3500 swap questions

[PCGUY112887]

Well it's not actually 2 on top, on top of the bracket yes but their like : not --

I sure hope it holds, I dunno what i'll do if it doesn't work. How would I know if it doesn't work? when my tranny twists away from my engine hah...

[IsaacHayes]

Silicone :P Probably not the best if it were to flake off into the valve cover. The PVC one I had to rig too to stay in the intake manifold, I put some cut rubber hose to help press down more than the throttle linkage bracket does.

Hmm only 2 bolts into the motor, it might twist with just the top two?

[PCGUY112887]

How did you rig yours? I would put a breather on there... if I had one that fit in there :P

The transmission bracket, I just enlonged the holes on the transmission mount. I got the 3 bolts into the transmission in, and the top 2 bolts into the block, however the bottom bolt is no where near going into the oil pan. It basically is pressing against the oil pan so if I wanted to weld something up for it to bolt on, I would have had to bend up the bracket. So I just left the bottom oil pan bolt out... I hope it will be OK!

I didn't have to bend the throttle bracket too much... but may be it bent more than I thought so I will check it out when I get home (working late )

[IsaacHayes]

1) funny, my 3100 falls out all the time. I had to rig it to stay in. Yes it's essentially a breather tube, you could run a filter breather there it would just pollute more. The PCV is on the front and needs vacuum though. The back just needs fresh air.

2) likely bending the bracket now has the cables with too much tension. Bend the bracket where they attach closer to the linkage on the TB.

Did you get the trans bracket issue fixed up yet?

[PCGUY112887]

Thanks for the info.

Anyone have any other help for the other issues?

[bszopi]

A little late, but here is a pic of a tensioner with the square in it:



Whenever I've done it, I just take a 3/8" breaker bar and squeeze it between the tensioner and wheel well. Its tight, but it'll fit. Then, you just push (or pull?) on the breaker bar and the tensioner will move to allow the belt to go on.

As far as the cruise cable, follow it back to the operationg mechanism. There should be a way at the operator to take slack out of or put more slack into the cable.

[PCGUY112887]

OK I got the tensioner on... took a 14mm open end and a helpful friend to hold it up for me.

I also have all of my wires on, everything ran, everything hooked up, even the stock air box in there (for now) with a K&N in it, all sensors hooked up... all I have left is to put oil in it, and water. And 2 other problems...

1, the tube that goes into the back valve cover, and it goes into the intake hose... I guess it's another crankcase vent hose... anyways I can't get it into the 3500 valve cover. I don't see why, the hole seems to be the same size and the only way it holds in there is just with friction, on my 3100 it pops on if you push hard and stays in, on the 3500 valve cover you push it in and it comes right back out...

2, still need to figure out how to adjust the cruise control cable.

[3400-95-Modified]

Some tensioners dont have the hole and its just a square end that you need to put the tensioner tool on, or just use an open end wrench.

I put one on my car that has the hole, but I made a mistake because it is very worn out... it bounces like crazy and my belt squeals when my car shifts... yeah it shifts quick and hard too but it shouldnt slip the belt.

[IsaacHayes]

Hmm. In my friends 97 lumina 3100 I put a 3/8" drive ratchet into the tensioner and lifted up. My car there is no room for that so you have to get a serpentine belt tool. It's got the 3/8" end but it's just a super thin flat bar that lets you get in there. You push that into a square hole on the 3100 tensioner.

[PCGUY112887]

The 3500 tensioner appears easier to get on... the tensioner that was on my 3100 (the one I was putting on there) has absolutely nothing to stick a socket in. I did get a friend of mine to look at it and he thought it was the craziest thing.

I would like to just use the 3500 tensioner but the pulley on it is a bit smaller... think it would be OK to use with the stock 3100 belt? The belt is like new and I would rather not buy another belt just to use a newer tensioner.

[93ztwo4]

slip the wrench over the end of the tensioner. i think there is a little square on the side of theof the tensioner closer to the tip. u should be able to put a 3/8 drive ratchet in there. there is one on my 3500 tensioner anyways. but i fond its easier to just slip a wrench over the end and lift up.

[PCGUY112887]

That's the thing... where? There is no place to put a socket on it aside from the bolt that actually goes into the timing cover... which is 13mm.

[93ztwo4]

put a wrench(15or17mm) on it and give it some muscles into it. it will cme up

[PCGUY112887]

OK I got the bracket on the throttle body... put the throttle cables on but now the cruise control cable seems a bit too short, it holds the throttle body open a bit. How can I adjust that cable? The actual petal throttle cable seems fine.

Also the belt tensioner, how in the HELL are you supposed to get that on by yourself? GM book says use a breaker bar to bring it up to put on the belt, but there is no way to get a breaker bar anywhere on it to pry on it. I have tried and tried by hand... I can get it far enough with 2 hands but then I have no way to get the belt slid on since I only have 2 hands (no one is really willing to help me, which is why this all is taking me so freaking long... I am just constantly told I should have bought a newer GTP).

[IsaacHayes]

Use your 3100 TB bolts... Unless you lost em...hehe I don't quite get what you said either, you got the bolts but you don't have em? huh? <confused>