Auto Air Conditioning & Heater Repair: 1999 silverado 5.3 air condition belt breaking, drive belts, shimming

Question
bought truck used 122,000 miles back in july 2003.
replaced 3 air condition drive belts. What is the problem the Idler tension or clutch pulley bearing or what??? please advise. It is a 2 wheel drive truck. The oem belt is hard as heck to get on the pulley. Is there a certain way to install the belt?

Answer
see if the idler bearing spins freely as well as the A/C clutch pulley.

If you route the belt around all of the components and slip it under the tensioner LAST it goes on much easier.

It is also probable that the pulleys for all the components are not lining up correctly and is wearing out the sides of the belt and getting everything lined up is a shimming nightmare.

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