Replacing alternator belt

The alternator belt can be changed from the top, the ps belt is best done from the bottom with the tire removed.
The alternator should have an adjusting bolt and the ps has an adjusting bracket. You loosen the bolts for the alternator and ps pump then use the adjusting bolts to tighten the new belts.

ADJUSTMENT

Excessive belt tension will cause damage to the alternator and water pump pulley bearings, while, on the other hand, loose belt tension will produce slip and premature wear on the belt. Therefore, be sure to adjust the belt tension to the proper level.
To adjust the tension on a drive belt, loosen the adjusting bolt or fixing bolt locknut on the alternator, alternator bracket or tension pulley. Then move the alternator or turn the adjusting bolt to adjust belt tension. Once the desired value is reached, secure the bolt or locknut and recheck tension.

REMOVAL & INSTALLATION

1.5L, 1.6L, 1.8L, 2.0L and 2.4L Engines

Fig. Accessory V-belt routing-Mitsubishi 1.5L, 1.6L, 1.8L, 2.0L and 2.4L engines
Alternator Belt

Fig. Loosen the adjuster lock bolt . . .

Fig. . . . then remove the alternator belt from the engine

1. Loosen the alternator support nut.
2. Loosen the adjuster lock bolt.
3. Rotate the adjuster bolt counter clockwise to release the tension on the belt.
4. Remove the belt.

To install:

1. Install the belt on the pulleys.
2. Rotate the adjuster bolt clockwise until the proper tension is reached.
3. Tighten the adjuster lock bolt and the alternator support nut.

POWER STEERING BELT

Fig. After the adjusting and fixed bolts are loosened, rotate the pump . . .

Fig. . . . then remove the power steering belt from the engine

1. Remove the alternator belt as described above.
2. Loosen the power steering pump adjusting bolts.
3. Remove the power steering pump fixed bolt on the rear of the bracket.
4. Rotate the pump toward the engine and remove the belt.

To install:

1. Install the belt on the pulleys.
2. Rotate the pump until the proper tension is reached.
3. Tighten the adjusting bolts on the pump.
4. Tighten the fixed bolt on the rear of the bracket.
5. Install the alternator belt.

A/C COMPRESSOR BELT

1. Loosen the tension pulley and remove the belt.
2. The installation is the reverse of the removal.

3.0L DOHC, 3.0L SOHC Galant, and 3.5L Engines

Fig. Serpentine belt routing-Mitsubishi 3.0L engines (except 1998-00 Galant models)

Fig. Accessory V-belt routing-Mitsubishi 3.5L and 1998-00 3.0L SOHC Galant engines
ALTERNATOR AND A/C COMPRESSOR

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.

CAUTION Wait at least 90 seconds after the negative battery cable is disconnected to prevent possible deployment of the air bag.

1. Raise and safely support the vehicle and remove the front undercover.
2. Loosen the tension pulley fixing nut and relieve the tension on the belt by turning the adjusting bolt.
3. Remove the belt.

To install:

1. Install the belt on the crankshaft and alternator pulleys.
2. Using the adjusting bolt on the tensioner, tighten the belt to the desired tension.
3. Tighten the fixing nut to hold the adjustment.
4. Install the undercover and lower the vehicle to the floor.
5. Connect the negative battery cable.

POWER STEERING BELT

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.

CAUTION Wait at least 90 seconds after the negative battery cable is disconnected to prevent possible deployment of the air bag.

1. Raise and safely support the vehicle and remove the undercover.
2. Remove the alternator and A/C compressor belt.
3. Lower the vehicle and remove the cruise control pump link assembly.
4. Place the power steering hose under the oil reservoir.
5. Loosen the tension pulley fixing bolts and remove the power steering pump drive belt.

To install:

1. Install the power steering pump drive belt.
2. Insert an extension bar or equivalent into the opening at the end of the tension pulley bracket and pivot the pulley to apply tension to the belt.
3. Tighten the fixing bolts.
4. Raise the vehicle and install the alternator and A/C compressor belt.
5. Install the undercover and lower the vehicle.
6. Connect the negative battery cable.

3.0L SOHC Diamante

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Loosen the lockbolt on the face of the A/C tensioner pulley.
3. Turn the adjusting bolt of the A/C tensioner pulley to loosen the tension of the A/C belt.
4. Remove the A/C compressor belt.
5. Loosen the locknut on the face of the power steering/alternator tensioner pulley.
6. Turn the adjusting bolt of the tensioner pulley to loosen the tension of the belt.
7. Remove the power steering/alternator belt.

To install:

1. Install the power steering/alternator belt first and then the A/C compressor drive belt.
2. Adjust the belts to the proper tension by turning the adjusting bolts and tighten pulley fixing nut/bolt.
3. Tighten the mounting nut of the power steering/alternator tensioner pulley to 36 ft. lbs. (50 Nm).

Look for a still- tight pivot bolt on the pump. Lots of parts have an adjustment bolt on the bottom and a pivot bolt on the top-or vice versa.
If the pivot bolt is too tight, the pump may not swing in all the way to remove belt. Check for any other bolt or nut that won't let it move freely to get the belt off. Maybe the smog pump can be adjusted in?

You are only supposed to losen then. Here are some good instruction with layout that might be of help:

REMOVAL:

1. Loosen the pivot bolt and adjusting lock bolt. Torque: Pivot bolt: 38 foot pounds. Adjusting lock bolt: 13 foot pounds.
2. Loosen the drive belt tension by adjusting bolt and remove the drive belt

INSTALLATION:

1. Installation is in the reverse order of removal.

To remove the P/S belt, remove the right fender apron. Then loosen the pivot and adjusting bolts, swing the P/S pump towards the engine and remove the P/S belt.

Please let me know if you have questions, and thanks for using FixYa.

1.8L Engine
A/C Compressor-Power Steering Pump Belt

NOTE Refer to the accompanying illustration for bolt and nut locations.

1. Loosen bolt A , nut B and nut C
2. Loosen tension adjusting bolt D
3. Remove the drive belt

To install:

Route the belt over the pulleys.

Fig. Removing the A/C and P/S pump belt-1.8L engine

1. Tighten bolt A and nuts B and C, as follows:
   1. Bolt A: 27-39 ft. lbs. (37-53 Nm)
   2. Nut B: 14-19 ft. lbs. (19-25 Nm)
   3. Nut C: 24-34 ft. lbs. (32-46 Nm)
   
   
2. Check the belt tension and adjust as necessary.

Alternator Belt

1. Remove the A/C and power steering pump belt, if equipped.
2. Loosen the alternator mounting bolt and adjusting bolt.
3. Remove the alternator belt.

Fig. Alternator belt-1.8L engine

To install:

1. Install the alternator belt and adjust, as outlined earlier.
2. Tighten the bolts, as follows:
   1. Mounting bolt: 27-38 ft. lbs. (37-52 Nm)
   2. Adjusting bolt: 14-18 ft. lbs. (19-26 Nm)
   
   
3. Install the A/C and power steering pump belt, if equipped.
4. Check the belt tension and adjust as necessary.

FOR THE 3.0L ENGINE IF YOU REPLACE AC BELT LOOSEN TOP IDLER PULLEY CENTER BOLT. IF YOU REPLACING ALTERNATOR AND WATER PUMP BELT LOOSEN ALTERNATOR ADJUSTMENT BOLT AND PIVOT BOLT.IF REPLACING POWER STEERING PUMP BELT LOOSEN POWER STEERING PUMP ADJUSTMENT BOLT AND MOUNTING BOLTS.****** FOR THE 2.4L ENGINE TO REMOVE POWER STEERING BELT LOOSEN TOP IDLER PULLEY.FOR ALTERNATOR AND WATER PUMP BELT LOOSEN ALTERNATOR ADJUSTER BOLT, PIVOT AND MOUNTING BOLTS.FOR AC COMPRESSOR LOOSEN LOWER IDLER PULLEY.

Unplug the battery
Loosen and move the power steering pump out of the way (don't disconnect the hoses to it)
Loosed the bolts on the alternator (should be a 14mm on the top bolt, then there will be another lower (hard to reach 12mm bolt) where it pivots. Then, on the lower front of the alternator, there will be two 10mm bolts visible for the alternator belt tension bracket, loosen the RIGHT one as that will release the tension on the belt. You may need to bang or pry to get the alternator to swing out even if you have all the bolts out. They like to lock in there.

Suggest replacing all the belts also. 1st belt, remove coolant reservoir. Loosen the pulley next to the res. then there is a tension bolt behind it. get under the car, the alternator is right there on the passenger side. possible under a small shield. Loosen all the bolts on the alternator, then there is a tentioner on the alternator. Loosen that, remove belt, then take out the rest of the bolts, along with the plug and the ground wire to the alternator. for the P/S belt, loosen the other pulley 14mm, and then the tention bolt is another 12mm.

There is a curved bracket that the alternator is bolted to. This allows you to adjust the belt tension. Loosen this bolt and locate the other bolt that mounts the alternator to your engine. Loosen this one, as well. Now swing your alternator in the direction that will allow you to free the belt and remove it. Put the new belt on and swing the alternator to get good tension on the belt. Tighten both of the bolts on the alternator, but leave them loose enough that you can still adjust the belt's tension. Now use a bar to pry the alternator in the direction that will increase the tension on the belt a little bit and tighten the bolt on the curved bracket with your free hand. Now, tighten the other bolt. Start the car and verify that the belt has decent tension and does not slip (this will cause premature wear, squealing and bad charging). If everything is good, you should be all set. If it is too tight or too loose, you will need to readjust the tension of the belt.

Hope this helps,
matt

Transit Guru360 is right, It's not so hard and you might remove a few extra nuts...but once you've done it, it's a piece of cake the next time.

I just did this on my 300CD and this is what you do...

I dont have a AC belt since my AC doesn't work I removed it a while ago

1 You'll need:
a. a nice long pry bar (for tightening belts later)
b. a pair of 13m and 17mm wrenchs as well as sockets to do other side of each bolt.
c. a pan for the antifreeze to drip into since you'll remove the top hose to give you more room to
work and it will be full of antifreeze.
d. straight screwdriver
e. Some Gojo...yes working on diesels is a dirty dirty job

First take off top radiator hose, then smaller overflow hose, then upper and lower air intake hoses and unplug that little wire...not sure what it does, but it's in the way.

The power steering and alternator both have 3 bolts that hold them in place...you'll have to remove the power steering belt first. These are all 13mm. If standing at drivers side, there's a bold at bottom of powr steering pump, its an adjustment kind, remove the nut or just loosen it but leave bolt in.

Then remove the other two bolts, they are recessed in the back of pump on lower side. You can see which ones they are by looking for the nuts on front of pump. Loosen them and remove them.

Pump will be totally loose now, take off that belt and carefully finagle it around fan and off if need replaced, if not, just drop and let hang for now.

Then onto Alternator which will be bottom left of engine as you look at front of engine. Theres a through bolt on bottom of alternator, just roll up your sleevesand climb under car and use 17mm wrench...the alternator is threaded so there's not nut down there to loosen. Dont remove this bolt, just loosen it well.

Now loosen the top 2 bolts, dont worry about the adjustment, mine was stripped...and my adjustment was the prybar:) Loosen those but dont remove them...wiggle the alternator until it gives you the slack you need to remove the belt, if you cant get the slack, you can wrap your fingers around the belt upper and lower and squeeze, this will give lots of leverage and force alternator to move in, then pop that belt off and discard.

Now just put the alternator belt back on, use prybar to get proper tension...and tighten. A half inch of play is about the right tension...but tighter is good with a new belt since it will stratch a bit over time.

Make sure all 3 bolts are tight on alternator then move to replace power steering pump belt, but you will have to put at least onee of the top bolts back on to pivot against when using prybar to tighten that belt, then once you have the tension you want, tighten adjustment bolt, then keep the tension and put 3rd bolt in and tighten, make sure all are tight and you have 1/2 inch play on that belt as well. Then put all the other things back together ...check to make sure all tools are out from engine compartment and fire it up, if it squeels, it's too loose, if not, you're good and you can wipe down your tools, put them away and use the GoJo:)

Good Luck!