How to remove lower timing belts cover, to install new alternator belt?

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

CAR IS A MILE FROM HOME AFTER ALTERNATOR BELT DEPARTED VEHICLE. '92 Festy with AC and PS.

>>> I searched on "alternator belt," "timing belt cover," "timing belt," etc.
>>> I found nothing in the Ford official Festiva Service Manual.
>>> My Haines manual is not where I am.

I'm trying to install a new alternator belt, to replace the one which departed the vehicle on its own after squealing.

I have removed the AC+PS belt, since it blocks access to the alternator belt.

I have removed the water pump pulley.

I have removed the upper timing belt cover (four 10mm-head bolts).

The timing mark portion of the lower timing belt cover is so close to the crank pulley that I can't slip the new alternator belt in under it.

I have found and removed TWO 10mm-head bolts from the lower timing belt cover, but it's still being held on somehow.

I presume there's a 3rd (or more) 10mm-head bolts still holding the lower timing belt cover on -- WHERE IS/ARE THEY?

Why is is that I should have to remove the timing belt cover to do a simple alternator belt replacement in the first place????? Also, it's ridiculous that the AC+PS belt has to be removed to remove the alternator belt!!!!!

[zoe60]

If it's a Festiva, You just need to install the belt. It goes around the crank pulley, the water pump pulley, and the alternator. Just loosen the adjustment bolt at the top of the alternator and pry it towards the front of the car. No need to remove any of the timing stuff. It's pretty normal to have to remove other belts on a car to get to the belt you want to change. The AC belt is just in front of the alternator belt.

[Chobobulous]

You dont have to take that coverbut you do have to take the acc bekt off.... well i thats what i did. Just loosen the alternator tention bolt and pull the alternator forward. The belt will come off. I had to play a fishing game to get it around thepulleys. Did i make myself clear enough?

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Zoe60,

What you describe is what I was expecting, since I have a number of Festies with A/C.

HOWEVER, what I found on this car (which I bought 5+ years ago and has been sitting in the weeds until a few months ago), turns out on closer inspection to be completely nonstandard. It might even be some kind of aftermarket AC and/or PS -- I don't have any other PS-equipped Festies to compare it against. I found obviously hand-made spacers behind the crank and water pump pulleys, apparently as an attempt to better align the A/C+P/S pulley with those devices. Nothing was lining up properly, including with the timing belt cover, which apparently caused it to throw the alternator belt off after a few months of regular squealing.

Anyway, I removed the non-standard spacers, installed a new alternator belt, left the A/C+PS belt off, and got the car home. I'll address the A/C+P/S when I get time. It steers pretty much like a non-PS car without the P/S pump operating. I would have expected it to be stiffer than a normal non-PS car.

Chobobulous,

Your implication that I'm playing with less than a full deck was not appreciated. As far as your intelligence goes, you might want to re-visit the 4th grade and learn how to spell; "tention" isn't a word.

[Spike]

Glad you got home, AFG. Best of luck, hope you figure out what kind of PS system you have lol.

But.. I feel a lot of 'tention' building up in here.

-Joe

[Chobobulous]

... Anyways.

Way to read too far into a comment, I was not in anyway implying that you were "playing with less than a full deck" I just know that sometimes i think faster than i can type on the phone and sometimes stuff does not come out all that clear.

About the misspelling of words. Autocorrect sucks.

Good luck with the belt.

[zoe60]

Yeah, you have a car I have no experience with so I won't be able to help much. Good luck, just the same.

[WmWatt]

It's been a while since I removed the timing belt covers but the lower one is held on the same as the upper one with bolts through the cover into the engine block. There may also be something holding the oil dipstick tube. I have the carbuiretted manual with no air conditioning.

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

WmWatt,

I intend to replace the timing belt on this car while I'm into it, so I'm going to have to figure out how to remove the bottom section of the cover. I've found two screws into the block from above, but it wasn't budging with them out, so there must be more somewhere.

One of the four screws holding the upper section of the cover picks up a bracket for the oil dipstick.

Does anybody have a Haines(Haynes?) manual they can check? I think one of mine's up in Los Anchorage and the other's probably on the East Coast.

[WmWatt]

I carry the Haynes manual in the car. It stopped raining overnight so I went out to the garage to retreive it. There are 6 bolts holding the timing covers on. To get at the bottom two you probably have to go in from below which means removing the plastic splash guard behind the tire. Here's what Mr Haynes has to say ...
9. Remove the timing belt upper cover (4 bolts) and the (two bolts) lower cover (see illustration).
"Illustration" refers to a photo.

[nitrofarm]

For the lower portion you have to remove the water pump pulley IIRC to access one bolt

[Movin]

Finding non standard shims could mean pulleys and ? were borrowed from a donor car. This could get interesting going back together. If you can keep snow from melting and freezing in the lower pulley area I would be tempted to leave the covers off to make realignment easier..It sounds like the person who did the installation stopped just short of good enough? lol at least you can keep it mobile, good going getting it back home!

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

WmWatt,

I did find and remove 2 bolts from the lower portion (had to remove the water pump pulley to get to at least one of them), accessing from above.

Can you post the Haynes illustration you mentioned?

[Movin]

[TominMO]

Excellent pics!

For the top cover, I cut away all of it except for enough to hold on three of the bolts. I cut away the part down by the lower left bolt because it is harder to get to. I also cut away the area where the water pump pulley will contact the cover.

For the bottom cover, I have just enough left to hold the timing marks in place.