1
- Before you begin, make sure your car is off and in park with the emergency brake engaged.
- Pull the hood release inside the driver's side door.
How to Tighten the Alternator Belt on your 1990-1993 Honda Accord
If your 1990-1993 Honda Accord makes a squeaky noise when turned on and at low speed, it might be because one of the alternator belts isn't tight enough. In this demonstration, we tightened both alternator belts by adjusting the screws that are too loose.
Before starting this guide, leave the car running with the hood open. This will help you locate where the noise is coming from. However, turn off the car for a few minutes before starting the guide. When the car is turned on, the engine heats the car parts under the hood, and working under the hood while the car is still hot might cause burns.
Accessing some of the screws in the tightening component of the repair can be difficult. You can access these screws by lifting the black hose and choosing different extension sizes to find the one that provides the best access.
One challenge you may encounter is the difficulty of accessing the screws. It's advisable to have a comprehensive wrench tool kit at your disposal to experiment with different extensions until you find the one that allows you to access the screws effectively. Be prepared to repeat the entire process if, on the first attempt, the belt wasn't tightened sufficiently.
Before starting the repair, ensure that your car is turned off, in park, and with the emergency brake engaged. This is crucial because the repair involves disconnecting the battery and the brake system. Ignoring these warnings could lead to injury.
Step-by-step instructions
2
- Move to the front of the car.
- Reach under the hood and release the hood latch.
- Lift the hood.
3
- Find the prop rod and lift it to prop the hood up securely.
- Under the hood, it will look like photo 3. Take note of the following components:
- Battery
- Alternator
- Brake System
4
- Make sure the car is turned off before disconnecting the battery.
- Use a socket wrench to loosen the 12 mm bolt on the red battery terminal.
5
- Use a socket wrench to loosen the 12 mm bolt on the black battery wire.
6
- Disconnect the negative battery terminal.
- Disconnect the positive battery terminal.
7
- Disconnect the brake system.
8
- Remove the 10mm bolt securing the brake system using the socket wrench with extension and a long socket.
9
- Use the socket wrench with an extension and a long 10 mm socket to remove the 10 mm bolt securing the brake system on the other side.
10
- Disconnect the black hose.
- Remove the brake system and set it out of the way.
11
- Use a socket wrench to remove the 14 mm bolt above the top belt.
- In case it's too stiff, use an extension to create more power.
12
- Remove the 10 mm bolts found under the top part of the alternator using a socket wrench with an extension.
- The left screw will lower the alternator if unscrewed and raise it when screwed in. The right screw keeps the alternator in place.
13
- Lower the alternator by about 3.2 mm.
- If it's too stiff, use a plastic hammer.
14
- Use a screwdriver or other long object to remove the top belt.
15
- Tighten the 10 mm bolts under the bottom part of the alternator hidden by the black hose (where the red arrow points) using the socket wrench.
- It's especially important to tighten the right screw/bolt.
16
- Check the tightness of the belt with a finger test. If you can press it down, tighten the belt a little more.
- Continue tightening the screws and checking the belt until there is no slack in the belt.
17
- Remove the 10 mm bolts under the top part of the alternator with a socket wrench.
- This will allow for an easier reinstallation of the top belt.
18
- Reinstall the belt around the bottom and top wheel.
19
- Use the socket wrench with the extension to screw the left and right 10 mm bolt until the belt is tight.
- This step may be confusing because it is hard to know which direction the bolt needs to move. The bolt will move slightly inwards and that will tighten the belt.
20
- Tighten the top 14 mm bolt with the socket wrench.
Conclusion
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Guide content belongs to iFixit, license CC BY-NC-SA. Open original