How to replace the power steering belt?

[johnbendik]

I'm trying to replace the power steering belt, which on my 1984 Eagle runs from the crank pulley to the fan pulley to the PS pump.

I can't figure out how to loosen the PS pump to get slack in the belt.  I can see a half-inch hole in the back of the pump that looks like it's for adjustment, and a slew of bolts holding the pump to the supporting bracket and the bracket to the block, but I don't see anything that would permit back and forth movement.

The only reference I could find on this board just says "two bolts front and 1 bolt back", which may be true but is not very useful in determining which of the umpteen bolts I need to loosen.  I've tried randomly loosening some of the likely candidates, but nothing allows the pump to move.

I also can't make sense of the write-up in the service manual.

Another oddity: all of the aforementioned bolts are 15 millimeter, not 9/16.  My car is a Canadian-built model, but this is the first case of metric fasteners that I've found...

Can someone help me out?

Thanks,
JB

[Jurjen]

You're in good company, everyone has this problem and once you figured it out, you will have forgotten it the next time.
I adjusted it last year and I know there is a bolt somewhere hidden at the back side. I ended up loosening all the bolts I could find.
Then you will see how it goes together, make some pictures for the next time and post them here.

[captspillane]

You're in good company, everyone has this problem and once you figured it out, you will have forgotten it the next time.

So very true.

[carnuck]

There is 2 through bolts from the front and a nut in back that locks it.

[johnbendik]

I figured it out with help from a Jeep forum, and will try to describe it precisely for future generations below:

(Incidentally, for those who don't already know, the Jeep forums are an excellent resource for Eagle owners, especially when you can't get enough info from the Den...)

The PS pump is held by an aluminum housing, which is in turn bolted to a steel bracket.  You are going to move the aluminum housing relative to the steel bracket (not the PS pump relative to the aluminum housing, as I originally thought). There are only two things you have to loosen:
(1) The pivot bolt, so the housing can rotate.  This is a 15mm nut on the back of the alum. housing at its top, and is partially hidden by a small tab of the steel bracket that bends towards the back of the car.  This nut can be a little hard to see and get to; on my car the EGR hose ran right behind it, and I had to collapse the hose a little to make room for my socket and wrench. 
(2) The 9/16 inch clamping bolt, which locks the housing in position.  If you're looking at the housing/bracket from the front, the clamping bolt is about level with the pulley's axle, and about 2 inches to the left of the near edge of the pulley (or about 5 inches from the pulley axle, if you prefer).  Loosen this bolt, and leave your wrench on it so you can tighten it with one hand while you rotate the housing with the other.

Rotate the housing by using a 1/2 inch drive socket wrench in the square hole on the back side of the housing, then lock it down with the 9/16 inch clamping bolt.  Finish by re-tightening the 15mm pivot bolt nut.

This description is probably overkill for most of the ace mechanics on this board, but some newbies may find it useful.  Just seemed like it ought to be spelled out out exactly somewhere...

JB

[vangremlin]

Thanks for posting that great description.  It will be helpful not only to those folks who haven't done it before, but also people like me that do it so infrequently that they forgot how they did it the last time!!

[carnuck]

I think my explanation with pictures was wiped out during the one of the mass deletions.