[Dave in MN]

Changing the belt: While on a long road trip and about 2,400 miles before I made it home, I started to hear a “chirp” every time the alternator started to charge. The belt had worn narrow and would no longer engage with the sides of the pulley on the alternator. Tried my best to get the spare belt past the cross member and u-bolts, the dampener pulley was just too close. I removed the front u-bolt nuts, raised the bolts to allow them to tip sideways from the crank guide. This allowed me to slightly raise the crank guide and push it forward slightly giving me the clearance I needed to get the belt in place. With the weight of the car on the front spring, nothing moved out of position and reassembly was quick.

Vibration: When I installed the dampener pulley, I estimate the rpm range of the felt vibration narrowed to about half but it did not totally eliminate it.