96 tahoe 4wd going for MPG

[barebones 1500]

you should be able to get a belt to fit it and drop of the ac. the best way to do it is to take some string and route it around all the pullies except the ac. make sure that the pullies will spin in the direction they need to and try to get the string as tight as you can when you tie it off. the best way for this is to pull up on the tensioner, tie it, then let it back down but not all the way. try to hold the tensioner where it would normally be and make sure the string is tight. but be forwarned that it may take a few trips to the part store to get the size you need. my brother went six times and would have been more but he brought his car there and did it in the parking lot the last couple of times. or if you don't plan on fixing it, you could yank it out and you should be able to get a delete pulley so you can use the stock belt.

as for MPGs i would hook up a boost gage. this will show you how you drive what to improve on. all you have to do is keep the gage as high as possible to keep any unecessary load off the engine. i am not sure what kind of improvements to excpect but even if you get another 2-5 MPGs, that cheap gage will be paid for after a couple of tanks and the rest is money in the bank.

 

[barebones 1500]

i will say that i am not too familiar with the hoe but from my expierience it is possible to reroute the belt. it depends on the condition of the belt for me. if it needs to be replaced anyway, i would try to reroute and if the belt is still good then it might work out to be the same price either way.

 

[1990GMCSIERRA]

i dont think its as easy as just getting a short belt on these trucks,,
almost positive uve gota had the bypass pulley to delete the ac

 

[barebones 1500]

it all depends on the placement of the pullies. if you are able to lose one and keep all the others moving in the right direction then it is fine. it is a thinking and tinkering game you play, i have that kind of mindset to figure stuff like that out. for someone else it could be a good reason to set the car on fire ( you knox we all have had or days). all you have to do is look at it and think.

 

[1990GMCSIERRA]

i know on the 88-94 or 95s u got have the pulley,
now with urs being a 96 ur set up is dif,u can just get a shorter belt,
sorry i wasnt looking at the yr model

 

[maverick]

so...
The ac can be bypassed with a new belt? There is a diagram near the hood latch in the engine bay that shows the belt path for both the ac and non ac. Does that mean that a smaller belt can be used in place of the current one?

 

[barebones 1500]

i believe so. especially if the belt comes off the bottom of the balancer, around outside of ac and around outside of alternator. if it is like that then you could bypass the ac and everything will rotate right. if it goes around the inside of any of these then it probably won't work.

just so you know when i say oustide i mean ribs faceing in toward the pully and inside means ribs are facing out and away from the pully, and make sure it will work. i have not seen the diagram so i can be wrong. when in doubt, trust what you know

 

[barebones 1500]

also, i think that by what you said about the diagram you should bee able to get a belt for the same car just without ac. this will take alot of geuss work ou of this and it will be as easy as replacing the original. anybody at the parts store should be able to give you a definite answer

 

[1990GMCSIERRA]

just head to the parts store and tell em uve got the non ac model and have em get ya that beltt and try it,
if it doesnt work return it

 

[daddy_dandy]

just head to the parts store and tell em uve got the non ac model and have em get ya that beltt and try it,
if it doesnt work return it

I believe GMT400s without AC have an a/c delete pulley installed. Whether the belt size is the same or not can be up for debate.

To measure for a new belt, use a piece of string, hold it taunt when taking a final measurement. Also, measure in mm.