How do you install an alternator belt on a 1993 Ford Festiva?

Answer 1

First of all, you'll want to remove the old belt. This can be done by loosening the adjustment bolt on the alternator bracket. On my alternator (I have a '93 Festiva but an '88 alternator--not sure why) I have only 2 bolts that hold my alternator in place: the pivot bolt below and the adjustment bolt above.

You'll see that the adjustment bolt is located on an adjustable bracket: once the adjustment bolt is loosened slightly, you'll be able to pivot the alternator forwards and backwards.

After loosening the adjustment bolt, pivot the alternator to decrease tension on the belt. Remove the belt, keeping in mind which pulleys it was connected to, so that you can properly install the new belt.

I just did this today on my car, and I used a V-style belt. Your local auto parts store should be able to find the right part though. Make sure that you take your old belt with you to the store so that the new belt is exactly the same size.

Install the new belt. On my car, there were 3 pulleys to hook it around, including the one on the alternator. Pivot the alternator to increase tension on the belt until you feel a fair amount of resistance, then tighten the adjustment bolt.

Now to check belt deflection. This is a test of whether you got the belt to the correct tightness. Get out your 6 inch cheap-o plastic ruler. Find a spot directly halfway between two of the pulleys and push on the belt. You should be able to push the belt "in" 0.5 inch. Belt deflection on certain cars varies, but I've been seeing 0.5 inches on every place I look.

With that, you should be done changing out the belt. Hopefully this helps at least a little. I've been working on my alternator today, so all of this is fresh in my mind. I still need to check my belt deflection because I don't know where my girlfriend keeps her rulers. Haha.