Hey guys, I just replaced my belt and tensioner. The belt flaps around like a guitar string and makes noise between the tensioner and compressor while at idle as if it were loose or something. It did this before with the old belt and tensioner but not to much. As far as I know none of the compnents are loose or misaligned because they were never removed. The only thing that was removed in the past was the tensioner to repalce a hose. But is there a way to adjust/align the tensioner? As far as i can tell it just lines up and bolts in to the brackets with no adjustments. Thanks!

BTW, the belt and tensioner are both AC Delco parts

 

Sure the belt is the correct length?

 

I thought that maybe I got the wrong belt, but I went to ACdelco.com and looked up the part number. It seems that the belt number is correct for an A/C/non air pump model. I'm kinda confused here

 

Dont always go by what they say...if the car has replacement pulleys etc it wont be right if theyre different sizes.. Cant you match the old belt's size? or is it FUBAR

 

Sometimes a seizing A/C compressor, smog pump or power steering pump can cause the belt to flop all around like that. Be sure to keep an eye on it becuase I killed an engine a few years ago when I kept popping belts. In my case, the A/C compressor was intermittently seizing and I didn't know it. The belt popped off and that was the end of it...

 

How'd you kill a motor by popping a belt off?

 

Serpentine belt. I played a little mind game with myself and was so convinced that it was something else that I ignored the loss of power steering and that the battery light was on and the temp gauge was rising. I drive the car 15 miles @ about 65 MPH and when I stopped (at AutoZone) the engine was ticking. I fixed the problem there, but stressed the heads & block so much that they slowly gave out over the next 2 weeks or so.

 

hey thanks for the tips. hmm....how do i check for a seizing A/C compressor? Mine is about 2 years old. I do notice it only flops around when the compressor is engaged!

 

Pop the belt off and spin the compressor by hand, see if it feels rough or dragging. Also try to wiggle your pulley around, see if there's play. Do that with the other accessories also

 

well, i did try spinning the compressor and the other accessories. The compressor/clutch part (middle) is kinda hard to turn as i gotta put a bit of force on it with one hand (but it's supposed to be right?) It seems to be relatively free, but it does squeak a little when I turn it by hand. The compressor pulley (the part the belt on that spins when the compressor is not engaged) spins freely with no problems. What do you guys think about this? Thanks!