Centrifugal belt alignment procedure????????

[Pat]

How does one check for belt alignment on a Centrifugal S/C setup?

A few years ago I changed my S/C belt on my Paxton Novi equipped Marauder due to slippage but since then the belt rides off by one rib and eventually that rib is "cut" off. The remaining ribs maintain their location and don't ride off.

I've tried several different belt sizes to no affect. I've taken the S/C installation off and on several times and changed the tensioner but that didn't help either.

I've visually checked the installation, even with a small straight edge, other people have looked at it too but nothing pop's out.

The car makes the correct boost at the proper RPM.

There was one instance where some of the kit installation bolts snapped, the manual says they were supposed to be steel but they weren't. I replaced then with steel bolts, no more breakage. Not sure if this has anything to do with my belt alignment problem as I didn't note if the belt was off the pulley's by one rib at that time.

Thanks,

[sailsmen]

Wow, I don't know how you drive a MM that is that messed up!:mad2:

Try a truck mechanic, they frequently add belt driven access.

Some use a laser pulley alginment. If it's an after market alt look at it first. One washer makes the difference.

I cannot emphasize enough that your MM is messed up. Don't give up until it is right. You should get at least 20K on a belt and 40 passes at the 1320'.

Good luck.

[BODYMAN]

Like Sailsmen said the smallest of pulley problems cause this you need something to ck the plane/alignment of pullies the tensioners when even starting to go bad can do this just the slightest twist causes major problems as were on a non S/C vehicle it wouldnt be a problem .

[Pat]

Humm, laser? A laser beam from a hardware store leveling device should work. It's small enough to handle. have one.

I'll try it.

[RF Overlord]

Pat, something else to consider: you may have one or more pulleys that are tilted...

OR

...all the pulleys may indeed be parallel, but if one of them is slightly out of plane, as in too far out or too far in compared to the others, you can get the same effect.

[blazen71]

I shredded one rib on a 6-rib belt last year. I reshimmed the blower this year and eyeballed it straight. Works like a charm. Being a machinist helps with the eyeballing thing;)

[Dennis Reinhart]

How does one check for belt alignment on a Centrifugal S/C setup?

A few years ago I changed my S/C belt on my Paxton Novi equipped Marauder due to slippage but since then the belt rides off by one rib and eventually that rib is "cut" off. The remaining ribs maintain their location and don't ride off.

I've tried several different belt sizes to no affect. I've taken the S/C installation off and on several times and changed the tensioner but that didn't help either.

I've visually checked the installation, even with a small straight edge, other people have looked at it too but nothing pop's out.

The car makes the correct boost at the proper RPM.

There was one instance where some of the kit installation bolts snapped, the manual says they were supposed to be steel but they weren't. I replaced then with steel bolts, no more breakage. Not sure if this has anything to do with my belt alignment problem as I didn't note if the belt was off the pulley's by one rib at that time.

Thanks,

Make sure the ground cable is in between the S/C mount and the timing cover and not attached to the front of the S/C mount this is the only thing I can think of call me if I can help Pat.

[Pat]

Well, I changed the belt but it slipped a rib in less than an hour.

The ground cable is between the block and the S/C mount. I tried both ways but it didn't matter.

I'll have to do more thinking about this, maybe a trip up to Little Rock to consult with Swordfish.

[FordNut]

Here's what I did.

First, take off most of the front drive accessories (alternator, water pump pulley, blower, idler pulley).

Then get a straight edge and check to make sure all of the rest of the pulleys are parallel and in the same plane. Hold the straight edge against each of the pulleys (crank, PS, AC) and measure the distance from the straight edge to the timing cover both close and far away from the pulley. That will ensure parallel alignment. Record the distance from the straight edge to the timing cover for each pulley. Measure the distance from the straight edge to the first groove of each pulley. Subtract the second measurement from the first. All of the pulleys should measure the same distance from the groove to the timing cover.

Then reinstall the alternator and make the same measurement.

Then the hard part. Get longer bolts and some spacers, about 1" or so thick. Reinstall the blower. Make similar measurements. Make sure and subtract the length of the spacers. If the supercharger is not both straight and in the same plane as the rest of the pulleys, adjust your shims accordingly.

Make sure the idler is straight, you may be able to do this with a mechanic's square.

[Dennis Reinhart]

Well, I changed the belt but it slipped a rib in less than an hour.

The ground cable is between the block and the S/C mount. I tried both ways but it didn't matter.

I'll have to do more thinking about this, maybe a trip up to Little Rock to consult with Swordfish.


Well Pat take a well deserved vacation, you can use my car, while here and I will fix it for FREE.

[Pat]

Thanks Dennis for you most genereous offer.

This summer, however, Patricia and I are sitting the three grandkids. So, If I don't get a handle on it by the fall, when all the kids are in school, then I'll make that 1600 mile round trip. Gotta save up for it.

For FordNut;

Thanks for the detailed tip. I'm going to try it. I have done some of it previously, but not to the degree you outlined. I'll keep it posted.

Regards,

Pat

[FordNut]

You're welcome. I had problems for awhile with the ProCharger I used to have, once I got everything precisely aligned it worked out good.

[1stMerc]

Pat, i think it's somewhere in the blower reinstall either pulley is sitting to far in or to far out. From just having installed my Procharger, check the alignment of the mounting bracket. You may just need to readjust the bolts to get the correct angle for the blower pulley. That would be the only thing that would have changed since Dennis did the initial install.

[JoeBoomz]

Make sure the ground cable is in between the S/C mount and the timing cover and not attached to the front of the S/C mount this is the only thing I can think of call me if I can help Pat.

Hi Dennis, mine is mounted at the front of the cover, right behind the washer and bolt of the head. It's been 7 years and no problems with alignment, oddly enough.

[Dennis Reinhart]

I can safely say I have done several hundred Vortech installs and never had this issue unless converting to a 8 rib, one thing to check is the power steering pump pulley make sure there is no forward play in the pump shaft, this can cause this, also check all the idler pulleys espeacialy the one directly behind the S/C I hate to see any one go through this. I have helped Pat in the past when tey ripped him off at the dealer last year. I can only offer to help here. I wish I could fly there I would if I could.

[Loco1234]

Ya I blow belts due to them slip a rib... But im also pushing 22+ # of boost & well over 650+ RWhp... I def need to upgrade to the 8 rib setup sometime down the road in the future... but I only encounter belt problems when I hard on the gas & say someone cuts me off... Then the belt gets just a hair of slack when I very quickly let off the gas & can cause me to jump a rib... Which leads to disaster... obviously...

[LANDY]

Ya I blow belts due to them slip a rib... But im also pushing 22+ # of boost & well over 650+ RWhp... I def need to upgrade to the 8 rib setup sometime down the road in the future... but I only encounter belt problems when I hard on the gas & say someone cuts me off... Then the belt gets just a hair of slack when I very quickly let off the gas & can cause me to jump a rib... Which leads to disaster... obviously... 22#'s wow, your brave. I just ordered a 3.12 pulley and it should make 14psi and I'm worried.
Do you have an idler between the ps pump and alternator?

[Pat]

Gentlemen;

I have good news to report, the belt walk off problem is fixed.

I want to thank all the folks who provided info relevant to this problem.

It was a great help to Jason, my mech #3 son.

What he found was: the mounting of the alternator, bottom half, had loosened because the washers on the hold down bolts had broken. This caused the alternator to be pulled forward binding the idler pulley and causing belt misalignment. A nice groove was worn into the mounting block supplied in the kit.

So he changed both idler pulleys, replaced the hardware, installed a new belt and it runs true and quite.

See you guys at Marauderville.

Cheers,

Pat