Fan belt maintenance

QUESTION: WHAT IS THE PROPER TENSION FOR THE GENERATOR AND POWER STEERING BELTS, AND WHAT ARE THE RISKS FOR ‘TOO TIGHT’?

ANSWER, THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION, AS THIS IS COMONLY DONE INCORRECTLY. THE PROPER TENSION TEST IS ONCE THE ADJUSTMENT IS MADE, THERE SHOULD BE ½ TO ¾ “ OF DEFLECTION IN THE BELT ‘RUN’ OR LENGTH OF THE BELT BETWEEN THE PULLEYS. LONGER RUNS NEED A BIT MORE THAN SHORTER RUNS. AN OVERTIGHTENED BELT IS THE COMMON CAUSE OF GENERATOR AND POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE, CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE SIDE LOAD ON THE SHAFT BEARING, RESULTING IN FAILURE. ON A POWER STEERING PUMP, THIS IS THE CAUSE OF THE SHAFT SEAL TO LEAK, AND WORST CASE INTERNAL COMPONENTS COLLIDE DEEMING THE PUMP UNREPAIRABLE. UNFORTUNATLY I SEE THAT A LOT.

IF YOU HAVE ADJUSTED THE BELTS CORRECTLY BUT STILL HAVE SOME BELT NOISE, IT COULD BE THE BELT CONDITION OR A BAD BELT TO PULLEY FIT. NEVER OVERTIGHTEN TO COMPENSATE FOR THAT.

ANOTHER TIP: NEWLY REPLACED BELTS MAY NEED TO BE READJUSTED AFTER A ‘BREAK IN’ PERIOD AS THEY CAN TEND TO STRETCH.