I've recent replaced my alternator belt and it was a squeeze but I got it past
the fan and cross member without too much of a fuss. Like another member noted,
your motor mounts may be squashed as I've recently rplaced one of mine(exhaust
side) due to its squashed distorted state and the other is in good shape. That
may be why I was successful in changing the belt without any tricks. That
aside, I agree, the motor has to be jacked up most likely(use a block of wood
to spread out the load on the oil pan or ..else). Just lift it enough to get
the belt past the member. Good luck.
--
On Tue, 28 Sep 1999 07:37:53 dane trSix wrote:
>
>
>A few weeks ago I started a project to solve a problem
>with the charging light, the light was on all the
>time. I asked the group for help, and a lot of you
>replied and gave me some good advise. After checking
>for shorts in the wiring harness five times I finally
>took my alternator to a repair shop to have it tested
>and right enough, it was faulty. They wanted $68 to
>fix it or $180 for a new unit. No wonder I said thank
>you, and called one of the local auto parts store to
>check the price for an alternator for a Ford Fiesta as
>suggested on the vtr maintenance pages. I think the
>unit was a little over $80 incl tax - good deal.
>Unfortunately it did not bolt into the bracket on my
>car. Again the list helped me by pointing out to ask
>for a Bosch unit. On the phone again to try to find a
>store, where they carry the Bosch unit. It actually
>turned out I had to ask for a Bosch unit for a Fiesta
>1980 model with AC. I just loved it, when I walked
>into the store and told them I was the guy who called
>for the Bosch alternator, and when they saw my old
>unit (I wanted to make sure it would bolt in), one of
>the guys said from 5-10 feet away: Hi, that's not a
>Bosch unit, it's a Lucas. If any of you live in SF Bay
>Area and need a new alternator, please feel free to
>contact me, and I shall give you the addr.
>
>Anyway, my next problem is now, as it's also says on
>the vtr pages: a longer fan belt is probably needed.
>Correct, the alternator fits as if it was made for the
>tr6, but the stock fan belt is too short. Any smart
>way to replace the fan belt ? It looks like I have to
>remove the radiator, the cross bar, and the steering
>linkage just to get the old fan belt out and install a
>new one. Could someone please tell me, how long the
>stock fan belt is and what size I should get -
>probably 2-4 inches longer? Well, I think I have an
>oil leak somewhere up front - probably the timing
>cover, and maybe I'll take a look at this too.
>
>Is this a commen problem you all run into - you think
>you just have fix a simple thing like a shortage in
>the wiring and then you end up taking the whole car
>apart ?
>
>Thanks for all the help so far - unfortunately I'm not
>done yet!!!
>Dane
>
>
>
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