6.2L Drive Belt Replacement Procedure

[pdubya]

I'm having an awful time getting all 3 drive belts changed....I was finally able to get the 2 shorter ones changed, but the longer one that goes up and around the air pump is giving me a hard time.....I can't seem to get the air pump to move at all to get enough slack to fit the belt around, any suggestions?

[Dvldog8793]

Howdy
What vehicle and other accessories?

[pdubya]

It's an '84 Beauville Van....no custom accessories.....it has A/C and power everything etc.....The only belt that I'm actually successfully able to change is the alternator belt, but to do that I have to use a slightly longer than spec belt, it tightens up fine though.......but the other two are a large pain, I'm sure everyone familiar with them knows.....I wasn't able to get the power steering pump to go back to it's original position to tighten up the replacement belt, I got it to tighten just enough so it wouldn't slip badly, and I made a temporary belt out of parachord for the air pump, just so I could drive it to the back of my driveway, and maybe take it to a nearby shop if I can't manage to get it worked out.......How essential is that air pump belt anyway? I mean the van can function with only one belt operating but that's not a good idea I'm sure.......Sorry if I sound a bit novice, it's cuz I am.

[Dvldog8793]

Howdy
I have a 1984 Diesel chevy van so you are in luck!
The belt that you are calling the air pump is a vac pump belt. Diesels do generate any vacuum so they need to have a pump to run whatever is vacuum controlled in the vehicle. I would expect that the V pump belt is also routed around another accessory that is used as a tensioner...? I know with my van and many other v-belt rigs if the belts are not installed and tensioned in the right order things do not work. Also with my van replacing the belts is a REAL pain. Use the best belts money can buy... I use Goodyear gatorbacks. Hard to find but you don't end up replacing them every 10-15K miles.
These are some tips that applied to my van, should be similar to yours.

Alt belt- Current replacement belts are wider than stock. this is good but also makes the stock length to short. Also the alternator has a habit of slipping and WILL require frequent checking.

PS belt- This one is a bear there are three bolts that have slider holes and one that is just a mounting bolt. one of the sliders is only accessible from the bottom. This where you need to be anyways. loosen all the bolts and there is a bolt boss welded on to the bottom of the PS pump bracket. you should be able to get a wrench on it and pull the pump tight.

AC- belt- REAL pain.... requires removing the dog house and two people. rear bolt that hold the unit in place need a long extsion from the inside. then you need to make sure that the ac pump is straight and not binding one person holds tension and another tightens up.

Make sure that the PS belt is tight as this also runs your brake booster. Also if you have any PS leaks or front seal leaks it will soak your belts with oil and shorten the life.

Good Luck and have FUN
Hope this helps!

[pdubya]

awesome, thanks so much....I would have never tried getting at the AC belt from the rear.....I'll get beck in there. I've heard about the gator belts, but never payed that much attention to trying to find them....I guess I should cuz this van definitely chews up belts at a surprising rate. thanks again!

[Dvldog8793]

The AC belt is changed and adjusted from the front but there is one bolt on the rear of the AC pump that has to be loosened from the rear.

[pdubya]

For sure....I ordered some gator belts......Thanks for the help hopefully I'll get it done properly this time!

[Anm8or]

I know this is an old post, am hoping one of you can help. I am having belt issues as well. I would like to replace the alternator belt after having already replaced it 3 times. I am uncertain the belt size and would like to order one as it seems that a better belt can be purchased online than from a local retailer. I have the same engine 6.2L and the belts drive me crazy!

[maynardogle]

I went through this for a couple years and finally went to the next size wider belt for the alternator belt. It rides a little higher in the old pulleys than the stock but it no longer bottoms out and squeals.

[Yukon6.2]

Get Goodyear belts.They outlast Dayco 5 to 1 up here in the cold north.
I put them on my signature truck and didn't have to re tighten them for years.They are still on there and getting close to 10 yrs old now.The alt will slip a bit when cold now.

[Dvldog8793]

Howdy
As stated, Goodyear Gatorback belts, nothing else comes close for v-belts. They are tough to find in any stores because Goodyear does not do as good of pricing for stores as the other brands. I have only ever found them online.
Measure the top of the groove on your pulley and use a belt that matches that width. You should be able to measure the length and get it close. Better to have it a little tight to get on as they will stretch. There are websites that can help with belt cross-references and sizing.
Good luck

[Bigshankhank]

Man this is driving me crazy. I replaced all three belts with Dayco from NAPA a few weeks back and while it idles silently, it squeals something terrible once it gets above idle (driving or stationary doesn't matter). Guess I will have to break down and get the proper GY belts? Van has 62,000 miles on it, the old belts were quiet but were showing some cracks and glazing.
As for the A/C belt, how does one keep it aligned? I loosened the bolt beneath the doghouse and retightened it once the belt was tight, but it was a royal PITA. Any advice on that process?
Finally, rule of thumb I have always used for multi-belt engines is 1/2-3/4" of deflection on the longest run, is that too loose or too tight on the 6.2l?

[Bigshankhank]

I sorted this out, fwiw. Its such a royal pain to get all three pulley assemblies loose and actually moving but once I had the belts slack, I got everything nice and tight down to a 1/4" deflection per my manual. What worked best for me was to tighten the PS pulley, then the A/C compressor, then the alternator (which has it's own belt anyway).

[arveetek]

I sorted this out, fwiw. Its such a royal pain to get all three pulley assemblies loose and actually moving but once I had the belts slack, I got everything nice and tight down to a 1/4" deflection per my manual. What worked best for me was to tighten the PS pulley, then the A/C compressor, then the alternator (which has it's own belt anyway).

I found that the Power Steering was always the most difficult to tighten. I sure do like the serpentine setup on my 6.5L!!

Casey

[Bigshankhank]

I found that the Power Steering was always the most difficult to tighten. I sure do like the serpentine setup on my 6.5L!!

Casey

The crazy thing is the power steering bracket doesn't have a pivot point, just three slotted connections. I would love a good serp belt and idler pulley but it's not gonna happen anytime soon, bigger priorities to sort out.