I'm 1/2 way through the fan bracket replacement project. The timing belt looks good (thankfully). But I'm having a heck of a time with the tension pulley for the A/C belt. Specifically it will not slid up in its track and loosten. I finally got sick of being stuck and cut the belt off, but I'm going to need to get it free to finish the project.

Is there some trick. I backed the adjustment bolt all the way out. Beat on it. Tried levering it against the bracket. My next step will be to put a jack under it and see if that gets it loose. Figure I'd ask here to see if I'm missing an obvious trick.

 

Maybe a dum question, but did you loosen the nut on the idler pulley?

 

Doh! Where's the smashing yourself in the face with a hammer Smilie?

You're saying the bold through the center of the pulley locks it to the adjustment track? I figure it just bolted the pull on and the adjustment bolt held the travel position. That might explain it.

I swear I loose my mind as soon as I lie down on a creeper.

 

Heh, yep, that should be the problem. I only knew this because my FIAT had the same mechanism. Glad your problem's solved.

 

Waking up a 4 1/2 year old post. I wish I read this thread before I twisted the head off the A/C Idler Pulley Lock Bolt.

The FSM is very vague about this. They could have added one more small sentence:
a) Loosen A/C Idler Pulley Bolt

It took two jam nuts and a hard tubing line wrench to back out what was left of the the old bolt.

I guess there are at least two of us who just ASSuMEd what was correct. Go figure.