Power steering belt tightening experience.....

[b4thundr]

I needed to tightening the belt for the power steering unit on the farm service truck and wow I must say that is one of the most easiest jobs i have ever done on these trucks...NOT!!! who on gods green earth designed that mess! anybody have any have this issue and have any tips for future reference?

 

[cpf240]

While I haven't tried it yet, I understand that the Thextron Power Steering Belt Tightener, part # 383, is very helpful.

 

[K9Vic]

While I haven't tried it yet, I understand that the Thextron Power Steering Belt Tightener, part # 383, is very helpful.

Interested to see how this works, Thexton web page does not have any instructions. Did not see any how to videos on YouTube as well. Looking at it you seem to hook onto the bracket and pull it out to tighten the belt.

I know the bracket has a square hole for either a 3/8 or 1/2 socket end, but you cannot put one in it due to the pulley.

 

[evldoer]

Loosen up your drivers side alternator so there is slack on the belt.
Loosen up the power steering pump. One bolt on back of pump down low and 2 in between power steering pump and water pump. Now get yourself a pry bar. The type I use is the Snap On pry bar with the plastic handle. Craftsman also makes a similar model.
Now push pry bar down between water pump and the power steering pump. If you get the angle just right you won't need to pull or push on pry bar. The further you push pry bar down, the tighter the pump gets. You might need to tap it down with a hammer, but be careful not to get the belt too tight.
Then tighten up pump bolts, remove pry bar, then tighten up your alternator and you should be done. Hope that helps. If I wasn't so lazy I would go out and take a pic for you but I'm sure it will make sense when you tear into it.
The Thexton tool is nice to have, but you still need to keep pressure on it while you tighten up the pump. This is no good for a one armed cucv mechanic.

 

[cpf240]

Interested to see how this works, Thexton web page does not have any instructions. Did not see any how to videos on YouTube as well. Looking at it you seem to hook onto the bracket and pull it out to tighten the belt.

I know the bracket has a square hole for either a 3/8 or 1/2 socket end, but you cannot put one in it due to the pulley.

View attachment 474727

 

[Mainsail]

Pretty cool setup. I wonder if you could just weld that thing on and leave it there. Or maybe weld on some sort of bracket to make the tightening easier...

 

[Hasdrubal]

I second evldoers method with a long pry-bar. Always worked for me, as a one man job.

 

[Warthog]

Loosen up your drivers side alternator so there is slack on the belt.
Loosen up the power steering pump. One bolt on back of pump down low and 2 in between power steering pump and water pump. Now get yourself a pry bar. The type I use is the Snap On pry bar with the plastic handle. Craftsman also makes a similar model.
Now push pry bar down between water pump and the power steering pump. If you get the angle just right you won't need to pull or push on pry bar. The further you push pry bar down, the tighter the pump gets. You might need to tap it down with a hammer, but be careful not to get the belt too tight.
Then tighten up pump bolts, remove pry bar, then tighten up your alternator and you should be done. Hope that helps. If I wasn't so lazy I would go out and take a pic for you but I'm sure it will make sense when you tear into it.
The Thexton tool is nice to have, but you still need to keep pressure on it while you tighten up the pump. This is no good for a one armed cucv mechanic.

Sounds very simular to the procedure in the TM 9-2320-289-20 tech manual, Chapter 8-15

 

[MOAB1008]

If your pry bar is too big or too small or you don't have one handy, I've found that a crescent wrench can do the trick just as well. You may have to hinge the alternator up and out of the way to do this, but you can fit a narrow crescent wrench onto the power steering pump bracket in front of the pump itself and use it to pull the pulley back hard enough to tension the pulley sufficiently. I had a 10" Kobalt lying in the back of another truck in the yard, but just about any other could be ground to fit.
Also, a little unrelated, does anyone have a photo of their pump bracket mounted up to the bracket at the left (outermost) bolt? The diagram in 8-15 of technical manual 9-2320-289-20 shows the bolt (12) coming in from the front, which is what the previous owner of my truck SOMEHOW managed to follow, thus ruining my steering pump less than 100 miles after I picked the truck up. My pump bracket has an ear that sits behind the mounting bracket and the bolt comes in from the rear. Possibly a retrofit or jerryrig? Either way, it was mounted wrong, something I should have caught earlier, but that's life.