It's a right b*****d!! Thought i'ld have ago myself while I was fitting my drop links, done quite a few belts in my time so I natually I thought it'll be a piece of pie so I cut the old ropey one off and proceeded to slacken the alternator so I could slip the new one on and "Roberts your fathers brother" i'ld have a mug of tea in my hand 15 minutes later.............

Only, for some unknown reason, the engineers at fiat decided they didn't want to use the tried and tested way of fitting alternator belts and designed it fixed the the block with NO possible adjustment instead??? :bang:

So trying to strectch this belt over the pulleys was like trying to fit a rubber ring on an elephant and after a mammoth 3 HOURS of trying I've had to concede defeate and take it to a garage.

Now the garage I use is about half a mile away and by not having an alternator means I have no power steering, so will I damage any of my steering components?

Original part?

Stretchy belt?

No not original, Quinton Hazell

I think .... the original part comes with the tool to slip stretchy belt on if it's that type, Ducato comes with the tool and most fords do so assume this is the same?

What does this tool look like? I tried hooking it over the pulley with a ..... Well, a hook which I use for oil seals and such but there's just no room To turn the nut in the centre of the pulley to help pull it on?

its like a ford one use a genuine belt as aftermarket ones are not stretchy enough put belt on all pulleys except crank pully hold the belt over the crank pulley as far as it will go and get someone to turn the engine over very slowly on the bottom pulley with a socket and a bar hold the belt on there and it will pull its self on BE CAREFUL OF FINGERS

Problem on the stilo abarths is that they have two belts, one which is turned on the crank which runs on a tensioner then onto the A/C compressor and another which runs off the A/C compressor and up to the alternator. I tried putting it on the A/C compressor and turning the alt but there's just no room to get a spanner on and manipulate the belt on with my fingers?

Nobody makes an aftermarket belt the right size, what you have is a random belt number that the shops are told to sell you. I have had this problem myself. Luckily i didnt cut the belt off i Just released the tension by loosening the alternator, so i could reuse it whilst waiting. You have to get it from Fiat for around £20 iirc. Then it is tight but not soo tight its impossible.

That was the problem stu? I couldn't release the tension? I undone the top nut, it moved about half an inch - not enough for me to pull the old one off. I figured that the old belt was stopping the alt from moving so I cut it off? Only It still never moved and thus could not slip the new one on?

I did compare the two belts and they were nearly identical in size and Q&H do know a thing or two about belts so I bet i'ld have had a similar problem with a fiat one. Although interestingly the Q&H belt was only £3.50 the fiat one was £22...... Now I can see why :bang:

IIRC There are 2 bolts on the alternator. One comes all the way off and the second undoes a certain amount to allow it to swing and release tension.

Nope trust me no adjustment. If you remove the top bolt it does swing forward and you can slip the belt on but you can't swing it back as the belt is too strong to push back by hand and you would need one hell of a lever to push it back the three inches it needs to go to get to the top bolt hole plus even if I did have a lever, there's just no room to lever?