What happens if the belt tensioner does not work?

Since the belt tensioner keeps the proper spinning of the drive belts in the car’s engine, certain components or accessories may fail to operate if there’s a problem with the tensioner. For instance, the alternator may not work.

What should I do if my GMC tensioner breaks?

Tensioners usually have a hole or boss to accept a pry bar or a 1/2″ drive breaker bar. That’s how much force they usually need to move out of the way of the belt. A friend of mine has the same problem with his 2000 GMC ECLB 4.8 2wd.

Why does my a / C belt keep breaking?

Another possible cause is excessive belt tension…make sure your tensioner is moving freely (while no belt is on it). I want to say it sounds like a compressor locking up briefly, but I would think after six months, it should have failed totally by now or at least cause more frequent problems.

What causes the serpentine belt to break on a GM Truck?

Some customers may comment about an underhood rattle noise heard on acceleration or a sudden loss of A/C system performance. This condition may be caused by liquid slugging of the A/C compressor. This condition may cause an internal failure in the A/C compressor. The serpentine belt tensioner and serpentine belt may also be damaged.

What causes a serpentine belt tensioner to wear out?

A worn automatic serpentine belt tensioner can cause belt squeal, misalignment and belt chirp, and alterantor bearing damage. Automatic tensioners tend to wear out at around 100K miles. If you have a belt noise or vibration and you’ve changed the belt, it’s time to test your belt tensioner. It’s easy. Just follow the procedures below.

When do I need to replace my tensioner belt?

If you have a newer vehicle, your tensioner and belt needs to be replaced regularly according your vehicle manual. At O’Reilly Auto Parts, we have tensioner assemblies for most makes and models. Explore our options and find a tensioner assembly that can fit your vehicle.

How do you adjust the tension on a serpentine belt?

Locate the adjuster bolt on the belt tensioner used to secure the serpentine belt, and adjust the tension by loosening or tightening the adjuster bolt with a racthet and socket while you simultaneously move the belt back and forth gently to find the proper tension.

Can a bell tree be replaced without a tensioner?

Without the tensioner arm you wouldn’t be able to pull the bell tree to replace it with a new one. Usually we hear of the timing belt itself going bad and needing to be replaced, it’s possible that the timing belt tensioner is the problem when your engine and it can be replaced separately from the timing belt if it’s not doing his job properly.

When to replace timing belt and tensioner bearings?

When the timing belt is replaced, other parts, including the tensioner, should be replaced at the same time. This is because these components wear out at essentially the same rate as the belt. For instance, the tensioner bearings could dry out or even seize.

What to do if your belt tensioner is not working?

Use a wrench to move the belt tensioner arm through its range of motion. What you want to see is that there is resistance to the movement that you apply. If you notice that there is no resistance at all, then the problem is in the tensioner spring.

How much does it cost to replace a timing belt tensioner?

The cost of replacing a timing belt tensioner has a bit of variance to it. You can expect to pay between $350 and $500 to replace a faulty tensioner, but it’s also worth remembering that this is usually done alongside the timing belt replacement as well.

Why is the seat belt pretensioner so important?

Since the seat belt pretensioner may be the most significant component of your vehicle in regards to safety, it is important to have somewhat of an understanding of this life saving device. A seat belt pretensioner is a part of the seat belt system that locks the seatbelt in place in the event of a crash.

How to fix and prevent water damage to leather?

If you do spill water on your couch, wipe up the excess and let it dry naturally. 3. Clean and protect your couch regularly to make it more resistant to water damage. Here’s how: blog post. Fix water-damaged leather: The best way to soften up leather stiffened from water damage is to massage it.

Why does my belt tensioner make a squealing sound?

This is especially the case when starting the engine first thing in the morning. Since the tensioner is not able to maintain the correct tension on the belts, it produces a squealing or squeaking sound. This is most evident on the drive belts.

How do you remove tension from a serpentine belt?

Note: It is a very heavy spring tension, and pivoting the tensioner is often not possible with a short handled tool. Hold the tension from the belt, and slip the belt off the auto tensioner pulley to remove the belt and pulley system. Slowly release the tension to avoid damage or injury, and then remove the tool from the belt auto tensioner.

Where is the belt tensioner located on a car?

Where is the belt tensioner located? The single belt loops around all the different pulleys on your engine, but one pulley has a tensioner arm, which will be the only pulley the has a square, 3/8-inch hole in the center. That hole is for a 3/8-inch ratchet nub, the part that holds the socket.

What’s the best way to loosen a pulley belt?

Try both directions, which will require you to flip the selector on the wrench to the opposite direction (so you can loosen or tighten). The tensioner will move only in one direction, and when moved will release its grip on the belt. Make sure you study how the original belt wraps around the various pulleys.

Can a bad belt pulley cause a car to break?

In more severe instances, a bad tensioner pulley can cause the drive belt to break. Failure of the Belt-driven Accessories to Operate Since the belt tensioner keeps the proper spinning of the drive belts in the car’s engine, certain components or accessories may fail to operate if there’s a problem with the tensioner.

Why does the tensioner make a squeaking noise?

Since the tensioner is not able to maintain the correct tension on the belts, it produces a squealing or squeaking sound. This is most evident on the drive belts. If the noise you hear is similar to a grinding sound, then it is possible that the tensioner bearings or the tensioner pulley is the problem.

How much tension do you need for a V-belt?

Designed for the tension testing of a drive with two or more belts, this pocket-sized tool measures V-belts from 10” to 170” and up to 35 pounds of tension. Measure belt span and measure the force required to deflect any one of the belts 1/64” for every inch of span length.

Can a harmonic balancer be removed from a timing belt?

Determine if the harmonic balancer pulley needs to be removed to remove the timing belt cover. Often, the cover saddles over the end of the crankshaft, and this pulley will not allow you to remove the cover without first removing it.

What causes low belt tension and belt noise?

Causes: 1 Low belt tension 2 Low installation tension (manually tensioned drives), belt stretch, extreme belt wear, tensioner spring degradation or a belt that is too long 3 High accessory / idler drag 4 Seized bearings or accessory failure / lock –up 5 Environmental contamination

What happens when there is too little or too much tension on a belt?

Too little tension results in slippage, excess heat, and premature belt & pulley wear. Too much tension results in excessive stress on belts, bearings, and shafts. However, there is still a wide range of tension which a belt will operate satisfactorily.

What should the force be to deflect a belt?

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. The force Fto apply is shown, per belt, in the table to the left.

What to do if your timing belt is off?

GO BACK THERE…THATS IT!!! TELL THEM A HONDA MECHANIC SAID THE TIMING IS OFF ONE OR MORE TEETH AND MUST BE CORRECTED. YOU WILL NOT PAYTHEM ONE RED CENT UNTIL NORMAL OPERATION IS RESTORED…THEY TOTALLY MESSED UP.

Can a Honda Accord have a balance shaft belt?

ALSO your honda 4cyliner in the Accord has a BALANCE SHAFT belt as well. This is also a very precise allignment procedure while doing the T-belt service.

What causes a belt tensioner pulley to squeak?

Tensioner pulley wear will cause your pulley to squeak. A worn out pulley bearing or a worn spring in the tension pulley can also cause squeaking or a chirp. I show you how to use water to identify what type of squeak problem you have and then how to find the problem.

What causes a power transmission belt to fail?

The number one cause of a power transmission belt failure is improper tensioning. In order to ensure a long and efficient belt operation, you must properly learn how to tension a V-belt regularly. If they are too loose, there is slippage, rapid belt or sheave wear and, ultimately, loss of both energy and productivity.

What happens if a belt is too tight on a pulley?

There are two scenarios for improper belt tensioning: too tight and too loose. If a belt is too tight in a system, it can add stress to your bearings. The added stress to bearings can result into over amperage of your motor and potential motor failure. When a belt sits loose on a pulley, the belt can slip while in motion and cause extra friction.

How do you replace a belt on a fan?

Route the new belt through the pulleys just like the old one was. Consult your user manual or the photo you took to make sure it is correct. Finally, apply pressure to the auto tensioner and put the belt over the pulley. Once in place, release the pressure so that the tensioner holds the belt in place.

When to replace a tensioner on a belt?

On systems equipped with an automatic tensioner, the tensioner pulley should turn freely without binding, the tensioner arm should move smoothly through its entire range of motion and there should be adequate tension. Replace the tensioner and /or pulley as required

Why does my belt tensioner make a grinding noise?

If the noise you hear is similar to a grinding sound, then it is possible that the tensioner bearings or the tensioner pulley is the problem. These parts tend to wear out. This is what causes the grinding noise since the metal parts will be rubbing against each other. This is another symptom of a failing belt tensioner.

What should I do before closing my chain tensioner?

A good check too before you close up your chain tensioner housings is to make sure that when your engine is at TDC (Top Dead Center), the dot or ‘930’ mark on the two camshafts are facing upwards. Spin the engine clockwise with the chain covers off just to make sure that there are no problems with the chain.

When to replace HyVo chain tensioners in a car?

One guy on the KLX site thinks it’s okay to replace HyVo chains at 12,000 miles. Those chains are the same design used in some automobiles that run for about a lifetime and on the primary drives of many in-line fours. Other guys think it’s okay to back out the mount bolts to effectively override the automatic system and over-tighten the chain..

How to tell if your belt tensioner is bad?

1 Grinding or squeaking noise from the belts or tensioner The most common symptom of a bad or failing drive belt tensioner is noise from the belts or tensioner. 2 Unusual belt wear Another symptom of a potential problem with the drive belt tensioner is unusual belt wear. 3 Belt-driven accessories fail

What can a bad tensioner do to a car?

When the tensioner has an issue, it can affect the how the belts drive the pulleys which can affect the performance and functionality of the vehicle. Usually a bad or failing tensioner will produce a few symptoms that can alert the driver of a potential problem that should be serviced. 1. Grinding or squeaking noise from the belts or tensioner

Why is my timing belt tensioner making a noise?

If the noise remains, it may be the timing belt tensioner. Warning: Running the engine with the belt removed will keep the battery from charging and can set a check engine light. Make sure you keep this to a minimum and turn the engine off once you determine whether the noise changes.

When to replace idler pulley and belt tensioner?

If the automatic belt tensioner has failed (and the engine has a lot of miles on it), it’s probably a good idea to replace the idler pulley (s) at the same time. Why? Because the shaft bearings on all the pulleys will have the same amount of wear.

How often should I replace my tensioner belt?

This is a good way to detect early warning signs of any possible problems. It should be noted that the drive belt itself will most likely need replacing before the tensioner does. Drive belts typically last anywhere between 40,000 and 70,000 miles.

Where is the serpentine belt tensioner located on a car?

This is a pulley that is either mounted to an adjustable pivot point or a spring mechanism. If you open up the hood of your car, you’ll see that the serpentine belt is on the front of your engine. It is the long one. The pulley itself is found on the outside of the belt, which is how it adds tension or pressure.

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