Ford Racing Smog Pump Eliminator M-8604-A50 doesn't line up with other pulleys.

[Hans]

Hi, please look at the picture and give me some advise.

The pulleys of the eliminator bracket and of the air pump aren't in the same position.

I mounted my new smog pump eliminator bracket. Then it showed that its pulley is too far back in the direction of the engine.
The multi V belt can't be put on.

How is this possible? I thought this part should work on all 79-93 v8s?

Thanks in advance,
Hans.

[PaceFever79]

Hans

I've never run into this problem before (maybe someone else has)

I'm suggesting you take another picture from a different angle to show the bracket mounts too.

[795.0pacecar]

Send it back and just run a shorter belt.

[Zap's 85 GT]

Is the pulley on backwards?

[Hans]

Attachment 64419

The first picture shows that if the mounting brackets of the air pump and eliminator are aligned, that the pulleys aren't.
In the last picture I held a pipe against the alternator and crank pulleys. You see that the below eliminator pulley is too far to the back.

The engine parts are all the original (October 1978 ) parts.

Zap;
don't think the pulley is on backwards, didn't seem to have any offset.

PaceFever79;
With the picture from my first message you can now see both side brackets of the eliminator and the air pump aligned. The pulleys are not in the same position.
Couldn't get a snapshot of the engine bracketing, but it's the original large bracket holding the air pump, alternator and belt tensioner.

795.0pacecar;
I planned to drive often/ daily with the car, people advised that the eliminator kit would be the better option for that.

Regards,
Hans.

[floodstang]

Just run a shorter belt. Much easier that way.

[narvelle 1]

I too had this same problem. It kinda only goes on one way that I could figure out. I just shimmed it with a few washers. I am not sure if the brackets are different on the later models. Mine is a 79.

Mark

[Hans]

Hi Mark,
I'm glad you replied. I thought that I started loosing my mind...
Did you remove the capscrew in the center of the pulley and added the washers underneath the pulley to place it more outwards?

I was thinking to modify the bracket, but that is not that simple. I figured I would have to remove material on the front and add some to the rear.

Unfortunately I have my VIN number not near, I bet your car's VIN must be in the same region.
I'll post it another time.

Thanks a million.
Hans.

Found a picture of the VIN: 9F03F104836 or 9F05F104836. Can't read for sure.

[79FOX302]

Hi Hans,

I have a 79 and I had to remove material from the front and add washers to the rear as you have concluded. It works just fine and been there for about 5 years now. I am not sure why these do not just drop in? I was wondering if I was the only one with this problem but I now see I am not.

Tony

[JACook]

The smog pump eliminator is designed for cars with a single serpentine belt with tensioner, and
reverse-rotation water pump. Your pump pulley does not look like any Mustang serpentine piece
I've seen. I'm not accustomed to seeing the filter vanes exposed on a Fox Mustang smog pump.

That said, I've never owned a '79 Mustang...

[narvelle 1]

Hans,
It has been a few years since I did this also. I believe I just put washers on the backside of the bracket to push it out. I think I considered shimming the idler and decided against it. I had bought an ac eliminator once. It was for the newer models, it was not going to work on mine with out changing out all of that bracketry. It seems that all the parts get advertised as direct fits for 79-93, seems the cut off for ours are the 79 to about 83 or else something does not quite line up without changing to the newer brackets. I have bought a lot of stuff that I had to throw back on ebay cuz it was not going to work on mine with out more work. Thats what is so great about this site !! Now I can investigate before I part with my cash. Good Luck !!


Mark

[banzaibullitt]

I also had the same problem, so I didn't use it on the '79.

[Hans]

Thanks to you all,
I'll post how I modify mine, as I have no use for the air pump.
Might take me til christmas holidays though before I can work on the car again.

Regards,
Hans.

[Gearbangin50]

Shorter belt is the way to go. Much easier.

[JACook]

Short belt is easier, sure, but not everyone is willing to sacrifice function for ease. If a person
actually wants the accessory drive system to work properly, the idler is the way to do it.

[narvelle 1]

I thought I read on here somewhere that the water pump pulley did not get enough of the belt wrapped around it with the shorter belt and could cause slippage.
I could be wrong on that though, I think the engine bay sure looks better with less stuff in the way.

[Hans]

Follow up; modified the idler bracket.

to get the pulley in the same position as on the air pump, I had to cut 7mm of the front , and add that on the rear by means of washers.
This was the easiest option as the idler bearing is centered on its mounting, making lengthening it very dificult.

After mounting all belt parts, I noticed alignment is rather poor, meaning that the pulleys are not perfectly aligned with eachother. Apparently that is no issue as this is not something I did but has always been the case. Probably I'm more precise than the multi v belt requires.

Hans.

[narvelle 1]

My pulleys did not line up well either. It could have been I had it apart for so long that I missed something or it was using an 1986 block with 1979 brackets. The front edge of the belt got tore up a bit before I aligned things.

I ended up having to put washers behind the alternator bracket. I hated to do it, but could find no good reason for it to change with everything kind of being in a fixed position. It is not like the distance off was great, and I don't remember there being spacers between the block and brackets when I tore it apart. The power steering, a/c and fan were straight with each other. ?? It certainly was a puzzle.

Mark