TweedleDee Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 My 86 GL wagon was originally equipped with AC, however, parts of it have been disconnected and I have no intention of ever using it in the future (not that hot in this area). I'm having trouble with the belt adjustment and it occurred to me that maybe I can just pull it out entirely. Does the belt operate anything else that needs it to stay put? Specifically, when I loosen green arrow screw and blue arrow screw, the blue arrow screw has a nut behind it that loosens making it VERY difficult to retighten. What a dumb design?! But besides that, I can't seem to rotate the idle wheel much more than 1/4". I left it a bit loose and I'm getting major squeeling now. This is all unimportant if I can simply pull out the belt. BTW, I loosened up the alternator belt in this picture. This is not the way I was driving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 The casting of the idler under the green screw is hex shaped so you can slip a socket and breaker bar over it to use as a tensioning lever. Then you can tighten the blue bolt (I can't recall if there should be a normal nut or a special one back there that prevents it from turning) and it will stay in place till you tighten the green one. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TweedleDee Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Yeah, I did what you said but I admit I didn't put all that much force on it as I was afraid of screwing it up. What about my primary question? Can I pull the belt entirely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickolai Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 If you don't need A/C, it won't hurt anything to just take that belt off. The belt that turns the alternator also turns the rest of the essential pulleys. If I were you I'd pull that A/C pump out of there along with all the rest of the A/C system, because if your not using it it's just dead weight. Also, getting rid of the A/C radiator allows you to pull out your cooling radiator and have much better access when changing belts, timing belts, oil pump etc. If you pull the A/C pump, you will need an alternator bracket from a carbed ea82. I can post a pic of mine if you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 you can go without. Do not throw the tensioner piece away or its hardware, as someone may need it! if you notice, the alt has 2 grooves. If you can find the right mount(non-ac equipped) you can run 2 of the same size belts on the alternator. But the alt mount you need spaces it one belt width back so it lines up to both pulleys. You may get squalling in the rain or making tight turns, since the inner belt is going to help share the lad of the steering and the water pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TweedleDee Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 That's great. I will likely pull it all out eventually and do what you suggest. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickolai Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 (edited) I had someone PM me about the A/C delete, but decided to post the pics here in case anyone else is interested. This is a 100% bolt on mod! Be sure to get the bolts with the brackets. This is what the alternator looks like with the A/C compressor gone: Here are the brackets you will need: Red arrows = You will need to get these from an ea82 that was not equipped with A/C. In my knowledge this would be 85-89 DL/GL. Blue arrow = Don't forget the spacer under this bracket! It won't clear the metal radiator hose without it. Edited June 27, 2011 by nickolai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man on the moon Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 After the last time I did the head gaskets, I decided I didn't want to mess with all the bolt-on-top-of-the-engine stuff, so I just adjusted them slightly, and now everything (including the fan/water pump) runs on just one belt. It's way easier to do...well, pretty much anything motor related! I just loosen the alternator and the belt slides off, and I get work done! I'll take a picture next time I'm out at the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man on the moon Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 After the last time I did the head gaskets, I decided I didn't want to mess with all the bolt-on-top-of-the-engine stuff, so I just adjusted them slightly, and now everything (including the fan/water pump) runs on just one belt. It's way easier to do...well, pretty much anything motor related! I just loosen the alternator and the belt slides off, and I get work done! I'll take a picture next time I'm out at the car. I should also note that while the A/C compressor is in place, the A/C itself is drained and disconnected (minus some oil and plugs in the compressor), so there is almost no extra load from it on the solo belt. If I ever get around to turning the thing into an onboard air system I will probably put the other belt back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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