Table of Contents
How tight should your serpentine belt be?
The required measure of tension in the serpentine belt is that it should not deflect more than ½ inch when twisted either way from the middle. If twisted more, the belt is loose, and if twisted less, the belt is too tight.
How do you tighten a tensioner pulley on a serpentine belt?
Turn the adjustment bolt on the side, top or bottom of the pulley counterclockwise with the ratchet and socket until the accessory belt is loose enough to remove. Tighten the tensioner pulley by turning the adjustment bolt clockwise with the ratchet and socket until the belt is tight.
How do I tighten my engine belt?
To correct the problem, tighten your belt. Open the hood and locate the adjustment screw that controls tension on the serpentine belt. Place the socket end of the socket wrench over the wing-nut and turn clockwise to apply tension. Check the tension of the belt periodically. Do a secondary check of the belt tension.
What happens if serpentine belt is loose?
If there is not enough tension, a belt can slip, squeal or run hot. Quick fact: If your serpentine belt is loose, you may have other mechanical problems like under-performing water pump, which can cause the engine to overheat. Avoid performance loss.
Can you over tighten a belt tensioner?
A belt shouldn’t be over-tightened. Any bearing that the belt rotates on can be burned out by an over-tightened belt.
Why does my serpentine belt not fit?
Serpentine belt problems usually result from one of three causes: a defective belt tensioner; misalignment of a pulley; or, defective bearings in the tensioner, idler, or one of accessories driven by the belt (including the water pump). Excessive cracking: Other than severe old age, defective tensioner.
How tight should a tensioner pulley be?
When twisted either way from the middle, the tension in the belt must not be more than 12 inch. The belt is too tight if it is twisted more. The positions do not work for the vehicle.
Can a loose serpentine belt cause rough idle?
So if you have searched for answers to the question, can a bad serpentine belt cause rough idle? The answer is yes.
Will serpentine belt make noise?
Worn/Cracked Serpentine Belt – Serpentine belts have grooves which fit into grooves in the pulleys. Over time, the friction wears down these grooves, resulting in a loose fit. A worn belt can, therefore, begin to slip, which is one of the causes the squeal.
Can I drive with a loose serpentine belt?
Don’t drive any vehicle with a squeaky loose serpentine belt, because it will cause a lot of damages to the vehicle if it comes off the pulleys and breaking up into pieces.
How do you know if your belt is too loose?
A loose drive belt will often be noisy, squeaking a bit, or emitting a high-pitched squeal. The most obvious sign of a loose drive belt, though, is in its appearance and tension.
Can serpentine belt be to tight?
If the belts are too tight, they can put a strain on the shaft (and its bearing) of the alternator, power-steering pump and even the water pump. Most belts are installed on the tight side because they take an initial stretch. It looks like the power-steering fluid level is getting low.
Can a tensioner pulley leak oil?
The hydraulic oil that maintains this tension can seep out of the tensioner. When it does the associated engine belts become loose. A car that leaks oil is not an uncommon sight. This is often due to a loose timing belt, which arises due to leaking from the tensioner.
What causes pulley misalignment?
It occurs when the motor for a pulley is either too far back or too far forward, resulting in the incorrect positioning of the motor. It can be fixed relatively quickly by changing the position of the motor to align the pulley again.
Is a tensioner pulley supposed to move?
Appearance: Cycle the tensioner (mounted on the engine) through the entire range of motion (from stop to stop) by applying torque to the arm with a wrench. The tensioner arm should move smoothly and freely. Solution: If you notice a binding, sticking or grinding tensioner arm, the tensioner should be replaced.
Can serpentine belt affect acceleration?
Typically a damaged belt tensioner will not impact vehicle performance. It would cause the serpentine or drive belt to wear prematurely or to squeak – but not cause the acceleration issue.
Does serpentine belt affect timing?
A serpentine belt may power the air conditioning, alternator and power steering pump on your car. A slipping timing belt will affect the engine timing, resulting in the valves opening at the wrong time. This can result in decreased performance and even engine damage if left untreated.
Why is my belt squealing when I accelerate?
A squealing noise, often heard at engine startup, sudden acceleration, air conditioning turn-on, or during a U-turn is typically caused by belt slippage due to improper tension and/or a badly glazed belt. Serpentine belt systems typically employ a spring loaded belt tensioning pulley and sometimes these can go soft.
