Last month I replaced my alternator and serpentine belt. Well, last week my idler pulley seized and ate up my new belt. Today while trying to install the new belt, which my friend and I are having trouble doing (I know, read the guides and play with the PS assembly), we're wondering if the belt I got from O'Reilly's is too short?

From other threads I've read on here, there seems to be several different answers about how much play there should be in the belt. I've read from tight with no play to an inch of play?

 

I had to get the serpentine belt on my 97 pretty damn tight to keep it from slipping. it deflects very little and is fiddle string tight.

 

Mine likes about half an inch of play in it. Just make sure you loosen all the bolts to pivot the PS completely. There are 2 on the back of the PS that a lot of people forget to loosen.




These ones

 

Didn't forget those two. We ended up only loosening those two and the one at the top of the triangular bracket.