and even with the method shown below it STILL flops around. must be some kinda harmonic going on.

 

try a serpentine idler for a 2008 jeep liberty >>

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ed-lock-3.html

Post#35

+++ that motor is cleeeeaan .. looks brand new .. nice

 

In my experience you can over tighten that belt and it will still wobble at idle, it tends to straighten out as rpm's increase. Keep in mind too much tension on accessory pulleys will eat up things like bearings and seals faster.

 

I know it looks bad, unusual and suspicious but that 'flopping around' is normal and especially if you are using a high quality belt it won't hurt anything or cause the belt to fail prematurely. I think I learned about that from reading some Gates literature about causes of belt failures. So what is a 'high quality belt'?

I've always used 'GATES' belts (preferably 'high performance' or heavy duty) for any vehicle that I need to depend on for durability, off-road use in very remote areas, etc.
My truck will be used towing a trailer over several mountain ranges so I definitely don't want to have to stop on a shoulder to replace a broken, damaged belt or have to tighten it. I was first advised to use Gates belts by a person who had been working in a big city maintenance shop for 35 years, maintaining city trucks/equipment and emergency vehicles. My own research confirmed that GATES is a very good choice. Not to say that other manufacturers can't make a good belt - I bought spare belts that are not Gates but Gates has some very impressive design and engineering features that I have not seen in common v-belts by other manufacturers so I trust these more.

I was lucky to find a GATES High Performance Green Stripe belt for my truck but the part number is no longer even listed at the Gates website and I think this one is probably obsolete and difficult to find. Gates part number is 5723 if you happen to find one somewhere. Otherwise you might find a more recent version the 'green' series of belts that might fit and may be better. They are engineered differently and more durable than regular v-belts. That is explained on the GATES website.

Mine is 1/2 in. (12.5-13mm) x 58-3/8 in. (1485mm). At first I thought that the belt was too wide because it did not seat all the way into the pulley. About 1/8 inch of the belt was above the pulley but I discovered that this is how they are supposed to be and after a short time of operation (probably 30 minutes or less) they seat down into the pulley

That belt did reduce the flopping at idle but as shorerider16 mentioned, over-tightening the alternator belt, which I think practically everyone will have a tendency to do in these trucks, is far worse than having a floppy belt at idle. Unless it is low quality belt that floppiness should not make a difference. Adjust it to specifications and call it good.

I cleaned the 'V' grooves in the pulleys with steel wool. If you need to use something more aggressive like sandpaper just make sure the scratches are made smooth or 'polished' appearance. (for what it's worth, I pay a lot of attention to small details)

Apply a little bit of throttle while watching your alternator belt and you should see that it straightens right out.

 

ok good to know. only tightend up to about where the others are. i used the ratchet strap mainly for lack of a spot to stick a breaker bar in it.

 

I just used a crescent wrench on the upper "tab" on the alternator. yank it tight with one hand, tighten the bolt with the other. Try it with different tensions, see what works.
I'm just not sure you can get enough tension with that method.

 

I think you are somehow right. I think it may be due to the characteristics of the load on the belt that are produced in the alternator at lower RPM. I think my A/C belt is longer - A/C clutch not engaged and it does not flop. It might be a slightly shorter span on the A/C belt though.

I used a crowbar about 24 inches long to pry the alternator back before tightening the bolts. I probably set it a bit too tight. I'll have to look up the specification again and recheck it. I seem to recall that the shop manual showed a special tool for measuring the belt tension which I don't have so I just estimated how much tension to put on it.

I liked the idea of a tie down strap on a forklift method. Reminded me of the old time methods of pulling teeth. If you need to remove a stuck part, that forklift at a run will probably yank it out of there.

I know you just used the tensioner on the strap.. and that was innovative! I'll remember now that tie down straps can be used for other purposes.

 

I was installing some chain link fence last week and used a ratchet strap to tighten it.