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.
just get an 3/8->1/2 adaptor. well snap on are good for my work. i have to use the screw driver so often that when it ratchets better it is just better. i have snaped so many inserts. i just use them to take all screws out.
Originally posted by BoYgUaN just get an 3/8->1/2 adaptor. well snap on are good for my work. i have to use the screw driver so often that when it ratchets better it is just better. i have snaped so many inserts. i just use them to take all screws out.
ah I see...didn't know they had those....I will keep my wrench then.
Originally posted by BoYgUaN just get an 3/8->1/2 adaptor. well snap on are good for my work. i have to use the screw driver so often that when it ratchets better it is just better. i have snaped so many inserts. i just use them to take all screws out.
Well you have way more money to spend on tools, I suppose. Hey, if Snap On is so much better, why do you keep snapping inserts????
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
god damn....that's a lot of tools. Do 1/2's have 10mm-19mm sockets? all my sockets in that range are 3/8's. If that's the case(I could be wrong), what are you using 20mm wrenches on? not much lude stuff is there?
Originally posted by 71dsp
I will only use Craftsman tools (best bang for the buck), unless it's something that I can't get from Craftsman, and I am forced to buy Snap On, or whatever else (e.g. bearing separator).
If I recall correctly, most most complete set runs from 7mm to 20mm in 3/8" drive, and 9mm to 36mm in 1/2" drive. I use mosly; 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm. I use both 3/8" and 1/2" drive in those sizes. I have also used a 36mm in both 1/2" drive and 3/4" drive. The axle nuts on the front are 36mm. I can't remember what the rears are. I believe they are the same size.
I also have quite a few wrenchs, from about 6mm up to 22mm. The O2 sensor is 22mm, so my set only goes up to 19mm or so, then I have the 22mm.
I am also lucky enough to have found a huge breaker bar that was my dad's. It's a 3 1/2 foot long breaker bar that is 3/4" drive. The damn thing is HUGE. I can break torque on almost anything with that bar. To get the front axle nuts off, I use it. I also use it on the crank pulley. Who needs air tools??? I have snapped 2 3/4" to 1/2" adapters (cheap tawian made ones) because I haven't had a chance to buy a Snap On one (Craftsman doesn't make one). What I found that works better is to buy a 1 7/16" socket (3/4" drive) from Craftsman and a 3/4" drive extension. That's what I use on the axle nuts. Works like a charm. One of these days I will buy a full set of 3/4" drive metric sockets from Snap On, but the set is something like $300.
Speaking of Snap On, does anyone know places that have good prices on them?? I need a bearing separator, and the retail prices are ungodly.
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
Actually, I would probably have more Snap On tools, that Craftsman doesn't make, if there was a Snap On store. At least with Craftsman, I can run on out to Sears and buy the stuff that I need. Craftsman makes 98% of what I need. The other 2% are specialty tools, and I would buy them from Snap On, since they are about the only place that makes them (well, you can find cheap tools, but I like tools that last more than 2 uses. ).
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
well with the bits if you try and break torque they will snap.
Wow, great product.
these are not regular bits. they are the ACR bits. these screw driver bits have groves slit in on them so they prevent stripping of the screw.
Doesn't do much good if you break the bits before you can break torque!!!
sears is good too but snap on wrenches were lighter but still very strong.
Like I said, you will get a better wrenching to weight ratio.
if i remember the end on the breaker bar for sears is flat. hurts to push that thing.
You must have soft feminine hands then. Do you use Palmolive? It softens hands while you do the dishes.
i might be able to get a discount on the bearing seperator. like 5% but how would you get it?
5%? The shipping will cost me well over a 5% discount. Thanks, but I think I will pass. Thanks for the offer, though.
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
man billy so defensive, well to each there own. i used sears bit and the dont snap but but the strip the hell out of the screw. the snap on ACR bits will 99% take them out. not being outragouse of couse. of 2 years i broke 2 bits and as the broke so did the torque on the screw, you have to try them.
Defensive about what? What are you talking about? You calling me defensive???!!! WTF???!?!?!?!??!!?
I am just giving you grief over your $2000 screw driver. Of course to each his own. I just have to give you a hard time for buying Snap On stuff. I have a friend at a body shop that just uses Snap On. Good stuff. Perhaps you're more of a wine a cheese kind of guy when it comes to tools, but I am more of a beer and pretzel kind of guy when it comes to tools.
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
You need to loosen up some. It was a figure of speech.
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
I am an actuarial analyst for a consulting firm. I am usually not online a lot, just come on for 5 minutes here, and 5 minutes there. I don't constantly surf. Sometimes if there is a good thread, I will come on more, but I try not to come online a lot.
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
Originally posted by BoYgUaN ahhh interesting . didnt you get an rx7? for you other car? hows it doing?
No, I decided not to spend that much. My current project is a 94-95 Miata, full track car, with a turbo. I am hoping for about 275 WHP or so, and about 2100 lbs. Bolt on turbos are getting about 250 WHP, and with headwork, internal mods, and an engine buildup, some are breaking 350, so 275 should be easy. A local guy ran 420 WHP on a dyno before he spun a bearing (oil issue, not related to boost).
My Prelude is still in pieces. Every time I work on it, I find more parts that I need to order to put everything back together.
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
well hmm il like the new miata they look pretty good. they are fun cars to drive. alot better that the lude but too ban u cant street it. wat u drive now the miata?
I drive a 90 Integra as my daily driver. My wife has a '99 Miata that she drives everyday. Finally we have the Prelude, which is in pieces. Once the Prelude is back together, we aren't sure what we are going to do. I am trying to decide between driving the Prelude everyday or driving the Integra every day.
The 94-95 Miata that I am looking for will be a track only car. I wouldn't want to drive it everyday, as I plan on putting the MazdaComp body kit (not street legal) on it, a full roll cage, gutted interior, and race seats. No way would I be crazy enough to drive that everyday!!
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
Yeah, I like the Miata. Bone stock on street tires, and I was passing cars left and right at a DE event at Texas World Speedway a few weeks ago (and I am not even that good of a driver!). Slow on straights, but VERY fast in the curves. Doesn't feel like a toy at all. It's very precise, and very nimble. The Prelude is the same, but it just feels heavier (obviously).
I was doing a complete race only buildup on the Prelude. I had a lot of engine work planned, and most of it was done. I sold all the parts, though, and returned everything back (close) to stock.
I still have the weld in roll bar, though. I have to figure out a way to remove it.
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Billy - 98 Prelude
#27 H2 NASA TX HondaChallenge
#27 PTB NASA TX Performance Touring Racing makes heroin addiction seem like a vague wish for something salty. -- Peter Egan
damn. well its a toy in the sense u zoom zoom zoom around everyone as in it does wat u want too. i sat in my managers it pretty good at handling not that much roll. well yeah compared to the lude. you gotta miss vtec though, till u get turbo
With the help of LudeAutoXer (thanks, dude!), I got the AEM pullies installed tonight. I'm posting here because I did use some of jtown's suggestions.
Just to add, air tools are cool!
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James--'99 Ficus Green Pearl Type SH 03' Starlight Silver Metallic Pilot EX-L
The value of life can be measured by how many times your soul has been deeply stirred...--Soichiro Honda www.hacstl.com
I have snapped 2 3/4" to 1/2" adapters (cheap tawian made ones) because I haven't had a chance to buy a Snap On one (Craftsman doesn't make one). What I found that works better is to buy a 1 7/16" socket (3/4" drive) from Craftsman and a 3/4" drive extension. That's what I use on the axle nuts. Works like a charm. One of these days I will buy a full set of 3/4" drive metric sockets from Snap On, but the set is something like $300.
WTF???!?!?!?!??!!? 
I'm posting here because I did use some of jtown's suggestions.