Caterpillar - Belt question

[Jiminypipit]

I am in the process of replacing the serpentine belt and water pump belt on my 04 Vectra. It has a Caterpillar C7 engine with a rear radiator.
I have removed the serpentine belt with very little problem and the next step is to remove the WP belt. The spring loaded pully for the serpentine belt is in the road and blocks the removal of the WP belt. I can see a bolt in the centre of the pully but I am not sure if I should loosen it. My question is what is the proper method of removing said pully or loosening it enough to R&R the water pump belt.

Thanks for any help I can get.

[RedT]

Here is a procedure copied from another forum.......it works!

Replacement of Serpentine and Water Pump Belts 2004 Freightliner Chassis w/ CAT 3126E

NOTE: This information was gathered while changing the belts on our 2004 XC chassis with the 3126E CAT engine, built to Winnebago specifications. It may not be of any help to others who desire to change their own belts.

• Gain access to the belt area by removal of necessary engine access covers. On my 2004 Meridian 36G, remove bed and bed support.
• Working from the top of the engine, install a 1/2" Breaker Bar in the tension adjuster’s face, (there is a 1/2"square opening).
• Move Breaker Bar to left in order to relieve tension on the Serpentine belt.
• While holding the Breaker Bar to the left, remove the Serpentine belt from the Alternator pulley, and then move Breaker Bar to right until all tension is off the adjuster.
• With the Serpentine belt off the Alternator pulley, it will now be possible to remove the belt from all the pulleys, and thread it through the fan blades for complete removal.
• The tension adjuster is mounted directly above the belt for the Water Pump, and must be moved outward in order to remove the Water Pump belt. In order to do this, loosen the tension adjusters mounting bolt, using a 5/8” box end or socket wrench. It is not necessary to completely remove the tension adjuster, only loosen it until enough clearance is gained to clear the water pump belt.
• Working from below the engine, loosen the Water Pump’s tension adjustment locking bolt, using a 1/2" deep well socket, or an offset box-end wrench. This bolt is on the pulley-mounting bracket; however, it is behind the crankshaft damper and is a bit hard to gain access.
• Once the adjustment bolt is loose, it will be possible to rotate the tension pulley bracket to free up the Water Pump belt, and it can be removed from the Water Pump, and worked over the Crankshaft Damper.
• Install a new water pump belt, making sure to position it in the correct pulley slot on the Crankshaft, and then work it over the Water Pump and the tension pulley.
• From the bottom of the tension pulley’s bracket, insert the head of the breaker bar into the slot in the pulley housing, and apply tension on the Water Pump belt, while tightening the adjustment hold down bolt with the 1/2" wrench. When there is sufficient tension on the belt, make sure to tighten this bolt tight, or the Water Pump belt may slip in operation.
• After replacing the Water Pump belt, tighten the mounting bolt for the Serpentine belt tension adjuster using the 5/8” wrench. (See step 6)
• Work the new Serpentine belt over the fan blades, and position it in the proper groove in the Crankshaft pulley. Then, move the 1/2" Breaker Bar to the left and thread the serpentine belt behind the tension adjuster, over the Compressor and Alternator pulleys and under the upper idler pulley.
• Release the tension on the adjuster, and inspect the Serpentine belt to insure it is in the proper grooves on the Crankshaft pulley, as well as the Compressor and Alternator.
• Inspect area for tools, equipment.
• Run engine to test for proper installation.
• Pat yourself on the back for saving $$$ in labor costs, plus knowing the job was done right!

[Jiminypipit]

Red T

Thank you for the information you supplied. It was very helpful and made the job so much easier than I had anticipated. I found on my coach that once I had loosened the idler pully I was able to loosen the bolts on the water pump belt adjuster pully from the top which was a piece of cake.

The belts are installed, job is complete and for the moment all is well with the world.

Thanks again - Jiminypipit