so my belts are pretty thrashed and i'm going to replace them. i've never changed my belts before, so before i get started i thought i'd post a thread and get some input from all you yotatechers! i was talking to a friend and he said for the a/c and power steering belts i have to loosen the bolt on the tension wheel until i have enough slack to take the belt on or off and for the alternator belt (i can't remember exactly what he said) i have to loosen a bolt and pull the alternator up just a little bit until i get enough slack to pull the belt off? any help would be great. i'm sure changing belts can't be that difficult, it just helps when you know what to do to get the job done!

oh yeah, and one more thing. my a/c doesn't work. it's kaputt. would it hurt anything to take off my a/c belt and run my truck without the a/c belt on? maybe i could gain a TINY bit of power...? just a thought. i don't plan on fixing my a/c for a long time. so what's the point in replacing the belt if it's not doing anything? haha. just some thoughts. get back to me please! you guys rule!

 

anyone?

 

please someone help

 

I'll take a stab at this.

So long as the bearing is good on the A/C pump. Replace it with the correct belt. It will save you the headache in the future.

The tensioners on the Toyota are easy enough. I have a 22REC and they only need to be loosened enough to get the belts back to the pulley. Yes back on. The new belts are tighter than the old ones and need more slack.

Buy a belt tension guage. I have replaced more water pumps and altenators than I care to admit because someone put a belt on too tight. That $20 tool can save a $200 generator.