Chev 454 P30 need help with belt tension

[SupercubPilot]

Sent: 11/28/2003

I have a 1979 Winnebago Itasca with a P30 Ch. and a 454 engine.  I am having all kinds of problems just keeping belt tension correct. I sure wish there was some easier way to get to the power steering pump! How do you adjust tension on that darn power steering pump without taking half the vehicle apart! Are there some special tools that make it easier. If I don’t make much sense it because it’s 2:15 am and I can’t sleep. If I get sick and tired of trying to do it myself where does one go to get service on one of these things?

Tim

[denisondc]

Sent: 11/28/2003

Not that it will be easy to reach, but most p.s. pumps have a square hole in the support bracket that a 1/2 inch drive breaker bar will fit into.  That supposedly gives you the lever arm to hold it while you tighten the clamping bolts - of which there will be at least two, maybe three.  While getting it properly tightened is good, semi tight would be adequate for all except parallel parking.  Thats assuming the belt only operates the p.s. pump, and not all the other accessories as well.   
   
I have no advice on where to get service.  I figure I am as smart as the mechanics, and much cheaper.                  denison

[ned]

Sent: 1/30/2004

For new owners, pretty true. Its a b-i-g motor and not much room to crawl around in it. The PS pump has an adjuster bolt on the front and a pivot bolt on the bottom. You probably don't need to loosen the pivot bolt, and it is by far the hardest one to get a wrench on. The adjuster bolt and the square-drive leverage hole denison mentioned are both accessible from above. The pump is spring-loaded to keep the belt tensioned, so it is a fiddley thing to put a new belt on. On the other hand, if you run a belt to the AC and PS, both are adjustable and its an easy fit. If your AC is out of the loop, then PS belts simply go to crank's fixed pulley, IIRC. Not a big hassle once you get the belts over the fan to the crank pulley. Search the web for Chevy Workhorse customer contact number, they've been pretty helpful to me. They once relayed my questions to a local chevy truck specialist, and then called me back with his answers. That's pretty good service for someone with a 20 year old chassis that never even gets Chevy Truck official service. Incidentally, Chevy dealer parts counters can get you parts like OEM fan belts. THEY ARE 7/16" WIDE, not the 3/8" YOU GET AT LOCAL AUTOPARTS or NAPA! But you pay thru nose to get them.