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I wish to replace the fan belt on my 1983 Plus 8 but on looking closer, I notice that the gap between the water pump pulley bolt and a tubular cross member is very small, ie not wide enough to pass the fan belt through! A relatively simple job now looks a bit of a nightmare! Is there a simple answer or are we talking about having to jack or lift the whole engine up to create a sufficient gap? Any suggestions would be appreciated thanks!

Andrew

I have a similar problem on my 1992 +8. Have you tried twisting the belt through 90 degrees as it is thinner in section and should just fit through the gap.

Good luck!

Thanks Simon, I hadn't thought of that bit of lateral thinking, although it still looks very marginal - the gap is little more than 5mm and the fan belt cross section is about 9mm, but I will investigate further . I could always remove a few "teeth" from the belt but that will obviously weaken it some - what, or I may try and "drift" it through the gap with a blunt wedge. At least I know there is no easy answer.

Simon, your idea worked a treat! Just had to shave a little bit off a small section of "teeth" but I don't think that will weaken the belt significantly. Thanks for the tip!

Next time, don't risk the belt. Remember that the engine is held on rubber engine supports at the sides and the the gearbox is on rubber as well.

Simply use a long bar between something solid on the engine and the cross bar and force the engine back a centimeter or two and slip the belt over.

Lorne