Has anyone had this problem? I have 2 V-belts on my 383 camaro and the one that goes on the alternator can't seem to get tight enough. Or one time it was even too tight, as soon as i started the car it broke. But I've put the star shaped lock washers on the bolt that goes through the alternator bracket tightened it to what feels PLENTY tight and it still seems loose when running. The space where the belt runs between the alt and fan is the largest gap and it moves up and down alot when the enigine is running. It also makes a squealing noise. I am NOT running an electris fan, fuel pump, etc. also like i said it is a v-belt not a serpentine. Has anyone come across this or have any suggestions?

 

Do you have a picture of your setup? I'm curious about your brackets and how long of a throw your belt has. My v-belt used to zing off when the engine would hit 6k rpm's, so a large Moroso alternator pulley took care of that. A couple years ago I changed the thing over to serpentine pulleys. As you can see (hopefully you can), my alternator-to-pulley spacing isn't all that wide.

 

If the belt climbs the sides, the pulleys are not in the same plain, or one is not square to the plain of the belt. If the belt is polishing the bottom of the pulleys it's worn out or not the correct width. Belt tension and harmonic vibration, and broken cords generally cause belts to fly off. Try to tighten a new belt so that the longest span between pulleys will give about an inch when pushed down. Turn the alt pulley by hand to check for smoothness and ease of turn.

 

Hey sorry its been a couple days since I've been on. You know how it gets this time of year. Ok also apparently I didn't proof read my first post so I'll correct some of my errors. Obviously it doesn't matter if I had an electric fuel pump (i meant to write water pump) and the space that seems loose goes from the alt down to the crank pulley. And no the belt doesn't seem to climb the sides, it just seems to have too much wiggle room down that one space. I'm having some trouple uploading some pics on here. Is there anything special I need to do?

 

When trying to upload the file for a picture it failed so I'm thinking the size is too large. I'll try to find a way to edit the size. Maybe the wife can figure it out... So until then, any possible suggestions? And I'm thinking about switching to a serpentine belt, would that be better? and what is the difference if I changed to an electris water pump? Any benifits over a mechanical water pump? Would it be too much of a hassle to switch out?

 

Oh ya and I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!

 

The area you're talking about is the return side of the belt, and it's a longer distance than the alternator to water pump pulley, so naturally it has more deflection and feels less tight. Even with a good tight belt, this section's span is long enough to see it vibrate and move when the engine is running, and the alternator is charging.
Couple things to check:
1st check the alignment of the pulleys. Look at each pulley from the side to see the belts are running in the middle of the pulley, and that all pulleys are lined up so it's not rubbing the edge and making that squealing noise.
2nd check the condition of all the belts, and be sure that your belt is the correct length. If it's correct the belt should be snug and not have more than an inch of deflection when snug. Also, the slot that the adjustment moves in should be close to center when tight, not way out at the end. If it's out at the end you're out of adjustment room. and either need a new belt, or a shorter belt.
If you do need a shorter belt, just take your's to your local parts store and match it up with the same length to see if it's stretched, or buy one an inch or so shorter if needed.

 

If yours is a street driven car, an electric water pump wouldn't be the best idea. If an electric pump motor fails, you're stranded. If a mechanical pump fails, you can generally still limp home, or to help, with a leak.

 

Yes the car is more of a street car. I might take it down the strip once or twice just to see what she will do...

1971BB427: Yes the belt is constantly sqealing lately. Especially when cold but basically it is always squealing and its annoying. This car is supposed to get looks cuz people are impressed not cuz the squealing is hurting their ear drums! I have 3 in. 2 chamber series flowmasters and hookers headers and you still hear a constant squeal. Do you think possibly the belt is too wide for the pulleys? The belt is fairly new and I think I got the narrowest one there was. Should I just try switching all the pulleys and belts to a serpentine? Or get new V pulleys? The pulleys seem to in straight in line so I don't think that is the problem.

 

I know you said your belt is fairly new but have you tried another belt. Maybe it's defective from the manufacturer. Also, try to use a good quality belt like a goodyear or a dayco. Maybe the belt you have has too hard of a compound. Just trying to say try the easy stuff before changing a whole bunch of pully's. You can also buy belt dressing from an auto parts store that may help with the squeeling.