Fitting 1.0 Lupo alternator belt

[Forester]

Any guidance on correct way of fitting a new alternator belt tp my 1.0 petrol base model Lupo?

The belt only runs around the crank pulley & the alternator. Old one off OK, but the alternator has a coil spring to maintain tension when tightening the belt.

If I fit all bolts (loose) and try to push alternator back against the spring I can't get enough travel to allow belt to slip on. If I fit tensioner & belt I can't align the top mounting hole to allow last fixing bolt through, as belt & spring tension won't allow alignment.

Checking forums and using common sense suggests only slackening all the bolts and swinging alternator enough to remove old / refit new, but without the special insertion tool mentioned on some threads I'm struggling on such a simple task!

Any advice appreciated!

[davemidd]

I've done it on a 1.4 Polo,so shall be similar i'd imagine. Where the tensioner is, it has (or the polo does anyway) a bolt on the side - not the moutnings bolts. Get a ratchet and pull it down towards you which in turn pushes the tensioner away from you. This allows you to get teh belt around all the wheels.