Now, eating belts

[WhalePirot]

Got the car back after some 'experts' rebuilt/reinstalled the 409.

AS FAR AS I KNOW, nothing on the accessory drive has changed, but it is going through serpentine belts quickly.

With no adjustment to the brackets or the pulleys, I think the crankshaft pulley MUST be the problem.

Two shops = two opinions and it ain't cheap or easy to get the crank pulley off, past the steering rack.

please! ( I saw the post on pulley alignment and e-mailed an SOS)

 

[nelson84]

should've stuck with the reliable crossfire.

 

[WhalePirot]

well, no

should've stuck with the reliable crossfire.

But it was not reliable after multiple rebuilds and a continued leaky injector. Also, it could not be modified to flow the air that this engine requires. the belt setup was very close to the '87 that now runs and the 'new' setup ran, until the 'pros' reassembled it.

 

[nelson84]

Did the TPIS headers install easy?
How much power are you getting?
1/4 mile time?

 

[G Winter]

could it be that they nicked a pulley?


Glenn

 

[road agent]

should've stuck with the reliable crossfire.

 

[Trav]

Sent you an e-mail!

Check your e-mail... And the steering rack isn't too bad to pull either. I did it in Germany with my car on a lift. Didn't even have to pull the radiator! I pulled the wheels and yanked it out the driver's side wheelwell opening. Only took a few hours.

Trav

 

[Trav]

Pulling pulleys...

;helpSorry to hear about your Vette eating belts! At $50 each, that's an expensive diet!

I recently lost one to the power steering pulley prior to the big project. The easiest ones to adjust are the power steering pump pulley, the alternator pulley and the water pump pulley.

The first step is to find the gross offender. I used a metal straightedge from one pulley to the next. Lay the edge along two points of the edge of one pulley so you have a good flat reference. Now slide that edge toward the nearest pulley. Don't rest it on both or you won't really see much. You'll want it to "float" over the other one to see how close it is. Think of two stacks of quarters in front of you. One stack has four quarters, the other has three. Hold a business card edge on the tall stack and see how it leaves a gap over the short stack... That was how I initially lined them up. You can also "eyeball" the belt from one pulley to the next as the engine runs. Look down the edge of the belt like a rifle site (wear goggles, just in case) and look for any deflection in how the belt runs. I actually saw mine run a slight angle from the water pump pulley to the a.i.r. pump pulley. Just do a section from one pulley to the next. That should give you another good indication.

The power steeering pump pulley simply slides on, so you have a decent range of movement. To adjust the power steering pump pulley, you just need to stop by the local parts store and pick up a GM pulley puller and installer tool (about $25-30). The puller has a collar that goes around the pulley center (about a 1" collar); spin the bolt on the puller until it makes contact and turn it with a wrench. You can watch how far it moves as you do it. Pretty easy!

The water pump pulley can be shimmed out (toward the radiator) by putting washers between the water pump pulley mounting ring and the actual pulley. I used silicone RTV to hold them in place. easiest way to remove the water pump pulley (two minutes!) is to loosen the four bolts while the belt is on; it will hold the pulley easily as you remove the four bolts. Once they are out, put a breaker bar on the belt tensioner and slip the belt off of the water pump pulley. It works best to put the belt back on if you do the alternator pulley last.

The alternator pulley is a little more involved: you'll need an allen wrench in the center shaft and a big wrench on the nut. Remove the nut and the the pulley should come right off.

Hopefully this helps! For me, the key pulleys were the water pump and the power steering pump. All is well now. Our local Autozone has a "free rental" program for pulley pullers. You give them a $40 hold on your credit card and they release it when you bring the kit back. I did that the first time (2 years ago), but went ahead and bought my own kit from O'Reilly's for $30.

Good luck with your Vette!!

Trav

 

[WhalePirot]

TY

Thanks for the helpful suggestions.

The pulleys look un-nicked and true.

When the engine is turned over, the belt 'walks' on the A/C pulley, which is downstream from the crank, and the tensioner is smooth an can exert little guidance to the belt.

I replaced the rack a number of years ago as well as rewiring this car due to moving the battery and installing 'export' taillights; did all the assembly after having the components built professionally, so I'll spring for another tool.

I have no E/Ts yet, partially for fear of breaking the rear end again.

I am away, due to Dad's passing, but will get to the beast in a week or so.

 

[gmjunkie]

First thing I'd do is.....................

Check the end play in the crankshaft!! If it's more than 5-6 thousandths,Kick your Builders Butt!!!! I had a problem Wearing and Slinging Belts with my LS6 after I sent it to a Reputable Builder because I didn't have time to do it myself!!:eyerole:eyerole
It had 16+ thousandths end play in the thrust main,more than twice the Max!! :eyerole:eyerole
1 new Forged Crank from GM,1 set Rod and Main bearings from Federal-Mogul and 70,000 miles of trouble free hauling Vettes over the Southeastern US since!!

 

[Trav]

Quick note! Forgot to mention!

When you are looking at the pulleys, some have grooves and some are smooth. Fire up the motor and watch where the belt runs on the smooth ones. You may find, as I did, that the belt runs close to the edge. The belt will "lock-in" to the grooved pulleys, but you have some amount or "swing-room" on the smooth ones. The belt was running 1/8" over center on the water pump pulley. I put washers between the pump mounting ring and the pulley to space it toward the radiator. Now it runs in the center of the smooth pulley instead of dragging on the front edge. Squeak disappeared immediately. Also, if the belt has been ssqueaking awhile, you might get some quietness back by flipping the belt. Just slip the belt off, rotate it half a spin (NOT inside-out!) and put it back on. In other words, if there is writing on the belt and you can read it, flip the belt so that the writing now appears upside-down. Ha! Man, the simplest things sure are difficult to put into words sometimes!

Trav ;help