Had problem with car when first i noticed i was driving AC started blowing hot and noticed blower got a little slower. then when driving home volt light was coming up on dash. Battery is about 1 year old. when i got home i shut car off and on about twice and the third time wouldn't start. I jumped it checked voltage going to battery and it was very low so i assumed it was the alternator. I took it out by loosening belt tentioner and slit it back and took it to autozone they tested it on machine and it failed the guy said it was putting out 0 volts. I was a little suprised it went bad it may be 10 years old but car only has 20,000 miles on it.


The problem is i am trying to figure out how to tighten the belt. I tried putting tentioner tight againist belt and tightening bolt on tentioner. How tight do i make this bolt i have a torque wrench is there a torque spec. and am i suppose to put the tentioner tight againist belt and tighten. Belt stays on but makes noise i made it a little tighter and noise at idle mostly went away but when i gave it gas i heard it making noise. After i tried to readjust and i may have made it too tight and i heard a crack or a pop and now a piece of metal cracked off tentioner so tomorrow i am buying another one so please instruct me how to put it on. Thank You

 

I forgot to write it is the 3.1 engine.

How tight should the belt feel when done. How much play should there be

 

Not familiar with that engine but most cars of recent vintage have a belt tensioner that is spring loaded (it moves to keep constant and correct tension on the belt and is not adjustable). Make sure you have the belt routed correctly around the engine pulleys (usually a diagram in the engine compartment showing this) and you don't have it on the wrong side of the tensioner. Usually you have to move the tensioner with a 1/2" drive (like the end of a rachet or breaker bar) to get the belt on.
If it isn't spring-loaded, usually adjust the tensioner so there's about a 1/2'' deflection of the belt with fairly firm thumb pressure midway along the length of the belt.

 

I understand what i did i released the tention by loosening the mounting bolt and ended up breaking it my question is when i put the new one on is there a special way to position it do i lock it in so the pulley is tight againist the belt or is there suppose to be a distance between them and there is a way to make them get tight?

I didn't see the bolt on the tentioner to release tention where would it be?

Please direct me on how to mount it i really appreciate it

 

If you look at the back side of the tensioner and the plate where it mounts you will see corresponding holes for the bolt and the locating pin..........Align those and tighten. At THAT point MOST 3.1 tensioners have a square hole made for a 3/8 drive ratchet or a belt tensioner tool if space is an issue.....Often you can use an open end wrench on the very end of the tensioner