Replacing belts

[dewloft]

This is meant to be the simplest of jobs which makes it embarrassing to ask. The drive belt is obviously straight forward, Loosen the alternator. But in order to get that belt off I need to remove the one in front of it which is the one powering the rest of the pulleys from the engine block. Do I just remove the bolt from the pulley which doesn't seem right or do I loosen the part which resembles the alternator adjustments? I am weary of messing with the adjustments because I am unsure if they are crucial to the timing belt. My alternator is bad, and the belts are cracked, wanting to replace it all in one go. Thanks guys!

[keith]

Do you have air conditioning and/or power steering? Two belts or three.

[dlb]

to relax the power steering belt, there are three 14 mm bolts to loosen. one is at the base of the pump and is accessed from the firewall side. the other two bolts connect the stabilizing arm to the block at one end and the pump at the other. i can't remember how many/what size/location of bolts for AC but it's the same principle so just take a look for which bolts hold it in place.

the timing belt is underneath the blast plastic cover at the front of the engine and is completely independent of the alt/water pump, power steering, and AC belts. while you have the alt/water pump belt off you might want to remove the top plastic cover to visually inspect the timing belt though. if it is cracked or damaged in any way, plan on replacing it sometime soon. it's not too big a job on these engines, which is nice. also, it's a non-interference engine so even if the timing belt ever does snap or strip, no engine internals should get damaged. VERY nice.

[Petros]

you can not get the power steering belt off by removing the pullley, it does not have enough slack to allow you to slide the pulley off the shaft. you have to loose the tension on it as DLB outlined. You also have to remove the upper braketly completely to get the pump to swing far enough so you can get the belt off.

[dewloft]

Thank you guys. Yes it does have power steering and AC. Tackling it today. I will let you know how it goes.

[dewloft]

Okay so I replaced the alternator and belts.. Put everything back in place. Jump started the car let it run for a minute. Seemed as though everything went perfect, used a voltmeter and the alternator seemed to be working. Put the car in gear and went for a drive down the hwy.
After about 2 1/2 miles into it I pulled off and did a U turn on a side street and the engine just shut off completely.
It wouldn't turn over at all, nothing not even clicking. Still some electricity working dome light and dash lights. A guy jumped me and it fired up immediately but when I let let the idle down the engine would die. I had to make it home without letting the rpms get too low. Once home and back to the voltmeter there was 12.5 volts in the battery. The car still not wanting to keep running? Nothing when I turned the key.
Is there any obvious electrical solution? I am almost certain I put everything on right. Was thinking maybe a fuse? Or a short? Coil? Its a mystery.
Would appreciate some more advice. Thanks.

[dlb]

how is the connection between the battery cables and terminals? i would make sure they are free of any corrosion and tightly done up, then do the same with all the other cables and connections between the battery, alternator, and starter.

[Gottolovem]

I agree with dlb I have had trouble with battery terminal connections that appear to be nice and tight but cable end replacement fixed the electrical problems.

[marlinh]

You can also get the battery load tested for free at any parts retailer.

[dlb]

load test, why didn't i think of that after my recent experience? brilliant idea, marlene.

[4doorVIP]

hey guys I am changing the t belt on my 81 Tercel with the 3A motor and am wondering if I could get your opinion on how things are lining up.
When doing this job on my 87 Tercel 3A I was able to successfully align all notches dead centre.
With this car; the notches are close, but it feels like impossible to get 100% accurate.

I have tried doing with this 2 different timing belts, and this is the best results I've had (distributor rotor is set to #1 cylinder but not shown in these photos).

Do you figure I should go ahead and re-assemble? I have done multiple crank rotations and the notches are staying in the same places (timing belt is not jumping etc).


Your input is always appreciated
-Scott

[Gottolovem]

That looks right to me.
Is #1 on the compression stroke?

[4doorVIP]

That looks right to me.
Is #1 on the compression stroke?

Yes sir, #1 is at compression stroke (verified by taking out spark plug #1)
Rock arms are a bit loose as well on cyl #1 valves

I literally spent close to an hour trying to figure out how to align markings dead centre, but could never do it.
This is as close as she could get

[irowiki]

I had the same thing on my 81 Tercel ironically when I did the timing belt. I never got it 100% dead on but I got it close enough.

[marlinh]

Once you install the belt, rotate the engine two times and check that the marks line up exactly as before.