1999 V70XC Serpentine Belt Problem

RMatey · Post by **RMatey** » 29 Jun 2014, 22:40

Hey, folks,
The alternator went out on my dad's '99 Cross Country, and we replaced it today with the usual hitch or two. But when it came time to put the serp belt back on, we just could NOT get enough slack to get the thing onto the power steering pulley. We've replaced a few serpentine belts on 850s and V70s in the past, and while they've always been a struggle, we've always somehow managed to get them back on eventually.

But not this time! I really, really hate the idea of having to tow the car into the shop just to have them charge us 100 bucks to put the belt back on, but we're sorta at that point now. Do you guys have any thoughts about this? Any tips or tricks for serpentine belts? Could there be something wrong with the tensioner pulley that wouldn't allow enough slack?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 30 Jun 2014, 00:21

Double check the routing and make sure you are taking up the slack in the tensioner and not going the wrong way. The tensioner feels like it is working backwards and it is counterintuitive to me.

Even when the tensioner is slacked fully there isn't a ton of space to get it around the pulleys but it will go on.

In the event that you do punt you can drive the car without the serpentine belt. The steering is hard and it will illuminate nearly every warning light on the instrument cluster but it won't hurt anything.

The battery needs to be fully charged and the trip to the shop would have to be under 20 miles or so.

...Lee

Post by **abscate** » 30 Jun 2014, 04:03

Search the threads for the routing diagram. I think every person who has this problem has misrouted the belt, if they are using the correct belt.

RMatey · Post by **RMatey** » 30 Jun 2014, 10:27

Thanks for the replies, guys. We've checked the routing over and over, and we've definitely got it right. And the belt was on before, so it's definitely the right belt.

I'm gonna head back over and try it again just for SnGs.

Lee, I agree that the tensioner movement seems counter intuitive, but it always seems to work in the end... except this time >:( Good to know about driving it without the belt on. The shop I'd take it to is only 5 or so miles, so we should be able to make it if we have to.
Thanks!

Post by **abscate** » 30 Jun 2014, 10:30

You did order the belt for the Yellow 95, right??

RMatey · Post by **RMatey** » 30 Jun 2014, 10:39

Hehe, nope, this is for my folks' Cross Country, not my baby. Although now that you mention it, I should probably check mine out while I'm in the depths of Serpentine madness.