Edit - aside from belt size without running alternator, what about belt size without the alt or power steering?
Just crank, water pump, idler and tensioner?

If the tensioner moved more I'd be more apt to try measure/trial and error. Only getting an inch and I know me.... I'll spend four hours and 6 trips to the store measuring myself. I know myself. And need quick and easy. Pleeease.

Any chance we got some super knowledge dweeb with this bit of trivia dancing arounder in their heads?

I'm down to the wire with house moving and the alternator is seized on my 02 bird. Got a new alternator but between my back that won't let me lay on the ground, half my tools gone and the other half packed, and the need to just get this thing moved as quickly and drama free as possible I think I'm just gonna run it the 10 miles it needs to go with alternator.

How long is a belt that bypasses the alt? Also have a power bond UD crank pulley.

Battery is so fresh. So clean. No worries about it not making it. Has started the car up 10 times with no problems since my car threw it's old belt off, stays above 13.2. And has been put back on the trickle charger it lives most of its life on.

Any help? Life isn't so good right now. .appreciate it.

 

Couldn't you come up with a way to determine the length yourself?

Like measure the existing belt first and with it installed on the car and with the use of some small gauged wire like what's used for electric horse fencing and carefully route the wire bypassing the alternator to get you at least close to a desired length.

 

Another way would be to know the size of the belt and then release the tension and re-route passing the alternator and then marking off the approximate excess portion of the belt.

 

Yeah, i could probbaly get close. And then end up buying several different belts at the autoparts store and most likely land one that fits.

Or maybe I could get lucky with someone who has done this before and remembers the belt size. If done for performance I suspect that the alt and p.steering would be bypassed. You never know. 8PM, home from f-me-an-my-*** divorce court and in a suit. I'm just throwing my request out there.

 

I really didn't have any faith in getting the measurement correct. Especially trying to measure the entire length. I took a fabric tape measure and picked a spot on the idler pulley and PS pulley where I KNEW the belt would be making contact whether running the alternator or not. And got that length. Using those same two points of measurement I ran the tape bypassing the alt, then subtracted this second number from the first. The difference I subtracted from the belt that had been on before snapping. Pretty dubious about this actually working out I said F it and off to the auto parts store I went. It should be about 31mm shorter. Of course the store didn't have the length I was looking for, so I went with one size shorter and one size longer. I even went into the stock room to look myself, the guy was cool. They carry the right length, just wasn't in stock.

No dice. Long one was loose. Shorter was juuust too tight, couldnt get it on. I ended up pulling one bolt out of the upper tensioner, pushing that opening past the block and putting the bolt back in essentially just through the tensioner hole with the bolt wedged against the block and held in place by the tenion of the tensioer..... make any sense? I was scared of that bolt walkimg as it had the entire strain of the system on it while being held in by tension and friction. But doing that gave me enough room to get the short belt on with very good tension still. Probably gave me a 1/2 shorter overall belt route. Squealed a wee bit for the first few minutes until it got hot but was fine for 15 miles. Took it easy until the end. Did a couple high rpm blasts. Held fine.

Now, anybody wanna come change my alternator in a gravel driveway with me.


So the answer is..... 31-32mm shorter than whatever belt your using. I have a non factory replacement normally because of the 45rwhp underdrive crank pulley I'm running.