DeaZaL

O.k.. So the day starts off with... Hey Stackler(co-worker), want to help me put on my UDP tonight? Stackler, being the gear head he is(just got done building a shelby cobra replica) sais sureeeee. He's got all the proper tools..


So I take the tire off.. take the cover off... Get the bolt off of the UDP just fine with the ol impact wrench.. HERES where the problems start...

I loosen the alternator belt.. get the belt off..Had a hard time locating the other belt tention.. Harder time figuring out how the hell to losen in... after about 5 min We losen the bolt that is making that damn other bolt impossible to loosen.. So we loosen. and able to adjust the tention..


NOW I go to install belt.. we tighten it down as far as the bolt will go untill it is even with that thingy that attaches it to the engine... belt is STILLL very loose.. WTF?!?!?! Did CoZ at ultimate Z send me the wrong belts????

So we go to put on the alternator belt... TOO DAMN SMALL?!?!??! WTF??? IS there something we were doing wrong?? I don't think so...

SOOoooo we go to buy a biger belt so I can at least drive it home... get one that fits.. I go to tighen the tention on that bolt for the alternator and IT BREAKS?!@#?@!?#?@!

AHHHHHHhh.... So here I am.. having to take my buddies mustang home... which is quite fast i might add...and i have NO MAX... BECAUSE OF THIS STUPID PULLEY!@#@!#@!

I AM SO MAD.....


SO in short I need both correct belts and the 2 bolts that adjust. Can I get the bolts from a dealer??? VERY VERY FAST... I basically need both bolts that adjust the pullies... I think i may have even striped the other bolt i didn't break(losing and tightening it a million times.. and then the freaking thing kept sliding out.. argg..

Im so mad... never ever again shall i mod this car.. i hate it and i want to smash it with a big hammer.

Im so mad...

Sonic

SprintMax will be responding soon.

nc00max

That sucks, but sounds reminiscent of my own UDP install. Are you having probs with the front or rear tensioner? I think (don't quote me on this) the mechanic who ended up doing my install found another bolt down and to the left of the rear tensioner that had to be loosened first. As far as the front tensioner goes, you have to loosen the bolt on the tensioner pulley itself first. But I too broke the tensioning bolt (front) with only a minor turn. Fortunately, the first dealer I went to had them in stock since it's apparently quite a common problem. The only thing was it was a ***** to replace. One more thing about the tensioners- one of them (don't remember which) is reversed-i.e. righty-loosey, lefty-tighty. The belts were a ***** to get on too, and we had to really tighten them down again to stop the squealing. Anyways, good luck with the rest of the install...

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

Ouch! Sorry about what happened. The recommended belt is kind of short, but it does go on with LOTS of force. My car didn't have that problem, but wmax2k's car did. Good luck with the fix and stuff.

Tension adjuster thingy... $60.

hokiemax

iTrader: (2)

Listen to this. I have a 98SE and my bro got '00 GXE.
We're in Virginia. My brother finally orders the cattman ypipe for his car. He was so excited he did the overnight shipping for 50 bucks. And yeah, the ypipe he ordered was the regular version, because, we dont live in california.
He drops the car and the new ypipe off at a garage, but the garage calls back and says the new ypipe doesn't fit.
My brother was like "what the hell do you mean it doesnt fit?" It didnt fit because his GXE was a california spec!!!
We were like how the hell did we get a cali max in virginia?
It turns out that virginia belongs to the "east coast california" zone and every maximas shipped to virginia were cali spec, but we didnt know that.

Sonic

Read the white sticker on the hood. It tells you whether you have a Fed or Cali spec car.

melanthius

That sucks. Man, You think bolt-on parts aren't going to give you any trouble and then "snap... oh ****, was that part important?"

Man, best of luck to you.

DeaZaL

hmmm.. It sounds like im missing two bolts to losen two bolts.. so theres another bolts not on the rear tentioner that has to be adjusted??? I had to loosen 2 bolts on the rear tentioner.. was there 3????

Also you say you have to loosen the bolts on the tentioner pulley...

All I did was loosen that long bolts that droped that one pulley up and down... I loosend it to much and it broke.. I also think I may have crossthreaded the rear tentioner...

Did you buy that one too??

wtf

dave

yep, i'm in virginia and my max is cali spec too.

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear all the troubles you are having. I am glad I got it done at a shop. I watched the mechanic do the install and he was really careful with the tensioners. There is a bolt to the left of the rear tensioner that he was messing with. As for the belts, they went on without any major effort and there was no squealing or anything after the install .

Max_Gator

Kinda glad I did the shop thing as well now. Guy who put mine on was basically a nissan mechanic and highly recommended. Did a perfect job as far as I know.

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

Bah!!!! All you guys bringing it to the shop...

Do it yourself!!!

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

Turbo95Max

iTrader: (25)

sometimes its better to have a shop do it then do something your not too sure of and mess it up...you should know Kev! hehe...

Y2KevSE

iTrader: (13)

Experience is good.

nc00max

Well, I had a shop do mine, since the forward tensioner needed to be replaced too. He said the reason I broke it was cause you have to loosen the bolt on the tensioner pulley too. As far as the rear one, I didn't see it myself, but he said there was another one back there (I watched the install). The car was on a lift, so it was a lot easier to see for him. I'd say that if all else fails, go to the dealer and ask a mechanic there. The forward tensioner cost me $22, and I have no idea how much it is for the rear one. I ended up paying a little over $100 to have a mechanic do the tensioner replacement, UDP install, and that was even including an oil change. Took him about 1 1/2 hours for everything too. It helps a lot to have the right tools at your disposal. I'm almost thankful I have most of the bolt-ons (short of forced induction or NOS) so I don't have to go through another headache like the UDP gave me...

Dave B

Yep, there are two bolts on the rear power steering tensioner. It's hidden and the only reason I knew it was there was because of my Chiltons manual. The hidden bolt is also reversed (ie turning right tightens it). If you don't have a manual, then take it to a shop. It is VERY important to know the torque specs on each bolt and the free play of the belts when doing this install. Too tight and you'll smoke the bearings, too loose and you're MAx will sound like a stuck pig. Without knowing the right torque specs, you'll break things. Clearly it's too late to tell many of you this.

The belts are a tight fit, especially the alternator belt, BUT if it looks impossible to fit, then you most likely have the wrong belt. I used the "alternate" power steering belt and it went on quite easily.

When it comes to installing mods on your 5th gen, ask the 4th gen guys for the specs and the correct way to do it. Many of us have shop manuals and much of the drivetrain is nearly identical between the 4th and 5th gen.


Dave

Max_Gator

Boy, after reading these threads I sure feel lucky to have had no problems. Of course, I would feel even better if I had actually gotten any improvement from the udp.

UMD_MaxSE

iTrader: (1)

hehe... ditto....

DeaZaL

O.k let me see if we are on the same page here..


When you say two bolts for the tentioner...

This is what I'm thinking is right...

you have one bolt that bolts this little metal piece to the engine that you have to actually loosen to adjust the longer bolt that comes in from underneath.

there is then a metal piece(it may be part of the little metal piece that connect to the engine.. dont have it in front of me to tell) that is probably about 2-3" long that the long "adjuster" bolt goes into..note the adjuster bolt can slide out of this piece easily when adjusting.. happend to me a few times.

This install should of went like CAKE.. BUT here is where the problem lies.. COZ sent me the wrong size belts.. and I kept telling myself.. no no no.. I talked to this kid 5 times about this stupid pulley.. no way would he have sent me wrong belts...SO.. since I kept messing with it(thinking I was doing something wrong..) I actually tightened it to much and it snaped the long EYE bolt that adjust the alternator pully.. very ****ed off I am.. I am without my car for 2 days now because of someones mistake..