power steering pulley throwing drive belt

the dodge · Post by **the dodge** » Sun Feb 17, 13 8:24 pm

on the drive back with aspen the power steering drive belt came off twice, both times luckily it was retained on the power steering pulley shaft, the belt is a bit knackered now so the only one i had (which is a bit wider) was fitted, on closer inspection it looks like the power steering pulley is not quite inline with the other pulleys which is why it probably kept coming off, how can i get the power steering pulley back inline with the other pulleys?

mopar_mark · Post by **mopar_mark** » Sun Feb 17, 13 10:12 pm

Put a straight edge against the pulleys, to determine how much they are out ?

Dependant on the amount you can space one pulley out, using a spacer of the amount their out. I am assuming the crank pulley is aligned & no other issues with alternator alignment etc.

May also be possible to remove material from the back of one pulleyor a combination of spacing & removing.

If a large amount, you made need to look at alternative pulleys or spacing of the power steering pump bracket or adjusting power steering bracket to suit

jerry · Post by **jerry** » Sun Feb 17, 13 10:34 pm

From the picture it looks like the power steering pump is at a slight angle i.e.
not paralel to the crank pulley,as Mark said straight edge across the faces.

Mossy68 · Post by **Mossy68** » Sun Feb 17, 13 10:41 pm

No expert but if its a stock motor there must be a reason for it to be misaligned ?
Something worn ? Needs adjusting ? Bracket bent ?
Just the route I would take on a stock motor

AllKiller · Post by **AllKiller** » Sun Feb 17, 13 10:43 pm

As Jerry said you can clearly see what out in the picture..it doesnt take much.

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Wed Feb 20, 13 10:44 pm

I had this aswell and I just elongated the rear holes in the power steering pump mounting bracket very slightly which allowed me to put a big screwdriver behind it while I tightened the mounting bolts and 'twist' it a few millimeters to line everything up. Dont think the brackets were made particularly well compared to modern tolerances..

latil · Post by **latil** » Thu Feb 21, 13 12:06 am

My brackets seem to bend over time,have straightened twice in 7 years!

the dodge · Post by **the dodge** » Thu Feb 21, 13 12:45 pm

thanks for the info. i think i will try and bend the bracket a touch to get the belt to line up

Philth · Post by **Philth** » Thu Feb 21, 13 1:12 pm

Also worth checking is that the belts are the correct vee & widths for the pulleys.
The locally sourced Halfords/motor factor belts may appear to sit higher in the pulley vee, and will be a contributing factor to the belt wanting to disengage itself.
I got US style Dayco "Top Cog" V belts from Customville - just took my old belt to them and was able to souce a couple of exact size from their stock. These sat deeper into the vee of the pulley.
Worth looking into once you've got your sheave line correct.

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Thu Feb 21, 13 1:21 pm

Philth makes a good point. American belts are not the same and using other types can cause them to throw off.

But the pump is still mounted crooked for sure. If you can't bend the bracket try some spacer washers under the bolts on one side.

Demon James · Post by **Demon James** » Thu Feb 21, 13 1:28 pm

Must be another one of those "MOPAR thangs" I had exactly the same line up issue. I spaced the rear most part of the mounting bracket out which got everything to line up. This was better than my first option, going to my belt supplier and asking for a V belt that goes round corners

the guy behind the counter just stared

the dodge · Post by **the dodge** » Thu Feb 21, 13 1:30 pm

the belt fitted isnt the correct one width or length but it was the nearest one in size that halfrauds had at the time, a mate of mine has got me a few thinner belts to try at the weekend hopefully one will fit in the pulleys better than the one shown in the picture, i will also try to straighten the pulley alignment out by bending the bracket if possible - all this depends on the weather if it does go to minus 14 i'll be inside!!

Ivor · Post by **Ivor** » Thu Feb 21, 13 1:44 pm

Julian, it's also worth checking the Vee belt angle to see that it matches the pulleys...I would be tempted to give US Automotive a call (not too far away at Bedford) and they will certainly have the correct belt...it will be worth the effort!

the dodge · Post by **the dodge** » Thu Feb 21, 13 1:45 pm

thanks ivor