everything I can think of.  I have a 15mm open end wrench on the tensioner
with a 1/2 drive torque wrench in the box end.  I'm bottoming out the
tensioner but still cannot get enough slack to get the belt over the last
pulley.  I've tried using the alternator, the tensioner, and the idler
pulley as the final connection.

Well first of all make sure you have the correct size belt, is this belt
from MOPAR? Chrysler has changed the design on these belts and have made it
slightly smaller and yes it is a pain to get on. all I can tell you is make
sure the belt sits inside of all the pulleys and not overhanging except on
the last one you put it on.
I always leave the crank pulley last, but then again I have it on a lift.
There is really not much I can tell you to do on this.
Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

When you leave the crank pully for last, do you take the splash guard off

I have another guy coming over to help me this afternoon and I have a feeling with four hands I might be able to pull off the whole thing

--
tootienkyle

The other problem I have is that I am a stockier guy and trying to wedge my arms between the pulleys and the fender well left me with scrapes and scratches from my wrist to my elbows!  I had a little wiry guy come over last night and he was able to get his arms in there and get a little better grip and he was able to slip the belt on.  However, now my problem is that after filling up the power steering fluid reservoir I have a puddle under the van, so I am thinking the next step in the line is to replace the power steering pump hoses.  I'm sure I will be in for a treat there

--
tootienkyle

I've done it twice now.  The first time was a real pain, trying to keep the
belt on all the pulleys while trying to pull ont he tensoner....didn't seem
like the belt was the right size.

I've found the job to be much easier using duct-tape.  Place the belt on the
p/s, main, alt and idle pulleys and duct tape them in position with a three
inch peice of tape.  Pull the tensoner, slip on the belt and viola! job done
and all my friends and relatives are impressed.

I just did it about an hour ago...trouble is, my tensoner pulley must be
worn as it sits at a slight angle from the other pulleys and the belt is
*just* on the edge of it.  That's not going to be as easy...or cheap.

good luck

tootienkyle,

   I used the box end of a ratcheting 15mm wrench on the tensioner, and at
the open end I was able to get my hollow handled hydraulic floor jack handle
over one jaw. If I get the ratchet set correctly, there is plenty of room to
de-tension the belt for easy removal or installation.

Change the belt, tensioner, and water pump all at once. If the replacement
tensioner looks like OEM, go somewhere else as OEM is junk (1999), so the
clones of junk are no better. I found one at  O'Reilly's using a thick coil
spring instead of the OEM style using a coiled flat ribbon. This unit was
heavy duty and the pulley did not tilt when the belt tensions like OEM.

Jim