So, I decide to do some routine maintanence on my Jeep. I've got a 98 Cherokee with a 4L and decide to finally get around to changing the serpentine drive belt as it's the original one and it's getting pretty noisy and cracked. I also play it safe and bought a new belt tensioner as it sounded like the bearing was on its way out too.
So, I bring her into the garage and proceed to rip the old belt off. Loosen the tensioner and contort my hands around the dual fans and finally I get it out.
Then, the fun part. Getting the new one routed. So, I finally figure out the best way to do it, and get it wrapped around all the sheaves and backside idlers. Several bleeding knuckles and 3 rye and ginger drinks later, I get it all set. Just need to wrap it around the power steering and the tensioner and I'm good to go.
No way. No f'n way was it going. Not enough belt left. I trace the belt back through the whole setup seeing if its hung up somewhere taking the slack. Nope. its all fine.
Finally, in frustration I rip it out and start from scratch, thinking I must have not routed it right.
Then, for the hell of it, I did what I should have done (and any semi-decent mechanic or backyard greasemonkey would have done first), I compared it to the original belt.
It was about 3 inches too short. The friggen parts store gave me the wrong belt.
Maybe I shouldn't have started drinking before I started working on it.
Oh well, I guess I'll be driving the Accord tommorow. 😱
So, I bring her into the garage and proceed to rip the old belt off. Loosen the tensioner and contort my hands around the dual fans and finally I get it out.
Then, the fun part. Getting the new one routed. So, I finally figure out the best way to do it, and get it wrapped around all the sheaves and backside idlers. Several bleeding knuckles and 3 rye and ginger drinks later, I get it all set. Just need to wrap it around the power steering and the tensioner and I'm good to go.
No way. No f'n way was it going. Not enough belt left. I trace the belt back through the whole setup seeing if its hung up somewhere taking the slack. Nope. its all fine.
Finally, in frustration I rip it out and start from scratch, thinking I must have not routed it right.
Then, for the hell of it, I did what I should have done (and any semi-decent mechanic or backyard greasemonkey would have done first), I compared it to the original belt.
It was about 3 inches too short. The friggen parts store gave me the wrong belt.
Maybe I shouldn't have started drinking before I started working on it.
Oh well, I guess I'll be driving the Accord tommorow. 😱
