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Author Topic: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2  (Read 5938 times)

justducki

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    • 91 Capri XR2
Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« on: June 21, 2017, 02:13:03 PM »

New member hello and thank you for letting me post.  I really need some help here.

I have a 91 XR2 with ~ 93K that runs perfect except the alternator belt squeal.  I have tried everything to fix this.  I did all the forum searches and tried everything as well.  I do not have a loose crank pulley and it has the updated or longer crank bolt so that has been ruled out and it is not the water pump.

This is what I have done so far.

1. Purchased new alternative (mitsubushi) and pulley and belt from modern capri - no luck squeals terribly.  Checked with a force deflection gauge and it is tensioned correctly. No luck.

2. Purchased the squeal stopper belt from roosport and put it on with the original pulley (as stated on the website from roosport) still squeals. 

I have left multiple messages for Roosport but no response. I have emailed, called etc. etc.. and nothing.  The description read as follows

"This listing is for a BRAND NEW 1989-1994 Mercury/Ford Capri "Squeal Stopper" Alternator/Water pump belt!  As these cars age, alternators go out and need to be replaced. Unfortunately, replacement alternators do not have the correct pulley, causing belts to break and squeal. Most belts do not last more than 3 days."


This reads like you put the wrong pulley or the pulley that came with the alternator on and NOT the pulley from modern capri (two piece narrow one).  My wife read it and friends and all the same thing.

*** Do I put the modern capri old style pulley on with the squeal stopper???  I have a tried all the recommended belts (dayco top cog etc.. etc..) nothing works.

Please help this is getting to the point where my wife wants to drive the car off a cliff but I still love it.

Thank you,
Keith








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SHOwn

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    • 91 XR2
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2017, 06:45:00 PM »

First off, welcome to the forums! I hope you'll find tons of help here, not many other places to talk to Capri owners who know how to work on their cars.

Wish I could help with it more but I have never needed to go as far as changing pulleys. What I know is that mine was unable to be tensioned enough when I got it, the belt (presumably stock) was just a little too long and I could not adjust the bracket out far enough so what I did was I tried an old belt I had laying around (or did I buy one?) which was a few centimeters shorter, but a few millimeters wider. That did two things. It allowed me to have enough run-out on the bracket to snug it up, and it sits a little higher in the pulleys, but not enough to be in danger of jumping off. Oh, and this belt is a cogged one on the pulley side, don't know if it helps or hurts, but man, it works quietly. The numbers on it are as follows, if it helps:
36017. Made in USA. 3695 : 2
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R. Powell
'91 XR2, LM 16" Chrome Drifters, White Gauge Faces, Kuhmo 40's, Big Brake UG, 2.5" Mandrel Bent CATback, BMW318 Heated Seats, `94 console, '99 Dodge Neon Spoiler, '94 XR2 Sideskirts Bumpers and taillights, Fresh Basecoat-Clearcoat Cardinal Red (Jul2014), vj11/vj14 hybrid, manual boost CTL.

Rod Bacon

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    • 1993 XR2
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2017, 05:25:49 AM »

I've just been through this on both mine. They had different pulleys but both squealed and one snapped a belt on my way to work. I replaced the belts with stock replacements to begin with, and made sure I'd tensioned them correctly. I adjusted after a day, as they'd stretched/worn-in a bit and started squealing on day 2-3. I then replaced them both with the (stupidly expensive) belts from Roo Sports, and have had no troubles since. Just make sure you make them REAL TIGHT. You should only be able to deflect the belt a few mm with reasonable pressure, in my opinion. I have no slippage on either of my cars now (again, they have different pulleys). When I pulled the stock belts off, I could see where the belt was wearing excessively from riding on the edge (not sitting down into the "V" fully).
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SHOwn

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    • 91 XR2
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2017, 06:47:06 AM »

I don't have a tension gauge so I do it by feel, but mine had to be pretty firm as well, probably more than spec.
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R. Powell
'91 XR2, LM 16" Chrome Drifters, White Gauge Faces, Kuhmo 40's, Big Brake UG, 2.5" Mandrel Bent CATback, BMW318 Heated Seats, `94 console, '99 Dodge Neon Spoiler, '94 XR2 Sideskirts Bumpers and taillights, Fresh Basecoat-Clearcoat Cardinal Red (Jul2014), vj11/vj14 hybrid, manual boost CTL.

rls120

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    • 1991 Mercury Capri xr2, 1994 Wrangler, 1994 Saab
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2017, 09:22:46 PM »

As a newbie, please forgive the intrusion.  Belt squeal seams to be a common problem on these cars, and I'm wondering if anyone has tried good old-fashioned belt dressing.  1950s cure for a 1990s problem?

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BigRedOzzy

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    • '93 Capri Sport, '03 Focus SE, '10 Fusion Hybrid
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2017, 12:37:56 AM »

Belt dressing only works to help identify the squealing belt.  It doesn't last.  I was able to tighten the alternator belt on my 93 N/A by using a 1" x 4" board wedged between the crankshaft and alternator pulleys, after removing the serpentine belt.   Only squeals occasionally now.
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Tony Salazar
Retired USAF Mustang
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Just Plain Retired :-)

chrispoe

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    • 91 BP Capri GT
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2017, 09:58:45 AM »

I use to have issues with the stock V belt randomly twisting in the pulleys and then they would either come off or break.
 
One of the times my belt snapped, I made an emergency stop at the auto part store only to find out they didn't have any Capri belts in stock. They did however have belts for the 91-96 Escort GT on hand, so I bought one of those instead.

The belts are nearly identical except the Capri belt is 3/8" wide, while the Escort belt was 1/2" wide. This causes the belt to ride higher on the pulleys similar to the Miata belt that SHOwn is using.

The most amazing part is that I haven't had any belt issues now in over 8+ years, which is great cuz changing belts after the BP swap required completely unbolting the alternator to get the new belt around the pulley.
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SHOwn

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    • 91 XR2
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2017, 10:20:50 AM »

IDK if my belt is a Miata or not, look at the number I posted and ask at a good parts store. What I do know is like. Chrispoe, my belt is wider and rides higher. My alternator is from the 94 N/A I stripped (Mitsubishi diamond star on back) with the pulley from my old alternator (should be stock 91). Never a peep in almost 4 years.
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R. Powell
'91 XR2, LM 16" Chrome Drifters, White Gauge Faces, Kuhmo 40's, Big Brake UG, 2.5" Mandrel Bent CATback, BMW318 Heated Seats, `94 console, '99 Dodge Neon Spoiler, '94 XR2 Sideskirts Bumpers and taillights, Fresh Basecoat-Clearcoat Cardinal Red (Jul2014), vj11/vj14 hybrid, manual boost CTL.

rls120

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    • 1991 Mercury Capri xr2, 1994 Wrangler, 1994 Saab
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2017, 07:52:16 PM »

The belt on ours was noisy until it broke. . . .
Here's what I discovered in the process of replacing it.  All numbers given are for Gates Rubber cogged tooth belts.

7355- recommended belt:  13/32 x 36 1/8".  This one is currently on the car, and is quiet:  to tighten sufficiently,had to take up all of the adjustment, so it will be noisy once it stretches.

7350- 13/32 x 35 5/8".  I'm holding on to this one to replace the 7355 belt with once it stretches and gets noisy, as it is 1/2" shorter.

9360- 15/32 x 36 3/8".  I bought this belt first after reading this thread, thinking it would ride higher in the pulleys.  Might have worked, but it didn't want to fit under the motor mount bolts, and I was too  lazy to mess with it.  When the 7350 ran quietly, I decided to call it a day.  It should work for someone wanting to deal with that issue.

Hope this information can help someone dealing with squealing belts.
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rls120

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    • 1991 Mercury Capri xr2, 1994 Wrangler, 1994 Saab
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #9 on: December 31, 2017, 02:17:39 PM »

As predicted, the 7355 stretched enough after about a month that I had to replace it with the 7350 (the 7355 was squalling regularly, and I had no adjustment left), which gives me about half of the alternator adjustment for future stretching.  I pulled it down tight and its been running quietly for a couple of months now.
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SHOwn

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    • 91 XR2
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2017, 02:31:22 PM »

Mine is still fine, but it is my belief that running with the tension moderately high as I do, it has caused my 1-1/2 year old water pump to begin leaking. It was fine for about 15,000 miles but now it is dribbling again. I bought a new one and I'm waiting to get back home to tear into it after I unearth the driveway (about 24" snow - we're at a funeral in Florida).

If I had the time, I'd design a spring tensioner pulley setup like modern belt drive cars have. I think I could find room for one but I'd need to make a bracket. I'd put it between the harmonic balancer and the alternator - you want that alternator pulley wrapped a few more degrees.
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R. Powell
'91 XR2, LM 16" Chrome Drifters, White Gauge Faces, Kuhmo 40's, Big Brake UG, 2.5" Mandrel Bent CATback, BMW318 Heated Seats, `94 console, '99 Dodge Neon Spoiler, '94 XR2 Sideskirts Bumpers and taillights, Fresh Basecoat-Clearcoat Cardinal Red (Jul2014), vj11/vj14 hybrid, manual boost CTL.

Rocketman

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    • 91 BPT AWD Capri & 1991 XR2
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Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2018, 02:08:07 PM »

Mine is still fine, but it is my belief that running with the tension moderately high as I do, it has caused my 1-1/2 year old water pump to begin leaking. It was fine for about 15,000 miles but now it is dribbling again. I bought a new one and I'm waiting to get back home to tear into it after I unearth the driveway (about 24" snow - we're at a funeral in Florida).

If I had the time, I'd design a spring tensioner pulley setup like modern belt drive cars have. I think I could find room for one but I'd need to make a bracket. I'd put it between the harmonic balancer and the alternator - you want that alternator pulley wrapped a few more degrees.

Hmm, that would be interesting. More wrap would certainly be better.

I had been thinking of making a new bracket with more adjustment, I have a contact with a laser cutter. The stock bracket is a bent piece of sheet/plate steel and a nut welded to it. Could easily be replicated with more range and strengthened. I have a bracket from one of my Capris that is cracked from fatigue.

I can do a little research, it would be neat to see the feasibility of a different tensioner setup. I doubt an auto-tensioner would fit, but maybe an extra idler on a slot that offers more wrap to the system like you mentioned could be crammed in there somewhere. Would be even nicer to put a tension bolt on it like everything else (even the PS/AC system!) so that you aren't honkin on a pry bar to set the tension and pray that it stays while you tighten the bolt
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1.8L Turbo All Wheel Drive Capri... the "GTXR2"


SHOwn

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    • 91 XR2
Re: Please help with belt problems 91 XR2
« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2018, 04:10:26 PM »

I agree Matt, a spring tensioner would be insufficient unless all the pulleys were switched to a modern 7 or 5 rib flat belt system. I don’t think a v-belt brings enough friction to get away with a spring system. I also thought it would be cool if someone came up with a small electric motor bracket system to retrofit cars like ours to an electric water pump. Then we could add a timer to continue cooling after shutdown- sort of a better turbo timer system, without leaving the car running.
Alas, I lack that barn to start my skunkworks in!
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R. Powell
'91 XR2, LM 16" Chrome Drifters, White Gauge Faces, Kuhmo 40's, Big Brake UG, 2.5" Mandrel Bent CATback, BMW318 Heated Seats, `94 console, '99 Dodge Neon Spoiler, '94 XR2 Sideskirts Bumpers and taillights, Fresh Basecoat-Clearcoat Cardinal Red (Jul2014), vj11/vj14 hybrid, manual boost CTL.