I remember when I did the first belt change on my 85300SD. I stopped and looked it over at great length and looked in the owners chassis manual to see how many bolts were involved. After that no problem and did not see any need to drop the alternator. That said I did miss the 17mm locking bolt on the rear and bent up the adjuster. After I straightened it out I reinstalled and after 3ooo miles have had no problems. After using the adjuster correctly it is a very good design. Just my 2 cents

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92 500E Silver 66k
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85 300SD 217k From Original Owner ( Dad )