Is there a trick to removing vbelt on D17?

Was tearing into the D17 for a bit tonite and I got the generator off to fix the rear bearing and was looking at replacing the belts as long as I was this far.  Problem was I couldn't seem to find a way to get the v belt around the double pulley for the generator/water pump and the power steering pump.  These belts seem pretty worn, and they still don't want to go between the crank pulley and the back of the front bolster.  There is some grease/grime built up inbetween but I didn't think there was that much!!

thanks, that would explain the belt wear.

I usually cut the old belt and drive the new one through the gap with a BFH and long drift. Just not much room in there!

Chuck - that set screw on the crank belt pulley is REAL important to get right and tight.  Mine came loose on my Series IV and ruined the end of the crank and it couldn't be rebuilt...ended doing a full engine rebuild out of the deal with another good used crank...probably a good thing though as a I had bottom end deck erosion at the sleeve o-rings on #4 and the oil pump shaft had cracked.  Mike

And I'll bet that the repair manuals say something like "reinstall fan belts" with no real guidance! LOL

Billy, I am struggling with the mental picture of some poor demented mechanic trying to remove or install a v-belt on a running engine. I can't make it work - boggles the mind! Certainly raises an interesting question about the boat engine maker's view of the mechanics working on its engines!!!

I have heard stories of it being done but I can't imagine the guy that looks at the belt in his hand then the running engine and has a light bulb go off in his head."Hey why should I waste the time to shut this thing down?"

Fastest belt change.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzo6a16IZgg

Just watched the video CTucker posted - pretty clever, but there's no radiator OR fan in the way! My D14 sports a belt like legn4 describes. Was on it when I bought it. So far, so good! My opinion is that it doesn't have the gripping power of a v-belt, but getting a v-belt on it would mean removing the drive shaft for the crank-driven hydraulic pump.

Well, I got pretty good at taking them off and putting them on.  Cut the old two off, and matched them up at Napa and came back home.  Put the power steering one on, that one was fine.  Took a long piece of 1/8" x 1" flat stock about 3' long and rounded the edges and hammered it through the small space.  Next belt went on which we had the number off of the old belt to match up.  Once I got it on and around the fan, I tried to fit, my generator, and too tight.  Old belt must have been way stretched.  Worked that one out and pulled it out without cutting it.  went to the store on Sunday as Napa was closed and matched up to a new belt 1" bigger.  After comparing them, I thought 1" might not be enough so I got the next one up, so 2" bigger then the old.  Got that one on and to no suprise, too big.  Pulled that one out, and took it back and got the one inbetween.  Hope to put that one on tonight and get the generator on and start it up again.   Well, even a bad day tinkering on AC tractors is better then a good day at work. 

Good luck Chuck. I hope it's going better for you than the hydraulic pump repairs to my C.