Can you over tighten a tensioner pulley?

A belt shouldn't be over-tightened. Any bearing that the belt rotates on can be burned out by an over-tightened belt. A pulley bearing can be ruined by an over-tightened timing belt.

Do you tighten or loosen a tensioner pulley?

Tightening or Loosening

You'll need to tighten a tensioner pulley, in most cases, after the installation of a new drive belt, or to adjust for a stretched drive belt that hasn't worn enough to warrant replacement.

Can you tighten a serpentine belt too tight?

If a pulley on one of the accessories seizes or fails to turn it will likely destroy the serpentine belt, but it's important to consider that a belt that's too tight will often lead to seizing pulleys. You will need to remove the belt to replace the damaged accessories or pulleys if one fails.

What happens if your belt tensioner is too tight?

If the belt is too tight, it will cause excessive side loads and overheat the bearings. This in turn causes noise, decreased output and even the seizing of the alternator. If the belt is too loose, it will cause the alternator to slip. This slipping can cause the alternator and the battery to work harder.

What happens when you over tighten a belt?

An over-tightened belt can burn out any bearing that the belt rotates on, including alternator, power steering pump, A/C compressor, idler pulleys, etc. An over-tightened timing belt can ruin any pulley bearing it is connected with.

Tightening Belt Tension Without A Special Tool

Can you over tighten an idler pulley bolt?

A belt shouldn't be over-tightened. Any bearing that the belt rotates on can be burned out by an over-tightened belt. A pulley bearing can be ruined by an over-tightened timing belt.

Is the tensioner pulley supposed to move?

The tensioner arm should move smoothly and freely. Solution: If you notice a binding, sticking or grinding tensioner arm, the tensioner should be replaced.

Why is my tensioner shaking?

Causes of Belt Tensioner Wobbling

In general, belt tensioners tend to get noisy when they fail. If your belt tensioner is chirping or makes other noises, it is often an indication that the part is old and needs to be replaced. You can even remove the belt, spin each pulley, and listen for rumbling or other noises.

How tight should a belt be?

A lifting belt's tightness may vary slightly by exercise, however, in general, you should have about a finger width of room between the belt and your torso so it's tight enough where you feel it around your waist, but are still able to breathe comfortably.

Is the belt tensioner supposed to spin?

Spin the pulley to see if it spins freely. If you hear grinding or the pulley doesn't spin freely, replace the tensioner. When you replace the belt, it should take a lot of muscle power to move the tensioner. If you can move it easily, the spring tension is most likely not tight enough.

Can a bad tensioner cause loss of power?

If the tensioner's wear leads to the belt fully dislodging, likely through seizing, each of the components that rely on the belt for power will be lost. This means your vehicle's air conditioning, alternator, smog equipment, water pump, and power steering will be lost if the belt dislodges.

What is the general rule for tightening a belt on a pulley driven system?

“Press the belt with your thumb until it deflects about 1/2 in.” “Tension the drive until you get a slight bow in the slack side when it is running.” These old rules of thumb for drive tensioning have outlived their usefulness: It is time to abandon them.

What causes a tensioner pulley to go bad?

The most common causes of timing belt tensioner failure include: Wear and tear: On a new mechanical timing belt tensioner system, the timing belt tensioner spring is wound tightly by two tension rods. Over time, the spring stretches out and loses its tension. As a result, the entire tensioner becomes too weak.

Why is my idler pulley squealing?

Idler pulley slippage is likely to follow after it becomes worn out enough. This will cause the pulley to bind and then rub against the engine belt. As a result, there will be squealing noises coming from the engine area that will only get worse until the pulley is replaced.

Is the idler pulley and tensioner pulley the same?

The primary distinction between tensioners and idler pulleys is the presence of an adjustable bolt. Tensioners are positioned on the bolt through mounting. Idler pulleys are not mounted to an adjustable bolt.

What is the most common cause of belt slippage?

Improper belt tension is the most common and obvious cause of slip, which generates unwanted heat. The friction that occurs when a V-belt slips in a pulley causes belt sidewalls to become glazed, and decreases gripping ability.

Does tension pulley affect acceleration?

Because the pulley possesses mass, you need to apply a non-zero net torque to it to increase its angular acceleration (assuming that is the goal here). If the tensions were the same on both sides of the contact point between the string and the pulley, there would be no angular acceleration.

Can a bad tensioner cause rough idle?

Yes, a timing belt can cause rough idle.

Can a bad tensioner cause engine vibration?

Excessive tensioner movement – Worn-out coil springs can also cause drive belt tensioners to loosen their grip on the drive belt, resulting in excessive vibration and rattling. Too little tension will also lead to belt slippage.

Should all pulley spin freely?

The only pulleys you should be able to turn by hand when the serpentine belt is not in place are: the water pump, alternator, and power steering pump pulleys. The air conditioning compressor has a clutch on it that should spin freely as well but it will not be rotating the internals of the compressor.