Inspection
Inspect the alternator belt and the fan drive belts for wear and for cracking. Replace the belts if the belts are not in good condition.
Check the belt tension according to the information in the Service Manual, "Specifications".
Slippage of loose belts can reduce the efficiency of the driven components. Vibration of loose belts can cause unnecessary wear on the following components:
- Belts
- Pulleys
- Bearings
If the belts are too tight, unnecessary stress is placed on the components. This stress reduces the service life of the components.
Adjusting the Alternator Belt
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| Illustration 1 | g01092641 |
Typical alternator (1) Mounting bolt (2) Adjusting nuts (3) Mounting bolt | |
- Remove the drive belt guard.
- Loosen mounting bolt (1), adjusting nuts (2) and mounting bolt (3) .
- Turn adjusting nuts (2) in order to increase or decrease the drive belt tension.
- Tighten adjusting nuts (2). Tighten mounting bolt (3). Tighten mounting bolt (1). For the proper torque, see the Service Manual, "Specifications" module.
- Reinstall the drive belt guard.
If new drive belts are installed, check the drive belt tension again after 30 minutes of engine operation at the rated rpm.
Adjusting the Fan Drive Belt
- Loosen the mounting bolt for the pulley.
- Loosen the adjusting nut for the pulley.
- Move the pulley in order to adjust the belt tension.
- Tighten the adjusting nut to the proper torque.
- Tighten the mounting bolt to the proper torque.
For the proper torque specifications, refer to the Service Manual, "Specifications" module.
Replacement
For applications that require multiple drive belts, replace the drive belts in matched sets. Replacing one drive belt of a matched set will cause the new drive belt to carry more load because the older drive belts are stretched. The additional load on the new drive belt could cause the new drive belt to fail.