Step one. Bought the van.
Hello Everybody, First post. I camp a lot in tents but after spending three days straight in a tent in the rain at Dolly Sods I swore I'd make a change. Here it is. Bought it Wednesday. Dro...
Forum Discussion
Thanks Bill.
I have a 4.2L engine and have no idea how any of the following relates to other sizes/types of engines.
Made the mistake of letting Hal sit over the winter without running the engine enough so on one of the first nice days I went to start it up and after a hard start there was this loud squeal from under the hood and the smell of hot rubber. Quickly stopped the engine and came to find the alternator had froze up.
Say hello to my new friend.
In replacing the alternator I've had my first experience with a serpentine belt. Last time I had to do something like this they were still called "fan belts". Found the belt tensioner to be a real bear to move enough to get the old belt off. Knew I'd need some help getting a new belt on. Right next door to the auto parts store is a hardware store. So when I went to get the new alternator also picked up a 3' long length of 3/8" threaded rod and a couple nuts. $3 and some change.
I've never done this before so don't know if there is a easier way but this worked for me. Back at home along with the threaded rod I got a short length of 2x4 , a scrap piece of angle iron and my breaker bar.
Drill a 3/8" hole in the angle iron such that the threaded rod is close enough to the breaker bar handle to prevent the handle from turning but allow it to slide back and forth.
Saw a notch across the 2x4 near the end.
Take the 2x4 out to the van and place it across the engine compartment so that the notch is resting in the metal lip on the back side of the compartment. The notch prevents the 2x4 from sliding forward as pressure is applied.
Use the threaded rod like a plumb bob and mark a vertical line on the side of the 2x4 so that the rod will hang between the fan blades and the engine block. Use the drawn line as a guide for the angle to drilling a hole through the 2x4. I used the next sized up drill bit from 3/8" so the rod won't bind in the 2x4. Install the 2x4 with the threaded rod so it's hanging to the right of the shaft on the fan blades. Use a washer between the 3/8" nut and the 2x4.
This is the view from underneath the van looking up. Fan blades are at the bottom of the picture and the engine block is at the top. I have the breaker bar socket on the tensioner pulley.
Also looking up. This is the the other end of the breaker bar. I've added the angle iron to the end of the threaded rod and by tightening the bolt have raised this end of the breaker bar .
This is the view from the top looking down. You can see the breaker bar on the tensioner pulley.
Again looking down. The other end of the breaker bar is held between the threaded rod and the angle iron. As the nut above the 2x4 is tightened it raises this end of the breaker bar. Notice the shaft for the fan blades. Had to be sure I didn't raise the bar so far that it came in contact with the shaft.
With the threaded rod in place lifting the tensioner I installed a new serpentine belt. Nothing here interferes with the placement of the belt. If the belt didn't slip right over all the pulleys I just cranked down on the bolt above the 2x4 until the tensioner was moved some more. Then with the belt correctly routed I cranked up on the rod a little at a time slowly increasing the belt tension while checking the fit on each pulley. Here's the view again from the bottom looking up with the belt partially routed.
That's it. So I put all the bits of the engine back together that I had to remove to do this work including the housing for the air filter and picked up all my tools. Weren't any nuts or bolts/screws left over so must have done it right. There's that certain feeling of self-satisfaction with a job well done. So I happily hop into the drivers seat to take my take my victory lap and ... the van won't start.
Mother pus bucket!
Anyway that's were I am at the moment. Have got it narrowed down to the fuel pump. Don't know yet if it's electrical or mechanical. On the bright side, if it's mechanical I know just where I can get some help.
I have a 4.2L engine and have no idea how any of the following relates to other sizes/types of engines.
Made the mistake of letting Hal sit over the winter without running the engine enough so on one of the first nice days I went to start it up and after a hard start there was this loud squeal from under the hood and the smell of hot rubber. Quickly stopped the engine and came to find the alternator had froze up.
Say hello to my new friend.
In replacing the alternator I've had my first experience with a serpentine belt. Last time I had to do something like this they were still called "fan belts". Found the belt tensioner to be a real bear to move enough to get the old belt off. Knew I'd need some help getting a new belt on. Right next door to the auto parts store is a hardware store. So when I went to get the new alternator also picked up a 3' long length of 3/8" threaded rod and a couple nuts. $3 and some change.
I've never done this before so don't know if there is a easier way but this worked for me. Back at home along with the threaded rod I got a short length of 2x4 , a scrap piece of angle iron and my breaker bar.
Drill a 3/8" hole in the angle iron such that the threaded rod is close enough to the breaker bar handle to prevent the handle from turning but allow it to slide back and forth.
Saw a notch across the 2x4 near the end.
Take the 2x4 out to the van and place it across the engine compartment so that the notch is resting in the metal lip on the back side of the compartment. The notch prevents the 2x4 from sliding forward as pressure is applied.
Use the threaded rod like a plumb bob and mark a vertical line on the side of the 2x4 so that the rod will hang between the fan blades and the engine block. Use the drawn line as a guide for the angle to drilling a hole through the 2x4. I used the next sized up drill bit from 3/8" so the rod won't bind in the 2x4. Install the 2x4 with the threaded rod so it's hanging to the right of the shaft on the fan blades. Use a washer between the 3/8" nut and the 2x4.
This is the view from underneath the van looking up. Fan blades are at the bottom of the picture and the engine block is at the top. I have the breaker bar socket on the tensioner pulley.
Also looking up. This is the the other end of the breaker bar. I've added the angle iron to the end of the threaded rod and by tightening the bolt have raised this end of the breaker bar .
This is the view from the top looking down. You can see the breaker bar on the tensioner pulley.
Again looking down. The other end of the breaker bar is held between the threaded rod and the angle iron. As the nut above the 2x4 is tightened it raises this end of the breaker bar. Notice the shaft for the fan blades. Had to be sure I didn't raise the bar so far that it came in contact with the shaft.
With the threaded rod in place lifting the tensioner I installed a new serpentine belt. Nothing here interferes with the placement of the belt. If the belt didn't slip right over all the pulleys I just cranked down on the bolt above the 2x4 until the tensioner was moved some more. Then with the belt correctly routed I cranked up on the rod a little at a time slowly increasing the belt tension while checking the fit on each pulley. Here's the view again from the bottom looking up with the belt partially routed.
That's it. So I put all the bits of the engine back together that I had to remove to do this work including the housing for the air filter and picked up all my tools. Weren't any nuts or bolts/screws left over so must have done it right. There's that certain feeling of self-satisfaction with a job well done. So I happily hop into the drivers seat to take my take my victory lap and ... the van won't start.
Mother pus bucket!
Anyway that's were I am at the moment. Have got it narrowed down to the fuel pump. Don't know yet if it's electrical or mechanical. On the bright side, if it's mechanical I know just where I can get some help.
