Any Chevy mechanics here?

[Reid]

I am changing v-belts on a 1982 2.8L V6 Celebrity, but cannot find how to adjust the tension on the power steering pump. I do not have the belt off yet. I have not looked from underneath yet, but have checked around with a mirror and flashlight, but it is only more frustrating the longer I look at it. I just do not see any pivot point or tensioner. It would have been difficult to design a poorer access to it. It is making me appreciate my Fords.

[computer mutt]

I had an 1983 Buick Skylark with the same engine. It's been along time now but I'll never forget putting belts on that (insert curse of choice) car.

You will have to go underneath and you will need a good light and most likely your mirrors. If I remember correctly the tension point is on the back of the pump. I had to loosen all the bracket and pump mounting bolts and still wound up "walking" the new belt on.

Sorry I can't be more helpful than that. I only did the job once, traded it even for a 1978 Ranchero.

[bassman]

Originally Posted by Reid

It is making me appreciate my Fords.

Say it aint so Reid
Yea, those little disposable Chevys are a pain in the A%# Most likely you will have a single long bolt below the pump that acts as a hinge point passing through two anchor points on the pump and a mount bracket. This will need to be loosened slightly. Next there should be a slotted bracket above with a single short bolt into an attachment point on the top of the pump. This needs to be loosened fairly well and then adjustment is best done with a friend and a long, heavy screwdriver or medium pry bar. You absolutely have to make sure that this friend is trustworthy as the slightest laps in thought prosess will cause the prying device to slip and reak all kinds of havock on your hands or back of your head (depending on which way you are facing)
With any luck, somewhere on the pump housing there is a square hole designed to accept a 1/2" rachet or breaker bar. Much safer then the friend and prybar technique
Good luck

[Reid]

Thanks Computer Mutt and Bassman, I'll get under there this evening and see how it looks. I do have a tensioner tool that pushes on the pulleys, for use where there is no opening for a bar (The A/C adjust has an opening for a 1/2" drive handle).

The car can be a literal pain to work on, but it is a Grandma's car with 83k miles and did great on its smog check. I'm just trying to get a few more years out of it. (My commuter car is a 1964 Galaxie.)

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Hi Reid,

If I'm not mistaken, on my '93 4.3L v-6, there's an idler pulley on a coil spring that you can just put a breaker bar and socket on and untension (by holding it) the idler pulley to remove old, then install the new fan belt (serpentine type). That is, if there is no slotted section on either the power steering pump frame or any other spot like the alternator. V-belts are usually the latter and an '82 will most likely be that.

I had an '85 carbureted 2.8L with a 700R4 tranny in a 4WD S-10 Jimmy. That thing literally could not get out of it's own way! What a POS! Was I glad to get rid of that one!

What's that Galaxie? a 500? 351 Cleveland? If so, those are awesome engines! *drool* My brother had a 1970 Galaxie with one in it. We're both kicking ourselves in the @$$ for letting it go. Well, I'm kicking his, he's kicking his own...

Good luck busting your knuckles...

[Reid]

Originally Posted by Fruss Tray Ted

What's that Galaxie? a 500? 351 Cleveland?

Good luck busting your knuckles...

It is a Galaxie 500 4-door with a 352.
It is on the right in this photo. An '89 Mercury Grand Marquis is on the left:Cars

I am about ready to take a look under the Celebrity.

[Reid]

Computer Mutt, I know for certain now that you did work on the same engine type. I used a narrow mirror and could see that one of the rear bracket parts attached to the pump did have a slot. I also had to loosten two bolts on the front bracket where it attaches to the block.

The steps were: remove the air pump pulley, loosten the two block bolts, remove the right wheel, then from underneath, remove the lower power steering pump hose, then loosten the two bolts on the back of the pump. I had to "walk" the new belt on, as you said.

I had to use three six-inch drive extensions and a flex adapter to get to the bolts on the rear of the pump. There was not enough "swing" near the pump to use a ratchet or combination wrench.

Four hours later, all four belts had been replaced.

It seems to me that if the pump had to be replaced, it might be necessary to remove the right axle half shaft. I do not want to try that.

[123456]

i'm a car fanatic, yet don't know anything about car problems..sorry reid...as for the company GM goes, we've had quite a good time with them: 92-95 Owned a Chevy 1500 HIgh-top COnversion van (green/turqiouse, 95-98-Chevy Tahoe (dark green), 98-01-Chevy Suburban (Navy Blue), 01-04-GMC Yukon XL (black), 04-to date-Cadillac Escalade ESV, (long one, black). THe only time something failed was when the battery died on the Suburban back a long time ago.

[PrntRhd]

123456,
Nothing in that list is as tough to work on than a 1980's American front-wheel drive car.

[Reid]

The worst car I ever worked on was an '84 Ford Tempo. I had to replace front axle half shafts three times, installed a rebuilt engine, and replaced the clutch plate. The car eventually "qualified" as a gross polluter and the state of California bought it for $1,000 dollars. The manual transmission, which originally ran with automatic transmission fluid, sounded like it was not going to make it to the salvage yard (the car had to be driveable). I drained it and put in 120W gear oil. That was the best it ever ran.

[PrntRhd]

Oh yes,
The Tempo was a beaut, it would turn off the fuel pump if you went over a speed bump and had a little cord hidden in the trunk to reset it. The head gasket would blow due to the broken head bolts, the brakes would be into the rotors in 20,000 miles. Funny thing was the motor was a chopped down version of the 6 cylinder pickup motor, but the fuel system was cobbled up for the Tempo and was a disaster.

[classicsoftware]

1990 Chevy Lumina. Sideways mounted front wheel drive. Engine is on sliders. You have to slide the engine over to due a tune up. Needless to say I stopped doing my own.

Then there was my 1974 Nova which required you to remove the wheel well to change the heater hose.......

And you thought it was toung working in a small PC case.....

[david eaton]

My Vauxhall has a beautiful design feature too.

Alternator, water pump, and power steering pump are all driven by one multi V belt.
If you dont have power steeering, changing it is easy! Release the tensioner, remove old, and insert new one. 10 minutes, including opening the hood.

If you have power steering, that becomes over an hour! To replace the belt you have to support the engine on a jack, and remove one of the engine mountings. These are not only very tight, but the bolts are fitted with retaining compound, and have to be replaced! It took a socket with a 3foot pipe on it to shift them! Next time, the garage can do it.

[stefanus]

Morning all. David, I thought this was a none techie forum I like all the new avatars.