i'm pretty sure my truck's belt tension is adjusted by adjusting the position of the alternator, which i can't pull back enough with my hands to make the belt tight enough, so how is it done?

i was replacing my voltage regulator and i pulled a duh, i didn't notate where the wires go, green on the left and red on the right or vice versa?

still waiting on my service manual from ebay

I KNOW its not the right way, but I use the lug nut wrench, put the flat end against the alternator and push toward the engine (against the valve cover) to get tension on the belt. Put a rag on the valve cover where the wrench contacts it. Like I said, I know its not right, but I havn't damaged anything nor dented the valve cover yet.

Arn't the wires for your voltage regulator molded into a triangular piece of rubber, so there is no question where they go?

You must usually loosen the lower alternator bolt/nut a little to be able to move the alternator easily enough to get correct tension on the belt. If you run out of room on the top slider bracket before the belt is tight, you need the next smaller size belt.

You don't specify what year your truck is!!! That makes it hard to answer your regulator question. If you have two loose wires rather than a unitised plug, the green wire goes to "FLD" and the red wire goes to "IGN", but this really shouldn't be an issue, since the terminal styles on the two wires should be different and noninterchangeable.

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Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

it's an 83, each terminal connects to either side, and the wires may have had an actual plug but now they're seperated and taped

neither of the voltage regulators i have is labeled, if i put the wires on the wrong way how long will it take to damage things?

i found a close up pic of an 82 with the rubber plug, the wires go into the plug with the green one on the right

I think a lot of folks believe the alternator belt must be really tight. I've found that it doesn't. Obviously, the belt has to be tight enough not to slip, but I don't run mine any tighter than that. If in doubt, I'd go with the tension recommended in the manual, but no tighter. And generally, I run my V-belts looser than the manual recommends. I believe this places a lot less side load on the alternator and w/p bearings. Just a suggestion for thought. Davey

here's a pic for what it's worth







http://server13.ipslink.com/~mymoparc/f ... ost&id=129

anyone have any other ideas?

I have an 82 Miser. It appers that the RED is on the LEFT and the GREEN is on the RIGHT. You can just see it in this pic.

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82 D150 Slant6 Shorty
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/658846