I had my installation done professionally so my problems is I don't have the manual and the dealership is several hundred miles away (bought the car with it installed). My belts are so loose they are making a lot of noise and I want to get it corrected before I drive again. How do you adjust the belt tension? I noticed the bolt behind the tension pulley but it seems to be adjusted to its limit. There are three bolts around the pulleys that link the rear and front belts and it seems this would be how you would adjust the rear belt. It looks like if I rotate it to tighten the rear pulley it will loosen the front one and I have no more travel for the tension pulley. Any help would be appreciated.

Also if anyone could email me a copy of the manual that would be great!

Thanks in advance!

BlownG

scott_jones@sbcglobal.net

 

I bet if you e mail ATI they will send you one for free or maybe look on there site it could be in PDF form

 

I'm hoping to fix it tonight if I can. Otherwise I'll be calling them and the dealership in the mornnig. Couldn't find anything on their website.

 

How is your idler pulley set up? Does the belt run UNDER it (i.e. the smooth part of the belt touches the pulley) or does it run OVER it (the toothed side of the belt contacts the pulley)?

In this pic, the belt runs OVER it. If yours it like this, you loosen the "jack bolt" and the bolt on the front center of the idler pulley and lift the pulley up as high as you can and then tighten them both up while holding the pulley in it's new position.

 

If you belt runs UNDER the pulley you do the same thing but push down on the pulley to put tension on the belt.

I used to have mine as shown in the above pic but changed it to the other way since this seems to keep the tension on it better and I get a little less belt squeal.

Like this:

 

A lot of people have the belt running like the first pic. I think it's totally wrong. A good installer would catch that. Tensioners always touch the smooth part.

 

Wouldn't also spin in the opposite direction? Heh, maybe I'm just a newb.

 

Thanks guys for the posts, but how do you adjust the tension on the rear belt? That is the one that is really rattling around.

I also think the belt should have been designed to go under the idler pulley too but the way the jack bolt is setup, to pull up or hold up the idler pulley, clearly it was designed (poorly) to go over it. If the front bolt came loose the jack bolt wouldn't hold the idler pulley down.

Thanks,

BlownG

 

Could someone PLEASE send me the section of the manual for belt adjustment. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...

Thanks,

BlownG

 

I just went through the manual and there isn't anything about how to tension the belts believe it or not.

reiver, the black pulley in the center of the pic isn't a drive pulley, it is a tensioner pulley. In other words, it spins in whatever direction the drive pulleys and belt make it spin and by changing the belt position (like I did in the pics) it doesn't matter what direction the black pulley goes, it's just there to keep the belt under tension.


Vic, I agree. That is why I changed mine. The manual has it the OLD way however with the teeth touching the pulley.

 

So when you put the belt under the idler the jackbolt doesn't provide any function does it (other than a locking mechanism for the pulley bolt)? The only thing keeping the pulley in place at that point is the pulley bolt. If you tighten the front pulley then torque down the jack bolt everything is fine. Problem is if the pulley becomes free, from the pulley bolt coming loose or wear, the idler lifts right up. I tested this buy loosening the idler bolt without the belt on and you can lift the idler right up, the jackbot does nothing to keep the pulley in place as opposed to when you route the belt over the idler. Looks like the design might not be ideal but it seems like it was supposed to be over the idler. I appreciate all your help and thoughts on this. Am I missing something?

Still trying to figure out the belt tension on the back belt...

Thanks,

BlownG

 

you have to tension both belts if you change the tension of the smaller belt........take a look at the picture thats posted......there are three allen bolts with circular slotted holes on the large belt cog that is closest to the compressor.....if you loosen those belts, and rotate that assembly counter-clockwise, that will tighten the smaller cog belt........but once you do that, the tension on the large cog belt has changed........so you need to tension that one with the jack-shaft deal

 

That's what I thought. Looks like I have a problem then because that would loosen the front belt and I have no more adjustment left in the idler pulley (it's as high as it will go). Looks like I need to talk to ATI.

Thanks for all the help!

BlownG

 

If you put it underneath the pulley like I have mine now (second pic) you are correct, the adjustment is pretty much maxed out. But I found that the tension is perfect without any adjustment. I would think that this is the better way to go if you can get it on there since you really shouldn't have the teeth of the belt on the smooth pulley. It seems more intuitive to have the smooth part of the belt on there.

 

Click on image to enlarge

Based on the manual, the main cog belt and blower cog belt requires a tension of 0.4" deflection with 20 lbs pressure (finger pressure)

Than is the tension that I have my belts on, and I have the main cog belt that goes over the tension pulley.

G

 

If your belt is made to go under the tension pulley it will be slightly longer, as mine is not long enough to be routed under the tension pulley; as in the second illustration.

 

Thanks All! I really appreciate the info.

BlownG

 

you can move the tension pulley. it will fit.

 

I have the same one you do I assume. It is a tight fit but it will go. It's almost like how you used to have to work your bicycle chain back onto the gear when it fell off as a kid. You partially put it on and jiggle it and rotate it until it goes on.

 

I spoke with ATI this morning. The belt is supposed to be above the idler for several reasons:

1. The jack bolt was designed to adjust and hold the position of the pulley and it doesn't if you route the belt under the pulley.

2. You increase the risk of binding the belt cogs in the pulley groves when you close the loop around the pulley.

3. You decrease the life of the belt due to additional contact with the pulleys. Over the idler the cogs don't make full contact like they do with the additional run over the grooved pulleys.

The person (sorry didn't get a name) I spoke with seemed surprised that people were running the belt under the idler and rattled off why you shouldn't (above). He also said they only ship one belt length for each belt. He was very helpful in answering a number of other questions I had and I was very impressed because of some of the negative things I've read about their service on other boards.

Thanks for all the input!

BlownG