G.T. Fieros

Got the new belts today and went to put them on. The SC belt was too short, not even sure how's that's possible, the monkeys at CDN Tire ordered it using the code on the belt. So anyway, I decide to take the car up to CT to get the right belt for the SC. I start the car and the tensioner starts clicking and moving up and down like it's trying to decide how tight it wants to be. After about 20 seconds it calms down and everything seems fine. Take the car for a drive and I don't get 100 yards when I hear something funny and then wap-wap-wap coming from the engine bay. I pull over and the belt is shredded just like the last one! I figure I'll just take it home when I hear the whole thing fly off, just like the last one did. The only thing I did to the car before this started happening was change the oil. What could possibly be causing the car to eat belts like this all of a sudden??

Without seeing the car, I need to say, belt alignment! All the pulleys must be in perfect alignment with one another. There is no "okay" here. Perfect or nothing, especially on the super charger. Second, did you get the belt routing correct? If the tensioner isn't happy, then neither are you. Did a bracket fail? Did something seize? You see, there are many possibilities here.

Got the new belts today and went to put them on. The SC belt was too short, not even sure how's that's possible, the monkeys at CDN Tire ordered it using the code on the belt. This does sound like a routing issue. I'd love to assist but I don't think you're close to me. Let me know how this turns out. Sorry to hear about your woes.

If the tensioner is jumping then it is gone bad and will easily cause the belt to fall off and be shredded by the pulleys. This is the same brackets that were on the first engine and they worked fine so unless some thing has moved some how it has to be the tensioner gone bad.

Here's the belt routing I used for the two belts -

I noticed that the tensioners at Rock Auto don't have the serpentine grooves, they're made for the back of the belt. For the 3800sc with the low mount alternator is the pulley wheel swapped?

If that is you set up, first thing I would do is change most of the pulley's. Get rid of the plastic one and by some Dayco's (metal) from rock auto. We just need to find out each size of pulley. I agree with dan too, if you tensioner is jumping around, sign of it going bad. How easy is it to pull the tensioner back? Should be real stiff.

It was pretty stiff. Put my 15mm wrench on it and couldn't move it much at all. Ended up putting my 17mm on the end to get leverage, then it moved pretty easily. I checked Youtube and found a few videos of tensioners bouncing around, but none that were clicking and jumping up and down the way mine was.

should not be clicking and jumping, to bad you can't show a video of it doing that.

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87 GT 3400 Green
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I did pull out my cell phone to take a video when it was doing that, but it stopped just as I got ready to shoot

Anybody know why the tensioner is such a massive piece of equipment? I would have thought it would just be a small piece that bolts to the block, but it looks extremely involved....

Jumping around even for just a few seconds gets replaced right away, now noisy pulleys is harder to figure out which pulley it is then change it as well. All new pulleys is never a bad thing especially steel ones. Used steel ones can have new bearings installed as well to make new but plastic ones are not repairable.

unfortunately, 3800 S/C motors have a massive belt tensioner which incorporates the heater core lines in it. It is a one piece unit and you have to buy the whole thing. Not looking forward to the day mine goes, I just replaced the pulley on it which can be done separately. best bet is Rock Auto, or see if you have a local "Hot Spot" automotive supplier around you. They get there parts from Rock Auto so a few people have told me there prices are better.

Considering it was jumping around and clicking like crazy, I figured it was best to replace it. I had a credit at the parts store I deal with locally so I basically got it for money already spent (makes me feel like I got it for free). I'm going to have to swap the pulley out for a ribbed one though. I guess the best way to get the old one off is to clamp it down and use an impact wrench? I hope it lines up properly being an aftermarket unit, otherwise I'll end up right back where I started. I've already chewed two belts and they're $40 apiece. Good thing I have nothing to do this weekend......

Bolt the whole thing on the car first then remove the pulley, I do recall that one being reverse thread so I just used a 3/8 ratchet with no problems. Think I spent $40 to replace all pulleys on my car. Found the parts numbers online through google pictures. Someone was nice enough to label the part number for all pulleys. It gives you the sizes too on this pic so you can measure each pulley. They may have changed sizes to the custom routing on your motor.

It's the #3 I'll be replacing, and from the picture I can see why all the extra bulk, it was originally the alternator bracket as well. Makes sense that it's a reverse thread on the pulley or you'd loosen it replacing belts when you wrench it down. Now I have to figure out how this is going to work because I think Dan used part of that bracket to create the front dog bone and the mount for the coil pack, so it may be modified meaning the new one won't be quite right. Won't know for sure until I get the coil pack and dog bone removed. Nothing is ever straigh foward on these cars.... no wait.... the blower motor was

The pain in replacing this piece is you have to drain fluid first and the plastic elbows for fluid quite often break when removing it. the rest of the bracket is not altered for the dog bone bracket it all bolts to the two holes on top