Hey folks, new guy here. Working on a 1996 312 excavator. New to me so I'm changing belts, filters etc. This unit has A/C and I am trying to remove the belt. Is there a way to loosen the idler at the bottom of that belt? I loosened the alt. to get the top two belts off. It doesnt look feasible to loosen the compressor itself, so am I on track with the idler? Thanks for any help in advance and Happy 4th.! T
Take the plate off the bottom loose the bolt/or nut in the center of the pulley then loosin the bolt that tensions it youll see it pointing straight down
Thanks for the reply Tyler. I did remove belly pan and took off that bolt that comes out the bottom. Is the pulley nut a standard thread? Left to loosen? I tried to remove it and it does not seem like it wants to come off. Thanks
You removed the jack screw. Once the pulley nut is loosened, the jack screw (adjuster bolt) is used to raise or lower the pulley to facilitate belt installation and adjustment. The nut is conventional RH thread, as is the jack screw.
Thanks heymccall..I'll spray some wd and try again in the morning.
Looks like I may need to put the jack screw back in, in order to get the pulley nut off? Hope I can line up the hole. It rotates when I tried to remove the nut. Oh well...
Thanks for the tips guys. Got all three belts changed as well as the bottom rad. hose which was well, hosed. Found a flex one from parts store with the different ends that worked perfectly! Now to get the thermostat to open so I can finish the coolant fill