So I changed the idler pulley on the passenger side of my '01 DII. I went to put the belt back and it will not fit. I changed it recently and it went together easily after I figured out the tensioner. At first I thought my new pulley may be the wrong size, so I put the old one back on and I still cannot get the belt over the alternator, its like the belt lost an inch or two in the time i spent changing the pulley. I've got the tensioner all the way in and I had a friend helping but still nothing... Am I forgetting a trick or does anybody have any ideas? My daily driver is stranded and I need some sort of guidance, its like I cant get enough slack. Thanks.

 

if both pulleys are the same size you must have routed the belt the wrong way. it can be routed the wrong way and there are two different routes depending upon your options.

 

Try this:
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With Active Cornering:



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More of the same

 

You said "put the belt back on." I assume you meant the old one, but just in case you purchased a new one, there IS two different belts. One is shorter than the other. SO if your Disco has the ACE system installed and you perhaps bought the belt for the NON-ACE Discos it would come up a little short. ACE equiped DIscos have one more pulley to turn. Let us know what the issue was when you figure it out.

 

Second that... compare the new belt to the old belt, is it shorter? If they are the same, and the old/new pulleys are the same, the belt is either routed wrong or you aren't opening the tensioner all the way... try a longer wrench on it to get more leverage on it if thats the case.

 

Ok I feel like a dumbass. I had the belt routed wrong (it was the same belt, wasnt replacing it wich made it weirder). I was convinced it was right 'cause I drew a diagram real quick but I fudged it. Thanks for all the quick responses though, once i saw the official diagram I saw my mistake. Stupid waste of time

 

IMHO many owners would benefit by making a small copy of the correct diagram, and taping it under the hood with some of that clear shipping tape to cover it all. And a smart fella learns from his mistakes, a brilliant guy learns from the mistakes of others. So by you posting on an open forum, you will help many after you that face the same challenge. Thanks, you really are not very dumb at all.

 

actually; I think there is a factory sicker with the routing under the hood, maybe it their because I have ACE and does not come on standard vehicles.

 

yeah i printed off the correct diagram and taped it under the hood to avoid such a situation in the future. I guess i was going under the idler as opposed to over it. thanks for all the helpful responses everyone!