Steering pump belt adjust 1988 560sl

[joselu43]

I have read a number of post and it is mentioned that it is done through a "long bolt" and that the adjustment is "tricky and not intuitive". I have removed the belts (loosening 3 nuts) and installed the new ones, but I cannot find the tensioning bolt. Can anybody help? Again, this is an 88 560SL.
Thanks.

jl

[nobby]

Originally Posted by joselu43

I have read a number of post and it is mentioned that it is done through a "long bolt" and that the adjustment is "tricky and not intuitive". I have removed the belts (loosening 3 nuts) and installed the new ones, but I cannot find the tensioning bolt. Can anybody help? Again, this is an 88 560SL.
Thanks.

jl

The "tensioning bolt" has gear teeth on the head seen from behind the pump. If you loosened 3 bolts that's gotta be one of them.

[joselu43]

Well, that is what I thought. The alternator and air pump have them. This bolt however has a square head and I see no teeth either in the bolt head or the slot. I just pushed the pump up with a crow bar and tightened it. The two belts do not have as high a tension as the others, but they seem to work OK. I will keep an eye (an ear) on them.

[nobby]

Originally Posted by joselu43

Well, that is what I thought. The alternator and air pump have them. This bolt however has a square head and I see no teeth either in the bolt head or the slot. I just pushed the pump up with a crow bar and tightened it. The two belts do not have as high a tension as the others, but they seem to work OK. I will keep an eye (an ear) on them.

Sounds like you need the correct bolt.....probably still available at MB.

But the crow bar will probably do the trick albeit a 2 man job unless you have 3 hands.....

[joselu43]

There is indeed a tensioning bolt. It is 6mm allen, vertically oriented and right behind the pump. It is easily seen if you remove the round plastic intake duct the runs to the right of the pump. It seems that mine does not work, so I retensioned as before.
Thank you all for your help.

jl

[nobby]

Ya I saw the benzworld thread. I, too, mixed up the alternator and steering pump.

Sorry for the wrong info. That's old age for you....I've changed all the belts twice in 9 years and still couldn't remember!

[joselu43]

That makes two of us nobby. I bought this car Dec 03, had broken rails so first thing I did was chain & rails, I am pretty sure that to do that I had to move the steering pump to the side, but I cannot remember anything about tensioning the belts. As the song says ... what a drag it is getting old ...