You can remove the water pump pulley, slide the belt into place and
replace the pulley.
ArthurK101@aol.com wrote:
>
> Vern, I'm going to copy this to the list.
>
> I know someone out there is going to have the same problem some day. If the
> fan belt breaks on the road the best advice I have is that there be an
> "emergency fan belt" in the trunk when that happens. See below for details.
>
> In a message dated 98-12-14 18:03:15 EST, you write:
>
> > Just read your "coil" e-mail. In 1968, I purchased a new TR4A which
> > Jeanne and I still own. <<snip>>
> >
> > Well, I was well equipped. I had a spare coil, fan belt, etc in the
> > boot. The fan belt gave out after about a month. I was on the side of
> > I-85, but absolutely certain that I could fix the problem. Well, no
> > matter what I did, the thing would not clear the chassis brace. Gave up
> > after 45 minutes and called Triple A. Knowledgeable mechanic arrives.
> > One hour later still no belt on car. Knowledgeable mechanic says, "l am
> > sure it is not the correct way to install the belt, but let's loosen the
> > motor mounts and jack up motor". Works great and in less than 5 minutes,
> > the belt is on. The guy was so embarrassed that he did not charge me
> > anything!
>
> Same thing happened to me in '92 as I was on my way to my first Triumph club
> outing about 45 miles away. There I was - alone on a beautiful 2 lane Florida
> road when the ignition warning light came on. I stopped, opened the hood and
> saw a twisted piece of fan belt. I had an extra in the trunk - so no problem.
> Wrong, couldn't get the belt between the chassis bar and the pulley. Finally
> some guy in a beat up old Chevy sedan stopped. He had a crow bar and, after
> loosening the engine mounts, we used it to raise the engine enough to get the
> belt on. I was wearing white trousers which were completely black (from the
> tire) after the job was done. I arrived an hour late for the club outing
> looking like a bum. Not a very auspicious start for a new club member.
>
> After I threw 3 more belts within the next nine months I realized that we had
> pried the engine up by placing the crow bar under the generator and so had
> broken the generator mount. This had caused the generator front bolt to
> loosen and spin, which then caused the generator to move downward about 1/16th
> of an inch. That put the generator pulley out of the plane of the other
> pulleys. That caused the belt to rub and caused the 3 subsequent breaks.
>
> > Go to dealer and ask, "how do you change fan belt as it is too big".
> > Answer, loosen motor mounts and jack up motor!
>
> Right. That's OK in the garage - I know because I did it the 3 subsequent
> times. I loosened the motor mounts, put a floor jack under the frame, jacked
> up the car and then lowered it onto a bubble jack which I had placed under the
> engine. That gave me the 1/8 inch or so clearance necessary to slip the belt
> between the pulley and the crossmember.
> >
> > Well, Triumph knew of the problem for at least as long as the 4A had been
> > out (over 2 years as my 4A is in the last 200 built). Maybe longer as I
> > still do not know if the TR4 has the same problem. Was the technique in
> > owners manual? I am sure you know the answer.
>
> AFAIK - Not in the owner's manual. BUT I now carry an "emergency belt", one
> of those belts that are open and which you put around the pulleys and then
> connect the ends together. That will get me home so I can do the "loosen the
> engine mounts and jack it up" trick. BTW that's exactly what I did those
> other three times.
>
> When I realized, after replacing 3 belts, (duh!) that the generator had moved
> downward and that was why I kept breaking belts, I replaced the front
> generator mount and the bolt. No problems since -- but I still carry that
> spare emergency belt in the trunk along with a regular spare belt. The
> emergency belt will get me to a place where I can loosen the mounts and jack
> up the engine in relative calm.
>
> Cheers.
>
> Art Kelly
--
George Richardson
The Wyvern - '57 TR3, TS15559L - Now on the road!
http://www.merlingroupinc.com/tr3.htm
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