Tensioning Belts

Your vehicle is a compilation of several complex parts. Tensioning belts or serpentine belts are one such item that’s hard to understand. Well, of course, you’ll be a pro, if you’re a mechanic. But, don’t worry, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know about your car’s belts if you plan to own one.

First things first, let’s begin by defining these belts. The drive belt tensioner in your car is a small component that works along with the serpentine belt. This strap ensures that everything in your engine works as it should. In other words, this tensioning belt in your engine compartment winds around various components of your car. The components include the alternator, power steering pump, water pump, air conditioning compressor, and more. So basically, the tensioner ensures that the belt delivers enough tension while you’re driving so that the belt can move with various pulleys that are responsible for driving the various engine components. As with any types of machinery, you need to check the tensioners from time to time to ensure that it’s correctly set. Below we’ll look at some of the major components of the belts.

The various aspects of tensioning belts that you need to know

Typically, they contain four main parts – the base, the tensioner arm, spring and pulley. The base holds other components, and the spring keeps the belt pulled tight. However, the pulley is what that facilitates the movement of the belt. Apart from that, you’ll find the tensioners arm on the bottom of the tensioner. You can press on it and it will against the spring. This action delivers enough slack so that you can remove the belt. To put it another way, the belts are vital to function your vehicle correctly. Therefore, it’s essential to maintain the proper functioning of the straps. And to do so, you need to understand the various aspects of the belts and its functioning. Check them out below.

Timing belt tension for proper functioning

Proper tensioning of the belt cannot be stressed enough. In other words, too loose tensioning will cause the timing belt to rachet. Similarly, too tight tensioning will possibly cause damage to the bearings, shaft, and other drive components. That’s because a loose tensing belt acts like a loosely-held piece of string. It has high chances of snapping right away in a high torque situation. In fact, the correct timing belt tension is the lowest tension at which the timing belts transmit the required mechanical power. However, note that it shouldn’t take rachet teeth when the drive is under a full load. Therefore, you need to make sure that you have the correct belt tension timing.

The self-tensioning belt drive

You find these belts on the older vehicles. However, they do have their advantages. Typically, the self-tensioning belts or the V-drive belts run-off the crank pulley and go through the one or two parts, but usually more than that. Often you name these belts as the V-belts, as they come with tapered rubber teeth. Well, the only disadvantage to this belt is that they are a bit trickier to change, and you might find it a little hard to get the right tension. Moreover, loose drive belts will squeal and could cause your alternator to charge improperly and could possibly cause your car to overheat. Therefore, an excellent way to test the tension is to push down on the belt in the middle of its longest point. You should be able to depress it half an inch.

The belt tensioning equipment

It’s a universally recognised fact that proper synchronous belt tension is the key to the efficient drive operation. However, to do so, you need to have the right gear, and you need to follow the right method to tension the belts. One of the best ways to tighten the straps is to use an alternator. However, if you feel that tensioning the belts is a bit challenging and the belt has succumbed to more damage then its best to replace it. Furthermore, you could also replace the tensioner pulley. But remember, the best method is to first diagnose the issues with your drive belts. Therefore, it is better to perform a thorough diagnosis and then carry on with adjusting the tension of the belts or replacing them.

The air compressor belt tension

Air compressors work best only when you well maintain them. And one of the essential component to keep it going is the compressor belt. If your air compressor is running noisily or if it is vibrating then it means you need to tighten the belts. In fact, in some cases, inefficient pressure the point of use or a receiver slowly builds up pressure. This may also be signs of damage. However, luckily it’s pretty easy to fix the air compressor belt tensions. Here’s what you need to do. First, remove the belt guard. You need to check then the belt damage after which you can loosen the motor. Later, move the motor with belt attached. Once, you do that; you can entirely remove the belt and replace them as per your requirement.