How do I get the alternator belt tight enough? (Page 3/3)
Mickey_Moose MAR 07, 04:59 PM
I never had a problem with belt squeal (owned the car since 1992, so have several years under the belt), but always bought the better quality belts. I use to use a short pry pry to tension the belt. But I installed Dodge Runner's system some time ago and would never go back.

I suggest you do that or Rodney's - your alternator bracket will thank you (many have broken their brackets trying to get the belt "tight").
pmbrunelle MAR 07, 06:55 PM

quote
Originally posted by Spadesluck:

Dodgerunners mount for the alternator is in a fixed location. It no longer has the ability to slide. The tensioner takes up all the slack.



I took a close look at the photo above, and yes, that's true.

If I had paid closer attention to the Dodgerunner tensioner, I may have bought one!
I sometimes buy things for my car too fast without doing the proper research.


quote
Originally posted by Patrick:
The is the way is the factory should've done it in the first place.



If stuff dies during the 3-year warranty, that's expensive. If stuff dies just after the warranty, you'll ruin your reputation.

10-year lifetime is a good spot to shoot for; breakdowns at the 10-year mark are expected.

Did stock 2.8 Fieros squeal like crazy at 10 years of age? (I don't know, I wasn't a Fiero owner in the mid 90s)

If the stock Fieros did make it to 10 years without belt issues, then the spring-loaded tensioner would have been a bad idea (dividends not going into shareholders' pockets).
Spoon MAR 07, 07:57 PM

quote
Originally posted by Mavrick1798:

While the tensioner might be the best option in the long run I was more hoping someone could share where they usually pry on the alternator to get it tight enough. It is a brand new belt just not tight enough..



You can always go this method or something similar.

http://fierosails.com/belt.html

Spoon

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"Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut

RayOtton MAR 08, 10:34 AM
I used Rodney's idler pulley which fixed the problem for about a year.

Tried all the suggested fixes. They each worked for about 300-500 miles.

Gave up and installed Dodgerunner's unit. Very good build quality and well engineered.

No problems for the last two year.

Dodgerunner's is worth the extra cost.
SE85 MAR 18, 05:44 PM
Get dodgerunners fix...you'll never spend better money on your ride.
Steel MAR 22, 08:34 AM
Before I swapped to a 3800 I put over 10k miles on my 2.8 and had noise at most idles and when slowing down etc.. it ended up being a dirt problem/build up problem. I cleaned all my pulleys really well, removed any kind of dirt/grime/old rubber/ sticky stuff from them and reinstalled the belt, kept it within spec for tightening.

Never had problems after that roughly 10k no squeal miles put on it. It was biting into the belt because of the crud built up on the pulleys...
Steel MAR 22, 08:36 AM

quote
Originally posted by Patrick:

You wanna know the secret? Buy one of these - Fiero Belt Tensioner



Seriously, it's the best money you'll ever spend on a V6 Fiero.




I must say that looks like a really nice upgrade for all 60* Fiero's, I would have definitely gotten that for mine. Preventative maintenance/upgrades are satisfying.