The drivebelts, or V-belts, are located along the frontal side of the engine and they are crucial in the operation of the vehicle as they turn over attributes like the alternator, power steering pump, water pump, and probably the compressor for the air conditioning system. As accessories that are meant to perform certain functions due to their material composition, the belts will ultimately fail and they should be checked and aligned periodically. To check belts, shut off the car's engine and raise the car hood, then look for signs such as frayed wire, crack, peeled, or glazed areas and use your hand to flatten the belt and turn it to view the other side. The tension of each belt can be determined with the help of finger pressing on the belt midway between the pulleys and then comparing the deflection with set standards that are dependent on the distance between the pulleys. For the air conditioning compressor, slacken the center bolt of the idler pulley, further tighten with the nut of compressor bracket adjusting, and then fasten the center bolt. The one accommodating the alternator is placed on the left side for non-turbo and on the right side for turbo engines, you will need to take out six bolts from the engine splash shield, loosen the pivot and the locking bolts then you twist the alternator using the adjusting nut, finally you tight the bolts you just removed to as high as they can go then you put the splash shield back. For power steering pump, six of bolts must be removed on the splash shield, apply some loosen on the pump hold-down bolt from the interior of engine compartment, apply some tension, bolt the hold-down bolt again and fix the splash shield.
