Fun / Projects / with my 1997 America Dream
Borrowed a trailer and getting ready for some fun in the sun (it's cold here now 30's again tonight) I went and bought a 8 inch drop hitch, the 6 inch had the deck at too much of an angle, and ...
Forum Discussion
So while working on the A/C fan problem it was pointed out that the compressor belt was flapping around and appeared to be loose.
I thought this would be an easy fix so I thought I would take it on before our trip today.
You know the story about best laid plans, right?
All that needed to be done was to tight up the belt by moving the tensioner correct?
Turns out the tensioner is adjusted all the way out and the belt cannot be tightened any more.
Understand this belt was installed by "professionals" at Conway Truck and Bus. Yet another example of really poor service at a service center.
When looking at that problem I found another, take a look at this bolt.
Note that the treads do not come out of the nut. here is a different view.
When the bolt was removed these were the threads sticking out.
And the bolts are hardware store grade. How can anyone do work like this???????? It also turns out they were install backwards, I will explain that a little further down.
So the first order of business was to remove all those bolts and replace them with grade 8 Lawson quality bolts so the compressor does not fall off.
So why did I say they were in backwards? The faceplate of the compressor is threaded and the bolts should screw in from the back side (the bracket on the engine just has a hole in it and the faceplate is threaded so when you put the bolt in through the back side it goes through the hole and then into the threaded face place and then when you tighten the bolt it pulled the faceplate to the bracket on the engine). So the "professionals used hardware store bolts and installed them incorrectly.
This is what it should look like. Now the bolts are threaded in correctly and the nuts are "jam" nuts to keep the bolts from working loose.
So now on to the belt.
As I mentioned above the tensioner is adjusted all the way out and the belt is still loose. Because the pulleys run in "deep" "V" pulleys the belt cannot be much longer or you cannot put it on.
I thought about moving the tensioner to the other side and then I would have plenty of adjustment, but you do not want the tensioner on the tension side of the belt because the tensioner pulley is carrying the torsion load.
I thought what the heck I'll take a trip to the parts store and see if I can get a belt just a little smaller (the correct size belt).
I was knocked on my back side when they had the correct belt in stock. I am really beginning to hate the "Professional" technicians at these service centers.
It was a bit of a struggle to get the belt over the pulley, but once I did there is now lots of adjustment in the tensioner.
No mot flapping around.
I thought this would be an easy fix so I thought I would take it on before our trip today.
You know the story about best laid plans, right?
All that needed to be done was to tight up the belt by moving the tensioner correct?
Turns out the tensioner is adjusted all the way out and the belt cannot be tightened any more.
Understand this belt was installed by "professionals" at Conway Truck and Bus. Yet another example of really poor service at a service center.
When looking at that problem I found another, take a look at this bolt.
Note that the treads do not come out of the nut. here is a different view.
When the bolt was removed these were the threads sticking out.
And the bolts are hardware store grade. How can anyone do work like this???????? It also turns out they were install backwards, I will explain that a little further down.
So the first order of business was to remove all those bolts and replace them with grade 8 Lawson quality bolts so the compressor does not fall off.
So why did I say they were in backwards? The faceplate of the compressor is threaded and the bolts should screw in from the back side (the bracket on the engine just has a hole in it and the faceplate is threaded so when you put the bolt in through the back side it goes through the hole and then into the threaded face place and then when you tighten the bolt it pulled the faceplate to the bracket on the engine). So the "professionals used hardware store bolts and installed them incorrectly.
This is what it should look like. Now the bolts are threaded in correctly and the nuts are "jam" nuts to keep the bolts from working loose.
So now on to the belt.
As I mentioned above the tensioner is adjusted all the way out and the belt is still loose. Because the pulleys run in "deep" "V" pulleys the belt cannot be much longer or you cannot put it on.
I thought about moving the tensioner to the other side and then I would have plenty of adjustment, but you do not want the tensioner on the tension side of the belt because the tensioner pulley is carrying the torsion load.
I thought what the heck I'll take a trip to the parts store and see if I can get a belt just a little smaller (the correct size belt).
I was knocked on my back side when they had the correct belt in stock. I am really beginning to hate the "Professional" technicians at these service centers.
It was a bit of a struggle to get the belt over the pulley, but once I did there is now lots of adjustment in the tensioner.
No mot flapping around.
