Ok, here's the deal. My Z28 was built with AC on it from the factory. As many of you are probably aware, the power steering pump, which is beneath the AC compressor on the drivers side, has a pulley with room for TWO belts.

The belt on the outside, the one closest to the radiator, would run the water pump, AC compressor, and of course the power steering pump. The belt on the inside, the one closet to the pump, is a smaller belt that just runs the pump from the main. It is THIS belt, the smaller inside belt, that I am trying to replace!!

How do you go about adjusting the tension on this one???? I losened every nut and bolt I could see and the thing won't budge. Is some ancient chinese secret that I don't know about??

 

there's atleast one bolt on the back..

you'll have trouble getting the power steering belt tight, I ended up using a prybar and pulling on the pump to tighten as I tightened the bracket in the back..

i also overtightened it a touch as it will loosen a bit once the AC belt is put on..

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Webmaster: www.IROC-Z.org

 

There's one adjustment bolt on the water pump, and 2 adj bolts on the back. The pivot is at the top, right above the fill. You probably haven't loosened the lower one on the back which is like invisible and impossible to get to with a real-world wrench. It's the factory's technician torture bolt.

Whatever you do, DO NOT pry on the reservoir!! It's just thin sheet metal that's kind of hung around the actual pump body, which is what all the hardware actually goes into. If you pry on it you will almost certainly bend it, and then you will forever have a leak from the 5" or so diameter O-ring in the front failing to seal.

There's a little round "tower" looking boss on the water pump right above the one adjustment bolt, and a tab on the PS pump bracket. Use a tire tool with the tip against the tab and the side against the WP to tighten it.

To avoid the A/C belt problem as described above, tighten it up with the tire tool, and lock it down with the front adj bolt; then put the A/C belt back on and tighten it up and tighten all its bolts; then tighten the 2 adjustments on the back of the PS pump, which will pull the pump back in the direction of tightening the belt.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

i must just be lucky.

then again, i have never pried on the center section, only along the outside where it's the strongest..

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Webmaster: www.IROC-Z.org

 

Thanks again guys! I found that pain in the 4SS bolt in the back...and it was torture! Thank God I had just removed bad compressor out of the way or I don't think I coulda done it.:-)

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Scott
84 Z28 305

 

Hey, this old post helped & wanted to add that using a stubby 15mm wrench worked well to reach the hidden bolt. When standing on driver's side fender looking at ps pump, there's a hidden bolt behind the ps pump bracket, under the a/c bracket, and next to the #1 spark plug. Just had to lean over and loosen w/ a stubby 15.

 

loosen the bolt on the back by your exhaust manifold, the loosen the 2 bolts that are mounted on the block towards the waterpump, you should have a place to put a 3/8's ratchet on to the powersteering bracket, you should be able to move pump from there, on one style of powersteering set ups one of the 2 bolts go to the waterpump