What happens if serpentine belt 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 if you over tighten a serpentine 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.

Should you be able to turn the serpentine belt by hand?

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.

What is proper belt tension?

At center of the span length apply a force F (using a belt tension gauge) perpendicular to the belt span, large enough to deflect the belt 1/64” for each 1“ of belt span, q. So, for a 32” span, the deflection amount would be 32/64” or 1/2”. 3.

Does serpentine belt affect alternator?

What does a serpentine belt do? Well, it won't keep your pants up, but it does transport power to your vital automotive components. The serpentine belt is one long, snaking, winding belt that keeps your alternator, power steering pump, air conditioning and—in some cases—your water pump running smoothly and effectively.

Belt tension trick

Why does my serpentine belt squeal?

The squeak you hear is generally a result of the belt losing its grip on one or more of the pulleys it is designed to spin. It could be a symptom of a worn belt. The contact surface can become worn and smooth, which lowers the friction point and causes the belt to slip.

Do new serpentine belts squeal?

As the serpentine belt's primary aim is to transmit power from your engine pulley to other belt-driven components, if your belt goes bad or you replaced a low-quality belt that does not have enough strength to carry all the pulleys along, it produces a whirring or squealing noise.

What does a misaligned belt sound like?

Chirping can be due to misalignment of the drive belt, but could also be due to pulley misalignment, worn pulley bearings, worn belt ribs, contamination from oil, coolant, power steering fluid, brake cleaner, belt dressing, or other substances. Squealing is usually caused by slipping between the belt and the pulleys.

What noise will a belt make if the pulley is misaligned?

A chirping noise that increases in frequency as the engine is revved up can be the result of belt vibration caused by misaligned pulleys. In fact most cases of belt noise are caused by misaligned pulleys and belts.

How do I adjust my serpentine belt?

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.

Can a serpentine belt stretch?

Serpentine belts stretch with age and use; as time goes on, the rubber becomes dryer and less pliable making cracking more prevalent. However, cracking can also be caused by a defective tensioner.

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 belt tension and why is it important?

This unit is known as the Accessory Belt Drive System (ABDS). It supplies tension to engine belts. When functioning the entire system properly keeps the vehicle running smoothly, but if any one part of the system fails, it could affect the alternator. Subsequently, the battery, the engine, and the car could break down.

What happens if pulleys are not aligned?

When pulleys are not aligned properly, additional loads are induced. The aim of belt alignment is to align the grooves of the drive and driven pulleys so that the belts run with minimal wear. Proper alignment extends the service life of belts and bearings, reduces vibration and noise levels, and saves energy.