Re: 3.0 Mercruiser Alternator Belt Replacement
I had the same problem, as have others. Apparently Bayliner installed the engine too low in its mounts. i did not want to go the route of raising the engine as I felt this could put the drive shaft out of line and result in a small problem becoming a big one. The solution was to remove two adjacent teeth on the belt and then force it between the pulley and engine mount. It works, and runs OK, but I don't know for how long. However I did take care to remove only the rubber, and none of the fabric. If it failed my next step was to remove about 1/4" from the front edge of the pulley to provide clearance. I would have used a sawzall, angle grinder, or in a pinch, a hack saw. No reason it should not work. good luck. hat a miserable way to design the belt system, and have to remove a spacer. i had to do this because the alternator was seized after storage and the belt burnt out. I could not remove the alternator, because the bolts would turn but not unthread. I think the aluminum alternator housing bosses must have corroded around the steel bolts. In the end I was able to free the alternator shaft by turning on the shaft bolt until it budged and applied a liberal amount of oil, hoping to hit the bearings. No further problems so far.