17 gen 5 whipple belt install help!!!

[Zayzay09]

I’m either weak af or this belt is damn near impossible to install. I have got it on once. But it wasn’t sitting on all the threads on the balancer. Also the tensioner was set at 95 instead of 100 like the manual recommends. I have the idler all the way down.

am I doing something wrong here ?!??! Any recommendations would help. I broke my first belt and whipple was kind enough to send another one. I don’t want to break another belt.

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[Brandon91]

I had a Whipple on my Camaro and I had to rotate the balancer while someone else had the tensioner and was pushing the belt onto the pulley on the Whipple.

I also had to do the same thing with my Procharger two weeks ago when we installed it.

Hopefully this helps.

 

[J17GT]

Definitely need a second set of hands and you’ll get it. I found sliding the belt onto the adjustable idler last while a buddy held the tensioner loose seemed to work.

I’m also stuck at 95 on the tensioner. Thinking the adjustable idler needed to be snugged up (it was all the way down), I had a friend loosen the tensioner and I slid the adjustable idler up just a bit. But then it got worse...was at 90. It was almost like the belt was too tight and the tensioner was being pushed upward. Put the adjustable idler all the way down again, back to 95.

Gave up at that point and just left it. It’s been fine. Maybe someone else will chime in with some advice, because I’m curious about the belt tension process.

 

[RockStang]

Are you using the 1/2" wrench insert on the tensioner? I find it very easy to get my belt on and off. Unless I'm confused on what you are struggling with, I use my big torque wrench with a short extension to open up the tensioner while I slide the belt on with the other hand. Mine is a little different because I have the Gen 2 but I always put the belt on the tensioner pulley last when I pull it open with the torque wrench.

 

[Zayzay09]

Yes. I used my 1/2 breaker bar to pull the tensioner all the way back. After watching the very few YouTube videos on this. I’m starting to realize whipple might of changed the belts/tensioner. Older whipples look like you can do it solo pretty easily. But these recent ones are extremely tight. To the point where I eve you get it on. The tensioner doesn’t even reach the 100 mark.

 

[Jackson1320]

If you have the belt on all the pulleys even just a little you can start the car and then push the belt in the direction it needs to go. Just don’t use anything that will hurt the belt

 

[Whitedevil95]

I Always make sure the belt is on all of the ribbed pulleys first. Its way easier to get it to slide over one last smooth pulley. So dont try and do the blower pulley last, that will make it really hard. On my gen 3 I slide it onto one of the smooth idlers in the middle last.

 

[Zayzay09]

soooo this is embarrassing. But I learned I had some pulleys backwards on my install. Once I got that fixed. I was able to install my belt pretty easily. With no help at that !

 

[CJJon]

soooo this is embarrassing. But I learned I had some pulleys backwards on my install. Once I got that fixed. I was able to install my belt pretty easily. With no help at that !

Doh! Thanks for posting the follow up!

 

[Inthehighdesert]

Don’t sweat it. It happens to the best of us. It’s like walking through the house going wtf are my keys, and your holding them the whole time. Lol

soooo this is embarrassing. But I learned I had some pulleys backwards on my install. Once I got that fixed. I was able to install my belt pretty easily. With no help at that !

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