JoeW

Compliments of jtown


Well I got a set of AEM Pulleys a few days ago and decided to install em yesterday. I don't like ordering parts that I can't install myself, so I started looking for installation guides and what not, but couldn't find any. So here's my writeup for anyone else installing these later.

Wrenches Needed:
10,12,14 mm wrenches, sockets and extensions
19mm for the PS Pulley
22mm for the ALT Pulley(if you do that yourself)

The Kit:

Comes with everything you need. New belts, pulleys, instructions, cool stickers and a replacement nut that you need to use.

Installation:
First, remove the negative terminal on the battery.
Next, remove the alternator plugs and that plastic zip tie thingy. There are two, one requires the use of a 10mm wrench. Next to make things a little roomier, I removed the power steering fluid(?) and an orange plug shown in the picture below. After that, feel the PS belt and take a mental note of the tension for further reference. If you don't have a belt tension gauge, you're gonna have to do manual analysis. Loosen the 19mm PS pulley nut also circled in the pic.


Next, loosen the PS belt by loosening screws located at 1. and 2. and then 3. You can just loosen 1. and 2. first, then remove 3. 2. and then 1. Set these bolts aside and the belt should be able to come off fairly easily. Just leave the old PS pulley on for now....don't want to scratch it up.

Next, if you have an air impact gun, you probably don't need to remove the alternator, but I didn't so I removed it. Anyway, again, just loosen bolts located at 1. and 2. and then proceed to loosen 3. The bolt at 3. is the main adjustment bolt and will loosen the belt so you can take the ALT belt off. Take out screws 3. then 1. and 2. and then you can remove the alternator from the car. Be careful when you take out 2., there is piece that i on the screw that you can't see and if you simply pull both ends, it will fall into the engine bay. Look at the pic of the alternator with the screws and it's that gold piece that the grey screw screws into. Don't let it fall.
NOTE: THE GOLD PIECE ON THAT ASSEMBLY IS SHOWN BACKWARDS. THE ANGLED PORTION SHOULD BE FACING THE OTHER WAY. If not clear, email me.




Now here comes the use of an impact gun or your local mechanic. To get the ALT pulley off, you need to use about 80ft-lbs. of torque. I didn't even try. If you have an impact gun, just hold the pulley and yank that bolt off(22mm). If not, I took y alternator to my local Honda dealer(Steven's Creek Honda). Their salesmen are bast ards, but their parts and service guys are real nice. One of them just zinged it right off in 5 sec and put my AEM one on.

Beautiful.

Time for reinstallation. But the new ALT belt in place and then the ALT itself. Loosely screw in bolt 1.(hinge bolt) and then loosely screw in bolt 2. with it's original assembly. Note, the pic above depicts the assembly incorrectly. See my note. Place the belt on the ALT pulley. Now screw in 3.(shown in pic below) and keep screwing. If 1. and 2. are loose, the belt should tighten. Keep doing so until the belt is tight enough. Check your Helm's for instructions on doing the "No belt tension gauge test". Once you have your belt tensioned correctly, tighten down 1. and 2. to spec. (22ft-lbs, 16ft-lbs repsectively ... double check to make sure).


Next, put the new PS belt in place and swap out the PS pulley.

You are going to have to replace the nut shown below with a nut provided by AEM because the PS pulley is too big and you can't reach the other side. This new nut doesn't have a ledge on it. Loosely screw in 1. and 2. and then 3. Keep screwing in 3. until the belt tightens to the correct tension. Then tighten down 1. and 2.


Plug the ALT back in and everything else and you're all set. Run the car for like 5 min and examine the tension again. I'm still not sure if mine is ok...I might take it into honda for an adjustment, but I'm not sure it's all that necessary.


As far as gains...I can feel a little more low end torque. I currently have Mugen headers and a remove resonator, but I do feel it get's up to 5.5k slightly faster. Not a whole world of gains, but it was fun dropping 3 things into my engine bay and trying to find them for over 2 hours.



Enjoy.

?'s - tapesorcdz@home.com