V belt routing
 

Hello, new to the world of American cars and am having some trouble figuring something out. It seems as there are a few different options for accessory mounting depending on water pump styles. I am battling an annoying very loud squeel that begins at 2.3K Rpms and does not quite down. My belt is new but I feel like it is not routed correctly. The alternator has 2 pulley groves and it is running the outer grove to the power steering pump to the center crank pulley and ends on the inner water pump grove. There is 1 belt running everything. The truck has ac but it not running the belt due to a seized compressor. Crank has 3 pulley groves water pump has 2 power steering has 1 and alternator has 2. The alternator is mounted on the drivers sid and the ac compressor on the passenger side. Does this seem correct? Vehicle in question is a 71 suburban that started life as a v6. Thanks !

Re: V belt routing
 

One belt to PS, one belt running alternator and water pump. Your accessory drive looks like a compilation of parts. Not too hard to get it all to work :)

Re: V belt routing
 

With the long water pump the alternator should go to the other side

Re: V belt routing
 

Thanks for the tips! So if I switched back to a short water pump it would be advisable to replace all of the pullies as well? Or are the crank and water pump all the same? Sorry if the questions seem obvious, I'm used to working on aircooled volkswagens

Re: V belt routing
 

All good, no dumb questions here. No water pump or pulley replacement needed here. Despite the fact your accessory drive seems pieced together, it can be made to work no problem. I would run the power steering on the inner pulley and the alt/water pump on the outer. You should have tensioning ability from the alternator and PS pump. Make sure pullies line up correctly and do not side load the belts, as this can lead them to squeal and pop off. If the interior of the pullies looks polished from slipping belts a hit from red scotchbrite or 320 grit sandpaper will help them grab the new belts. Strategically placed washers behind brackets and mounting bolts can help you line things up if they aren't already. I had to do this on my $1100 March serpentine kit...Just don't put washers behind any pullies. Good luck!

Re: V belt routing
 

With that mismatched accessory setup it looks like one belt is all you could use. The belt looks to be lined up pretty well however it is too long as you have no alternator adjustment left to tighten it up.

Re: V belt routing
 

There is not going to be enough wrap around on the PS pump, that's probably why it squeals

Re: V belt routing
 

All of the short pump brackets and pulleys are different. If you run the short pump you need all of them. I would just swap back to a long pump. Cheaper and easier...

Re: V belt routing
 

Boog caught a good point. Your out of adjustment. Get a 1" shorter belt to start. See if it works. Cheap right. Plus. After you put it on. Drive it. Get it hot. Then readjust while its hot.

Re: V belt routing
 

Updating the post, problem was solved by using a different bracket Allen grove I think ? Had to get a special one for a long water pump with no accessory holes in the heads and has worked out great. I did have to move the alternator to the other side of the engine though, no big deal and no more noises! Thanks for the help guys.