Alternator Pulley Issues - BBC

[kdh454]

This is probably not your problem, but I'll leave it here in case someone happens to make the same mistake I did.

I had a similar issue years ago after installing the engine in my Chevelle - alternator belt squeaked like crazy, got hot, and flew off. After several attempts at tightening and replacing the alternator, I pulled off all the pulleys to clean them up. Only then I realized the problem was mismatched water pump and crank pulleys. I don't remember exactly which was which, but I believe the crank had two identical pulleys and the water pump had one large and one small pulley. Basically, the alternator belt was being forced to slip around one of the pulleys, got fed up with it, and decided to end it's miserable life by being chopped to bits by the fan. I swapped out one of the pulleys, and all was right again.