You need to look at the belts with the engine not running. Look at the cracking on the belt on both sides. Look also at the belts to see if they look glazed. This is a result of the slipping of the belt and it getting hot. I would consider taking the belts off and checking the devices to see if they turn smoothly, quietly, and freely. Getting the right tension is important and many people fail at this task in setting the proper tension on the belts.
When setting the tension, I use the following:
1. Put on the belt
2. Tighten the belt so that it is snug
3. Locate the longest distance between pulleys and the tension is tested there
4. Properly tensioned, the belt should have movement in each direction at the center of the distance of no more than an inch total distance. Another way of saying this is at the center of the span between the pulleys move the belt as far as you can in one direction and then move it to the opposite direction. The distance traveled should not exceed one inch. Try that.
Any device that is run with the belts that doesn't meet the above 3 criteria should be looked at closely and should be considered for replacement.
Hope that helps you out.
Jun 8, 2007 at 10:25 PM
