not attached to anything else except for the power steering.

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Originally Posted by cedarsvan

Does anyone know if it's okay to drive without the belt? It is obviously harder to turn but from what I could tell the belt was not attached to anything else except for the power steering.

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Perfectly OK as long as you're physically able to drive without P/S. On your '89, that should not require much extra muscle. On the '84-'85 vans, it's definitely tougher (recirculating ball instead of rack and pinion).

Gwen

there was a little debate about extra stress on the bevel gear(part of the linkage toward the front, makes a 90° coupling), but my 87 4x4 came with all the power steering components removed and i dont miss it...it really cleans up the engine compartment as well, making it way easier to access the alternator and thermostat among other things...it helps to have the van moving and your tires properly inflated...

super helpful, thank you!

Wanted to let everyone know this thread was very helpful to me! I just ordered the bearing from Ebay...looking forward to tuning up my old tensioner.

-Hugh

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Originally Posted by timsrv

Oh no, this is a basic job. Engine definitely will not need to be taken out. You might be able to do the job from the driver's side compartment, but personally I think it would be easier to pull the passenger seat, the right side engine compartment cover, and maybe the fan shroud. With that stuff out of the way it would be easy to replace. The biggest rookie mistake is over tightening fan belts. They actually make a belt tension tool (maybe one of those rental places have one), but IMO a belt has proper tension when it's just tight enough to not slip. For new belts I set a bit tight because they always stretch a bit during the 1st 100 miles or so. Tim

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Tim,

How do you get the belt over the three pulleys without pulling the engine? Just eyeing it there's a piece right in the middle that the belt can't get over.

Thanks much!

Here's a quote from the "Basic van knowledge" thread:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by timsrv

The good thing about the serpentine belt is it's obvious what pulleys it rides on (only one serpentine belt). The bad thing is it's the farthest one back. This means the other 2 belts must be removed before you can change it. Since you'll be pulling all the belts you should replace them all. 1st pull the power steering, then the AC (if still equipped), then the Serpentine (if there's anything left of it). The PS & the Alt belt will need to be worked around the fan (coming off and going back on). This can be fun with the fan shroud in the way, but is manageable. Just work it over the fan one blade at a time until it's free. When all the belts are back on tighten them a bit tighter than normal as new belts stretch. If you don't know how tight to make them it's better to stay on the loose side. If they squeal, they're too loose :dizzy:. There's actually a tensioning tool (perhaps available for rent at Autozone or equivalent). There is such a thing as too tight, and you don't want to go there. The alternator belt is easy because there's a wing nut that is tightened by hand. When doing that one, just crank the wing nut as tight as you can (without tools), then tighten the set bolts (upper and lower alternator mount bolts).

For removing the AC & PS belts you will need to loosen the idler pulleys. To do that you'll need to loosen the the set bolts in the front/center of the pulley (14 mm) then use the long threaded 12 mm bolt to loosen/tighten. After the new belts are on & tight, snug up the center "set" bolts. Have fun. Tim

PS: You might try searching the forum for more information. Here's a thread on the subject: https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/...ernator)-belts

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To view the post in it's original location, click on the little blue arrow next to my name (beginning of the quote). Tim

Hey guys! I'm having a little squeal from one of the belts in my van. It only happens in high humidity and / or when the van starts from cold, but yesterday for some reason it was more persistent than usual, squealing quite a bit whenever I idled or accelerated in first. As soon as the van shifted up out of first the squeal stopped. My a/c wasn't on (it never is because I have yet to fix the fan.) I'm guessing this is the serpentine belt? Power steering I wouldn't see the correlation with shifting and I'd notice it more while cornering right? Is it okay to apply belt dressing to the serpentine belt or is it a bad idea? My understanding is belt dressing is super bad for EPDM belts but helps quite a bit with neoprene. I guess if the belts are original, or at the very least old they'd be neoprene, but how can I tell if they've maybe been replaced by EPDM belts? Thanks!

A belt squeal that's associated with electrical loads (like headlights on and fan running on high) is most likely an alternator belt (serpentine). One that's associated with cranking your steering is typically going to be the PS pump belt (V-belt), and one that's associated with turning on your AC is typically going to be the AC belt (V-belt). I'm not aware of how the belt market is changing and/or materials they are made of, but I don't think belt dressing would hurt (I personally don't use belt dressing). When I'm investigating belt noise, assuming they're all tight, I use silicone spray on one belt at a time. The silicone will temporarily quiet it down a noisy belt and make it obvious which belt is the problem. And as always, when messing around near moving parts, do so at your own risk and be very careful. Tim

Quote:

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Originally Posted by timsrv

A belt squeal that's associated with electrical loads (like headlights on and fan running on high) is most likely an alternator belt (serpentine). One that's associated with cranking your steering is typically going to be the PS pump belt (V-belt), and one that's associated with turning on your AC is typically going to be the AC belt (V-belt). I'm not aware of how the belt market is changing and/or materials they are made of, but I don't think belt dressing would hurt (I personally don't use belt dressing). When I'm investigating belt noise, assuming they're all tight, I use silicone spray on one belt at a time. The silicone will temporarily quiet it down a noisy belt and make it obvious which belt is the problem. And as always, when messing around near moving parts, do so at your own risk and be very careful. Tim

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Hey Tim! I got in there and snugged up all the belts, but I'm still getting squeal. Noticing a pretty clear correlation between the squeal and electrical loads (headlights particularly.) At a glance the serpentine belt appears to be pretty fresh so my guess is I've got a bad idler pulley bearing? Am I right to assume based on what I've read so far in this thread that I could remove the serpentine belt and spin the idler pulleys with my hand to see if the bearings are okay? Access to those pulleys from the top seems nearly impossible so I'm guessing I'd want to jack the van up. I know to replace the belt itself I'd have to remove the other two belts, but if I only need to replace a pulley bearing could this be done without removing the P/S and A/C belts, just leaving the serpentine belt hanging slack off the other pulleys? Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions, I'm a bicycle mechanic and this is my first ever foray into auto mechanics. Thanks!

Wrench

The serpentine belt does not have an idler pulley, only the AC and PS belts have those. To get decent access you'd need to pull the passenger seat and the access hatch under that. You wouldn't need to pull the belts to check the bearings in the idlers, just loosen them up enough to spin the pulley and feel the bearings.

Before doing that I'd use silicone spray on the belts (as previously mentioned) as that may help you identify. Tim

Quote:

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Originally Posted by timsrv

The serpentine belt does not have an idler pulley, only the AC and PS belts have those. To get decent access you'd need to pull the passenger seat and the access hatch under that. You wouldn't need to pull the belts to check the bearings in the idlers, just loosen them up enough to spin the pulley and feel the bearings.

Before doing that I'd use silicone spray on the belts (as previously mentioned) as that may help you identify. Tim

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Pardon my automotive ignorance, what are the pulleys the serpentine belt runs on called? How many contact points are there? One for alternator, one for fan and one for water pump? I'll try silicon spray to confirm it's the serpentine belt.

The serpentine belt runs the water pump and the alternator pulleys. Adjusting the alternator tightens/loosens this belt. The PS pump and the AC compressor are not adjustable so they use adjustable idler pulleys to keep them tight. Pulleys that are only used for routing and/or adjusting belts are called idler pulleys. Tim

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Originally Posted by timsrv

The serpentine belt runs the water pump and the alternator pulleys. Adjusting the alternator tightens/loosens this belt. The PS pump and the AC compressor are not adjustable so they use adjustable idler pulleys to keep them tight. Pulleys that are only used for routing and/or adjusting belts are called idler pulleys. Tim

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Makes sense! Thank you.

just replaced all my belts. a few notes for DIYers:

- 12mm and 14mm wrenches and sockets / ratchet
- completed job with just driver's side seat up
- removed plastic guard beneath van for easier access to some belts (two 12mm bolts)
- PS belt came off easy from up top : AC and ALT belts easier from below
- no need to feed AC belt through fan
- i sprayed a little silicone lube on all bolts i'd be loosening and pulley spindles
- AC belt spec'd at auto supply store was too short : went back got next size longer and it worked perfect
- as noted new belts should be installed the very slightest bit tighter than usual 1/2" deflection
- good time to clean pulleys where belts will be seated
- i used a medium extension + short extension to reach the AC tension adjustment bolt from up top
- total time about 1 – 1-1/2 hours

Quote:

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Originally Posted by timsrv

Sounds like it's missing the idler pulley. There's a 3rd pulley (small one) just inboard of the PS pulley. It's got a vertical bolt w/12 mm hex head for adjusting belt tension. The 14 mm hex head bolt in the center of the pulley is to lock it in place once it's adjusted. If you're missing this pulley and/or it's mounting bracket, the best thing to do would be to find a van in a salvage yard and take these parts. Toyota may still stock these, but they will likely charge $250 or so. A salvage yard would likely charge $15 or so. If you go this route, there's a little bearing inside the pulley that should be replaced. The part number is 6302-2RS and is easy to find for cheap: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...02-2RS&_sop=15

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23...psz4pxjvqt.jpg

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I want to say thank you for posting the Bearing number. I'm going to order it at Napa since I know they carry good quality bearings. Or try Baxters and have them push in the bearings at the machine shop here in Oregon.

My mom called me today and told me her belt shredded off. Got there and took of the power steering pulley, and found that it would still drive fine with without it. I had her drive it home and she made it home just fine. I will show photos of the bearing and post them in a week . MAN it seized up The belt got so hot it was like crunchy.

I will post parts that I got and where I got them and hopefully part numbers so it will help someone in the future.

Again, THANK YOU BRO!
-iMickey503

I've changed that bearing a few times. It's been a while, so I don't remember all the details, but I don't think it needed any pressing. I think it just pops out and the new one pops right back in. That bearing is used a lot on motorcycles, so if Napa doesn't have one a motorcycle shop should. Good luck. Tim

So i am in a similar spot as some of the other folks in this thread where in i need to get my hands on a new power steering drive belt idler assembly.. Long story short i was driving and my water pump / alt belt snapped, I managed to get the van home and went to remove the front power steering belt to get access to the rear alt belt and after loosening the pulley bolt i was still having a really tough time backing off the adjustment bolt on the tensioner.. a few tries and i snapped the bolt off in it .. Then wasn't able to drill it out either so looks like I need a replacement..

Hope you don't mind, I grabbed the pics from page 1 of this thread to help illustrate the part I am looking for .. If anyone has one in a parts pile, parts van etc .. id really appreciate the chance to buy one from a member here.. There is only one van in norcal at the yards at the moment and that is all the way up in Sacramento.. The way things are with work n kids at home at the moment.. well, its a stretch to think ill get a whole day to make that drive .. needless to say its a gamble if that one van even has the part still...

Attachment 10782

I am really hoping i can get the van back on the road soon .. I recently added a rear bumper with tow hitch and have been using the van to launch my tin boat at my local marina :thmbup: been sneaking away for a couple hours with my son on the Petaluma river a couple days a week .. he (and I) are really missing it .. :)

Well small update . I actually managed to drill out the busted bolt and re-tap the belt tensioner .. I am going to re-assemble tomorrow and see how it looks .. I may still be interested in a replacement depending on how well it goes together if anyone out there has a lead ... but fingers crossed this goes back together and looks like it will hold up.

What's the length and thread of the long vertical bolt on the idler pulley? I remember Tim posting it somewhere but I cant find it for the life of me...

EDIT: GOT IT - M8 x 1.25 x 90

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23...psz4pxjvqt.jpg[/QUOTE]

Tim et al.,
Looks like the best post to add to instead of starting a new one. Having trouble with the alignment of my pulleys. Specifically the AC compressor (see attached pic). It is about one-half pulley width offset to the adjacent tensioner pulley. With the AC compressor bracket bolt-on design, it doesn't look like there's a possibility to shim anything here. Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm concerned about belt failure with such a drastic offset over a short distance. Note that the tensioner pulley and associated crank pulley are pretty close to being aligned. Attachment 11473

More importantly, what is the pressure rating for that fuel filter, fuel hoses, and the clamps? Normal operating pressure for the van's fuel system is ~ 40 psi and that stuff looks to be only rated for ~ 5 psi. If any of that springs a leak things can get very exciting in a bad way. Especially if it blows all at once in a hot engine bay on a hot day.

Regarding the AC alignment, I didn't know it was possible, but it looks like the AC compressor pulley is installed backwards. Check out this pic from one of my parts vans:

Attachment 11474

Thanks, Tim. Fuel line is 30R7 with a 200+ psi rating, same as the remote filter (not pictured). Added the clear filter just to see what the gas looks like. Thanks for the reminder, that wix filter doesn't have a high psi rating, so I decided it was best to remove it. 👍

Thanks for the compressor pulley pick. You are correct, it's not possible to install backwards. Looks like the pulley is pressure fit around the clutch pulley core. I think it must've gotten hot and slipped back? Tried to torch it and press it back to position with no luck. Found that the '86- '88 vans offer a separate clutch pulley #88412-22030 potentially available for purchase at a few places. Still trying to figure out the difference between the '86-88 compressors vs the '89, but it's not clear. Any insight?

The extent of my AC knowledge is pretty much all here in THIS THREAD. It's a long thread (11 pages), but there is some good info and part numbers, so you should take some time to scan/review. On page 4 I made a post that shows the part number for the compressor in my picture above.