It was just odd that on the last 2 engine rebuilds that the belts are coming off.
No belt screaming - occasionally I will here a thumb from when it hits the hood or firewall of the car.

I tried my homemade method using a yard stick as a straight surface to align the pulleys - but that did not work either.

Thinking about trying a laser level this weekend - not sure if it will work!

 

Yeah, I would too check the end play in the crank. Couldnt there also be a bad bushing in the alternator causing it to lock up like a bad starter?

 

I thought the same thing - however last month I did change out the Alternator and the Power Steering pump, but for the past year+ I have been throwing belts like crazy - it just started with the last 2 engine rebuilds

I have been pushing my little neon much harder then before - but that comes with experience and trying to learn the limits to see what I can get out of her!

 

What about the belts, what kind are they?

 

I have used both - the cheap Parts store ones ( I believe they were Dayco)when I ran out of them over the weekend - mostly dealer/factory belts

I race my car in ShowRoom Stock - so I am required to run factory parts with the exception to Tires, Oil, Oil Filter, brake fluid, etc - the car parts/componenets have to be dealer/factory

Thanks!

 

Maybe see if your Power Steering bracket bolt is loose and touching the belt. I know on a friends Neon he lost belts that way because his was stripped somehow. Its the bolt that is right next to your motor mount.

 

Thanks for the suggestion Slashwannabe.

I routinely check most of the bolts on the engine & tranny especially before a race weekend- Most of them stay properly torque - the only 2 bolts that give me problems arethe one on the back of the Tranny that boltto the engine on top and on the bottom. Those are the only 2 bolts that I find myself having to tighten up. And of course before every Practice/Qualify/Race session I torque the lug nuts.

I am thinking it must be the alignment - but my method of aligning the pulleys are not working - going to try using a laser level to align the pulleys tomorrow.

 

i say its gotta be the crank pulley. i had one doing the same ****, only at high rpm the belt would start to track off the side then fly off by 4th gear

 

Are you sure you got the crank pulley ALL the way on the crank? If that is a little off, it can throw belts. Also, If your setting the tension on the belt too tight, that would throw them too.If it's throwing both belts, I would have to guess the problem has something to do with the crank pulley.Have you inpsected that pulley for wear, or grooves missing...anything out of the ordinary.?

 

try running with just the alternator belt and do not use the powersteering. see if outcome is the same maybe one belt is taking the other belt with it?