I purchased a new belt, and installed it to get the car someplace where I could take a better look at the belt setup, and it was WAY shorter than the belt that was on there. I moved the alternator almost 2 inches down to fit this new belt. Im thinking this belt problem was a wrong application V-belt from the beginning. It was on there when I got it, and looked pretty new with no cracks or anything, but was quite a bit longer than what turns out to have been the stock belt length.
Im going to take a better look at it tomorrow and make sure, but maybe I won't have this same problem.
It loosened AGAIN. I drove the car about 30 miles since putting on the new belt, and it had visibly loosened! Just to clarify, im not undertightening these bolts, im getting close to shearing them off im applying so much force!
This upcoming week, I have to make another business trip, so I tried to solve the problem this morning. First thing I did was increase the idle speed a bit, trying to get rid of idle vibration that might be contributing.
Then I made a tensioner with the pulley tensioner bolts from the A/C parts motor.
Here are a few pics-
this is the original steel tab that the alternator keeps sliding on and off with the A/C tensioner bolts-
And the little tensioner doohickey I welded up-
And heres a before and after with the tensioner-
And how it looks with the alternator installed, bolt had pretty decent access-
If it loosens after rigging that up, ill be amazed, but ill keep my eye on it, I no longer trust this simple belt setup.
I also while doing this dealt with a misaligned water pump pulley, so hopefully, im done with v belt problems for the moment! fingers crossed!
Also this morning, I upgraded the fuel filter with a Racor 500FG toploader water separator. Last week I had clogged the original fuel filter, and had to rig up an emergency replacement to get home. heres a before and after. (also did another coat of rubber coating, I love that stuff).
The car should be ready for this weeks business trip! I still have to fix the heat and get a radio in there though, one or the other needs to be done pretty soon.