Can't change fan belt

[Gadget]

Is there a trick to changing the fan belts?

I followed the advice in this post - http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?2249-Belt - and got the Goodyear 17461 belts. Those are only 46" belts and I can't see getting those belts on the pulleys unless I took the front of the truck off an used a crowbar. So, yesterday I grabbed some generic 17465 belts from the local advance auto parts place just to get by, but those 46.5" belts won't go on either. So, today I get one of Goodyear's 17470 (47") from another store, and I have to go back in the morning to get the second. Only thing is, I can't get that belt on either.

After slipping the belt over the fan blade, I'm putting the belt in the outermost groove of the crank pulley, then over the outermost groove of the fan pulley, then I attempt to get it into the alternator pulley. Won't go. I tried filling the alt pulley before the fan pulley, but then I can't get it into the fan pulley groove. So, I pulled the belt part way over the fan pulley, and turned the fan by hand to "wind it" into place. I was happy for about 2 seconds before I realized there is now no way to move the belt to the innermost groove on all the pulleys and I can't get the belt back off.

The alternator is loose and pushed all the way in until it's resting on the water pump's lower hose clamp. It can't go in anymore. What am I missing here?
Do you guys pull the alternator and then bolt it back in after the belts are on? Something else?

So frustrating... I can't tell ya. BTW, I changed the compressor belt before this, without the proper tools - I used channel locks and a pipe wrench - and that belt was an absolute piece of cake in comparison.

 

[dmetalmiki]

I simply go to my local belt and bearing factor with the old belt. Never had a problem.

 

[swbradley1]

Put some anti freeze on it and use some small pry bars on them. Gimpy showed me that trick 4 weeks ago on my NHC-250 fan belts.

 

[XchaosX]

I just changed my belts the other day with 46.5" belts. I just used a small bar to pry them onto the alternator pulley

 

[Floridianson]

oops read that wrong disregard that.

 

[Jeepsinker]

That's wierd... I never had a problem getting mine on with the alternator loosened and pushed over toward the engine. Maybe get a couple 48" belts...

 

[rustystud]

I've found out that the belts that are suppose to be able to go on my truck don't. I bought 4 different sizes. Since I ordered them on the internet I can't return them. At least now I now what sizes to have and have bought spares.

 

[swbradley1]

I've found out that the belts that are suppose to be able to go on my truck don't. I bought 4 different sizes. Since I ordered them on the internet I can't return them. At least now I now what sizes to have and have bought spares.

Care to share?

 

[Recovry4x4]

I have dealt with 2 different size alt pulleys in the past. One was likely a retrofit but it would have an impact on belt size.

 

[Gadget]

I finally got them on. The belts that fit my deuce, as often recommended here, are the Napa 25-9470. Those belts are 47.25 or 47.38 in length, depending on which Napa source you check.
My original belts, the Dayco 5-3634, were about the same size. The Napa 25-9476 is a little longer to make it easier still, but I can see that becoming an issue after it stretches a bit.

The Goodyear 17470 (co-badged as a Continental belt) is supposedly a 47" belt, but I had trouble with that as well. It must be exactly 47" (or they run short) unlike the Napa belts which are a little longer. That extra length makes all the difference between fingertips and a prybar.
I had also tried the Dayco 17480, which is supposedly a 48" belt. It's way too big. The alternator goes to it's max adjustment right away.

It's surprising that the Goodyear 47" belt was too tight to put on without lubricants and/or prying tools, but the Dayco 48" belt was so long it couldn't be tightened with room for future stretch adjustment. Hard to believe an inch makes that much of a difference! Must be some significant manufacturer differences from the specified numbers - IE: if the good year 47 was actually 46 something, and the Dayco 47 was nearly 48, then you'd potentially have twice the gap between the two belts. Sure seemed that way to me.

 

[cattlerepairman]

You probably know all that, but you can lay a string either in place of or over the belt and mark the required length on the string. The V-belts are labelled as per their outside measurement and inside/outside can vary quite a bit with belt thickness and width. 2 or 3 inches inside-outside difference are common with our belt sizes. Bring the marked string, lay it around the inside of the belt (if you had no belt in place when you measured) or around the outside of the belt (if you wrapped the string over the belt) and select the belt most likely to fit that way.
This is more accurate than folding a belt in half.

 

[rustystud]

Care to share?

The thing is now I went with a 12 volt alternator conversion and that changed everything again ! I still have a pile of new belts but I don't remember which ones where the correct ones anymore.