If the bolt for tightening the alternator belt is rusted and immovable, what's to be done to free it up?
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If the bolt for tightening the alternator belt is rusted and immovable, what's to be done to free it up?
I got this..........
PB Blaster is the rust fixxer.
HERE!
Your welcome! :thmbup:
Thanks for the link. I did use penetrating oil on the bolt (before asking for help here). It's not in a spot where I can get at it with a hammer, and I'm not real comfortable with the idea of using a propane torch inside the engine compartment. The belt has too much play and it's squealing. Not too bad just yet, but still would like to be able to tighten it up.
Could be a bad pulley or a loose belt. If it's in fact the alternator belt then yah, it's more than likely just loose. Let the PB blaster sit on it for a good while. It will penetrate in there and break free for you.
It is most assuredly the alternator belt. I sprayed the oil initially and waited about half an hour. No go. Sprayed a bit more and waited an hour. Still nothing. How long is "a good while"?
Depends on how bad the rust is.... The bolt with the wing nut or the bolt with the block? The bolt with the block requires you to take the tension off first. The one that is tightened in to the alternator itself.
Well I don't see any wing nut. The top is hexagonal -- is that what you are calling a "block"? I didn't know about loosening a different item first. Not sure if you're referring to another bolt.... but if so, is it the only one that goes "in to the alternator itself"?
Take a pic of the bolt... or just point to it...
https://i.imgur.com/cS697bH.jpg
ok, thats your power steering belt tensioner. First hose it down with some thread lube, like PB blaster... Next, loosen the pulley bolt enough to ease the tension on the block. Should loosen up after the pb penetrates the threads some.
Beyond that advice, I don't know what else to say... :slap:
I don't know what to say either.... If that's the power steering belt tensioner, where the heck is the thing that needs to be adjusted to tighten the alternator belt? Because that's the only thing I see that looks like an adjuster of some sort in the general vicinity of the alternator.
I apologize for what the rest of you must see as my extreme ignorance of the working of automoblles. Believe me, I would love to leave this stuff to the experts, but it's just not affordable. Adjusting the tension on the alternator belt ought to be do-able, even for a dummy like me. In fact I ought to be able to do MOST of the repairs that my vehicle needs, but if I can only manage the simpler ones, that's a great help. I did manage to put in a rebuilt alternator, and a new water pump, and I did the HOD myself. I'm ignorant, but I can learn!
I literally posted a picture of it, post #8.
Don't take this the wrong way, but did you have some head trauma at some point? I've had a couple of concussions... it's all I can think of.
Wait. You put the alternator IN, and your struggling to figure out the tensioning for it? :cnfsd:
K, I'm out. This is the exact type of thing that I will get banned again over...
Good luck Suzu.
It was years ago and the only time I've ever done such a thing. If I had to do it again, it would be only a tiny bit easier than if I had never done it.
Indeed you did, but when I look in the same spot in my van, I don't see the same thing as what's in your photo! Shall I post a photo of what I do see, taken from the same angle as your pic? I only posted the photo above to show the stuck bolt but I can take another pic to show that there's nothing like what your pic shows anywhere near MY alternator.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flecker
As a small child, I had a scalp wound once. It bled a lot but didn't cause a concussion.Quote:
Don't take this the wrong way, but did you have some head trauma at some point? I've had a couple of concussions... it's all I can think of.
I'm really sorry Suzu... I really wanted to make this work between us (your alternator belt). It's not you, it's me.
Maybe one day we can talk about it... but I'm just confused and don't see us working it out anytime soon (YOUR squeeky belt).
Please understand I really wanted it to happen...
Flecker.
I am a Previa guy - a newby refugee from the Previa Yahoo group that is closing down.
Maybe I can help a Toyota Van brother in need.
just as you are not lost as long as you have gas in your tank, you are not sunk as long as there are wrench flats on the nut or bolt.
lit appears that you do still have a viable head. The various penetrating oils take time to work. Sometimes several days. Avoid just adding torque as you might break the bolt or strip the head.
one way to hasten the removal is with direct hammer blows to the stuck portion of the thread. In this case it is where the bolt threads screw into the cube shaped silver block that serves as a nut of sorts. Applying impact to this place can be accomplished by using an extension bar and a hammer. You can use a 3/8” socket extension that is long enough to reach the cube block and extends high enough to enable you to reach it with a hammer. Hold the extension with vise grips so you will not hit your hand if you miss or I should say when you miss. Use a hammer that weighs 16 ounces or less. A heavy hammer will not travel fast enough to deliver enough shock to the block. Another way to deliver shock waves to the block is to use a rivet gun or even a masonry impact drill with an old broken off bit. The ability to deliver many impacts is important as these shock waves will loosen the hold and allow penetrating oil to penetrate.
Don’t get in a hurry. This can be a daunting job and take a lot of time.
As the owner of an older vehicle that you need to keep running while tight for money, always be on the lookout for bolts and bits and pieces for future repairs.
Since the belt is laying rubber for a while, go ahead and replace it once you get things going your way.
when you have the items disassembled, use a round wire brush to clean the female threads. A gun cleaning wire brush. Also wire brush the male threads. Apply Never-Sieze or a comparable lubricant to the threads when you reassemble.
good luck!
Duane
Thanks so much for the info, Duane. The problem seems to be (as I mentioned in my last reply to Flecker) I'm not finding anything in my van near the alternator that looks like the pic he posted. I have taken another pic of what I do see. Maybe I'm missing something, but I do not see an adjusting mechanism for the alternator belt. Can you see one?
Attachment 9602
First loosen the red bolt with a wrench. Tighten the Blue Wingnut by hand until you get the right tension. Tighten the red bolt.
Note: the photo shows a nut on the back of the alternator, that should not be there. it becomes inaccessible when the water hose is in place. Whoever put that on there is asking for trouble later. Its a solution when your missing the blue wing-nut-bolt and a slightly longer bolt won't hold on its own (as was mine when I first got it).
Attachment 9601
As for the belt-tensioner to adjust the power steering belt, the pulley slides up and down using that rusty bolt sticking up and down. However the block that it goes to is tightened down to the pulley so it doesn't slide up and down freely. First you have to loosen the pulley before you can adjust it. Same concept as the alternator but with a hex head instead of a wing-nut. The bolt goes thru the pulley, doesn't need to come off. If you try and adjust the tension without loosening the pulley first you'll bend the thing. Sometimes the pulley spins when your trying to loosen it, apply tension to the belt to tighten it up
Attachment 9603
Liquid wrench works a little better than PBlaster. Sometimes it takes multiple applications over a few days. Its dissolving years of rust.
Your missing your wingnut bolt. I found mine in a junk yard. Mine was being held in by the tension of the red bolt alone, stripped alternator made it essential to fix with a longer bolt, it held for awhile but eventually the rest of the threads striped. I used a zip tie to the aluminum block and where the blue wingnut holds. Eventually it gave and i replaced it with two. They held for quite some time until I found the bolt.
Thank you, phychotron .
The upper photo you posted looks like the one Flecker posted, and the lower one looks like the one I posted. But I see a huge difference between the two photos.
The red nut in the lower pic appears to be in a completely different location than the red one in the upper pic. Also, I do not see the alternator in the lower pic! I Do Not See It.
Is there something *removed* from above the alternator in the upper pic? Do I need to remove something before I can SEE my alternator?
Is there a DIFFERENCE between what you are calling the power steering belt and the alternator belt?
The belt that is too slack in my van is the one you can see in the lower photo with the label that reads "PREMIUM TOP (something)" sideways twice.
The alternator is below the power steering pump. Its missing in the photo the other person posted. The radiator hose goes over the back red nut normally.
The alternator and power steering both have a different belt. They both connect to the main pulley.
I was typing my previous reply while you posted this, so I did not see it before my last post. I don't know what you mean by missing my wing nut bolt. I just have no clue. I can't even see my alternator, the way you can clearly see an alternator in Flecker's photo.Quote:
Originally Posted by phychotron
Now I am completely lost. Are you saying that I need to remove the power steering pump before I can see my alternator and adjust its belt? If your answer is yes, then I probably don't need any more guidance. If you say no, then I need help to find the thing that needs to be turned.Quote:
Originally Posted by phychotron
I don't know which one is the main pulley. You highlighted a bolt head in red in both photos, but they are in two different locations.
No need to remove the power steering pump, you just need to reach your hand down there. You can get to it with tools and its not too hard to remove if needed. I'll try and find a photo of how I fixed mine when I was missing the wing-nut-bolt. You also do not need to remove or mess with the power steering belt either. The alternator belt is completely independent. The power steering belt will need to come off only if you want to replace the alternator belt.
You were posting at the same time that I was editing my previous post.
The main pulley is the big one on the engine. The alternator belt it goes around it, the water pump and the alternator. The power steering belt goes around the power steering pump, belt tensioner and down to the main pulley.
Here's how I fixed mine. I first got a longer red bolt because the alternator was stripped from the previous owner. It eventually stripped out the remaining threads from slipping and needing readjustment. Rather than take the radiator hose off and put a longer red bolt with a nut on the end I chose to use zip ties temporarily (I didn't know the blue wing-nut-bolt existed.). I highlighted the zip ties in blue as it replaces the wing-nut-bolt.
Attachment 9604
I see zip ties but they appear to be black, not blue. Where are the blue ones?
Forgive me, I still don't have a clue about how to tighten my alternator belt. I'm just so tired of trying to understand it all. My mind refuses to function on this level anymore today.
Just read this. That's the power steering belt. Adjust the belt by adjusting the belt tensionerQuote:
Originally Posted by Suzu
Loosen red(apply tension to the belt to hold the pulley if needed). Tighten blue (spray a few times daily for few days with penetrating fluid if stuck). Tighten Red.
Attachment 9603
Also, it looks like you have the wing-nut-bolt on the alternator but its hidden from by a metal hose.
Do you see any blue in the photo? colorblind? I used photoshop to highlight the black zipties blue so it would be easier to understand that they are replacing the wing-nut-bolt. However if you got a better photo of your alternator I think it might be there in your van.Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzu
And if its the top belt that your trying to tighten that's not the alternator belt. The alternator belt is hard to see, it tucks back into the engine and to check the tension you'll need to reach your hand down into the engine bay and grab onto it down there.
I see zero blue highlighting in any of the photos that you have claimed blue highlighting exists in. In two of them I see some purple highlighting but in the last one you posted, only black on the zip ties. I am far from color-blind.Quote:
Originally Posted by phychotron
The top belt seems to be too slack. If it's the one doing the squealing, so much the better because I can at least SEE it. I thought it was the alternator belt doing the noise because of when I hear the squealing (it's not when executing turns).
Wish I had known this all early in the day. It was 70 F. here today. Tomorrow and for a while to come it's going to be too damned cold out to mess with the car. Too bad I have to drive 130 miles round trip to the doctor on Wednesday.
Suzu, in Fleckers picture posting number 8 you can see the alternator clearly because his power steering pump has been removed, in your picture posting 9 you’ve taken a picture of the power steeering adjustment bolt... 2 totally different locations. Your picture of the bolt is directly under the radiator cap and the 3 sensors. Looking at your picture posted in number 19 it looks like you don’t even have a alternator in there let alone the wingnut adjustment bolt? I think that’s what your missing??Please don’t take it wrong everyone is trying to help and sometimes it’s easy to get lost in reading and translations.For me... I don’t see the alternator in posting number 19?<br><br>JDM
<br><br>The adjuster bolt is there, it's just hidden under the PS hard line. <br><br>https://i.imgur.com/9ihKm7P.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by JDM VANMAN
<br><br>
I'm really trying to help, but I think I'm just gonna back away from this one. I'm to snarky and just a complete A-hole with this kind of stuff.
<br><br>Really though, good luck Suzu, hope ya get it.
<br><br>Flecker,<br><br>good eye... eyes of experience, thank you for pointing it out!! I still don’t see the alternator, or maybe it’s just the angle of the picture or my cataracts? But in all seriousness I think it’s the angle of the picture so I can’t see it.<br><br>JDMQuote:
Originally Posted by Flecker
<br><br>I CAN SEE IT! THANK YOU SO MUCH, FLECKER!!! Now, is there something I have to loosen up first, before trying to turn that wing nut?Quote:
Originally Posted by JDM VANMAN
<br><br>Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzu
I'm almost afraid to respond... <br> Hang on, lemme post a VISUAL.
Loosen the bolt highlighted by the RED arrow first. (loosen counterclockwise)<br><br>Then tighten the wingnut highlighted by the GREEN arrow. (twist it to the right)<br><br><font face="Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif">https://i.imgur.com/f4OVpMP.jpg</font><br><br>After your done tighten them up again...<br><br>After al this, when you realize that the belt that is actually squeeling is the Power steering belt, hit up Phycotron's photo and instructions.<br><br><br>
When trying to tighten the alternator belt an important thing to remember is to only hand tighten the wing nut. Don't use a tool to tighten it. Wingnuts are used to stop people from over tightening something with a wrench. Chances are if its already tight it won't spin any more. Check the tension on the belt, it should move up and down just a little bit, less than a quarter inch. If its good then its almost certainly the power steering belt.
Sometimes you can tell its the power steering belt and not the alternator belt because it will squeal when you turn the wheels. but not so much when straight.
Sometimes you can tell its the alternator belt because it starts to squeal when you turn lights or radio or anything that uses electrical power.
Since you won't be able to work on it for a few days its a perfect opportunity to spray penetrating fluid on the rusty bolts on the belt tensioner once or twice a day till you can get to it.
As for my graphics; I used blue but I see now how it turned out purple in my pictures. Ignore everything i said about zip ties (though they are highlighted blue/purple, not sure why your not seeing the color if you can see the zip ties)
I fully understand what to do now, thanks to you wonderful folks. Just one question left: In Flecker's latest pic, the bolt with the red arrow *appears* to be directly behind a pulley or something, which would make it impossible to turn with anything other than a crescent wrench unless the object in front of it was first removed. Is that correct? If not, is that thing that must be turned actually *not* behind something that makes it inaccessible to a socket wrench, and it just looks like it is?