so i got my new alternator belt. kragen gave me the belt that corresponds to the 91 si even though i have a sohc zc. i figured itd be the same. so when i was putting it on, i noticed it didnt easily slip onto the alternator belt and the crank pulley at the same time. (i already adjusted the alternator and all that.) since it was too tight, i had to manually crank the pulley in order to slip the belt onto it. and im pretty sure my belt is on too tight cus after starting it up, it didnt sound so smooth and the belt started to shred a little on the edges. im planning to get the next size up.

before i do that i was just wondering if this is how its supposed to be? or is it supposed to slip on easily? thanks

 

with the alternator pulled closest to the block you should be able to get the belt on pretty easily. did you check the numbers on the belt to make sure they both are the same lengths, cause obviously it seems that they are not.

 

numbers as in the new belt and the old? cus the old one snapped off on the freeway and all i was left with was a thin, long piece of rubber hanging from my axle. LOL. it was horrible

 

well, order a belt for the car in which your engine came in. i once had a 78 caprice beater and the only belt that would fit it was a john deere mower deck belt. wierd huh? worst comes to worst go to a tractor supply store and try one after the other. lol.

 

a tractor belt wtf? hahaha. well i bought the car with the zc swap. so where can i order one?

 

same as d16a6. when mine snapped on my sohc zc crx. i just a new one for a 91 si. worked perfect. did you use they crank pulley with the swap? maybe the crank pulley was off a 92-95 civic. try buying a belt from a 92-95. if it doesnt fit you can take it back. i suggest this because the eg/ej crank pulley has a larger diameter.

 

ya i was also thinking of trying the 92-95 belt. thanks for the input

 

92-95 used a 4-rib alternator belt and 88-91 used a 3-rib belt - using a 3-rib belt on a 4-rib pulley will sometimes cause the belt to shred

 

oh really? i my crank pulley is still a 3-rib. i've been using a 3-rib belt. hmm so i guess i am using the 88-91 pulley? i will double check this later. thanks