Chrysler Repair: 2.5L V-6 serpentine belt adjustment problem, haynes manual, inner fender

Question
I've been working on my girlfriend's 97 cirrus w/ the 2.5 v6, and after
much aggrivation I finally got the belts back on. The crank will turn the
P/S pulley just fine but it cannot seem to turn anything else. The socket
wrench will only turn the adjustment bolt on the idler pulley about 1/4
turn at a time due to space restriction and I've tried just taking it one
turn at a time, then re-tightening the pulley. It will either be too loose
and the crank just spins and squeals inside the belt or too tight and will
cause the starter to strain. Am I missing something? Should I take the
belt off the P/S pulley and tune the serpentine first? Help please! I'm
going to take a jackhammer to it soon!

Answer
Hi Justin,
Maybe you need a new serpentine belt if you are using the old one because its surface is too glazed/slippery.
The Haynes manual suggests that you loosen the bolts on the right front wheel, jack up the right front wheel and put the car on a jack stand, then remove the wheel and the inner fender splash shield (about 10 fasteners): all that to give you better access. It is up to you if you want to go through all that for access.
Other than making sure that the belt ribs are centered on the pulley grooves and of course that the overall belt routing is correct,and the surface of the belt has some grip, then you should be able to get it to drive the generator and air compressor without slipping or binding up so tight as to affect the starter (that sounds unusual, are you sure the a.c. and generator pulleys are turning freely?). Tighten the idler pulley adjuster until the belt will deflect 1/4" when pressed with about 10 lbs of force mid-way between two pulleys. If you think you need the space then take off the p/s belt first and install it last. That too would be easier with the splash shield removed.
Also check the all the pulleysdriven by the belt are in the same plane; if one is off angle or at a different plane that could cause slippage/binding.
I hope these give you some ideas as to what is wrong. I would suspect the belt surface being glazed is your issue.
Roland