All this for an alternator belt

My alternator was slow to start charging when I cranked the engine. I had to rev up the engine to make higher RPMs to make it start charging.
I knew the belt was loose but kept putting it off. Last week it just quit charging. I had no more adjustment room to tighten it. I needed to put in a new belt.
I needed to remove the fan belt before I could remove the alternator belt. The water pump pulley needed to be widened to loosen the belt.
Getting the nut off the set screw on the pulley sheave half was easy, but the set screw was locked in.
No room to get anything in there, not even a small vise grips. I had to pull everything off to get the room I needed.
I was then able to grab the set screw with a pair of vise grips and get it out. Now the two sheaves were frozen together.
I then needed to remove the fan and the pump drive pieces. Finally with everything cleared away I was able to work on the sheave halves.
With a solid brass punch and a small hammer, and with plenty of penetrating oil, I could then finally free up the sheave halves.
Finally after three days working on it everything is back together and running again.

JMO but once freed, I would coat the threads with anti-seize for the future. Too much will of course foul the belt but it doesn't take much to keep the halves loose.

Next time. Jim
Link belts no need to take things apart.

you can fish that alt/gen belt over the fan blade one blade at a time. I just put a new generator belt on my OS4 the other day. theres no need to take the radiator out to do that job

(quoted from post at 07:00:47 05/29/19) you can fish that alt/gen belt over the fan blade one blade at a time. I just put a new generator belt on my OS4 the other day. theres no need to take the radiator out to do that job

Click to expand...

I've also been known to "roll" the belt off of the pulleys when all else failed.