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Question:

1973 Charger water pump belt?

I have a 73 dodge charger 400 cubic inch engine, The water pump broke (causing the fan to chew into the radiator) I replaced the water pump and fan (will be replacing the radiator this week) But the problem I am encountering is the belt for the water pump is lose, How do I go about tightening this?

Answer:

If you dont know how to tighten the belt, I would get it to a shop and let a professional replace the belt for you. You loosen the two bolts, stick a prybar in and tighten the belt, and then tighten the bolts.
On that year and engine, the fan belts that drive the water pump are adjusted by loosening the alternator bolts, and moving the alternator (you may need a pry bar) until the belts are tight. That motor had a fan clutch. If the fan clutch is bad, it will cause a vibration that will cause the wate pump to fail, and as you said Chew the radiator You may want to replace the fan clutch while you are working on the car. It is a lot cheaper than another water pump and radiator.
Well without seeing the problem I would say you either didn't put everything back or like the other guy answered you loosen usually the bolts to the alternator or power steering pump and use a pry bar to tighten everything up.

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