Absolutely anyone, more or less, experienced driver knows that the correct tension of the alternator belt will provide a reliable power supply to the vehicle's on-board network and a good one, which is so important when starting the engine. Weak tensioned belt can slip relative to the generator pulley and quickly break due to heating, and a strongly tensioned belt creates a large load on the bearings of the generator rotor shaft and pump, as a result of which they quickly fail.

As you understand, a parameter such as belt tension should always be within normal limits. To check the belt tension, you can use a metal strip half a meter long and a simple ruler. Almost all domestic cars allow the belt deflection, which is formed between the generator pulley and the crankshaft, equal to 15 millimeters. The force, in this case, should not exceed 10 kg / cm.

Procedure:

1. To measure the tension of the alternator belt, place a thin metal strip between the crankshaft pulley and alternator.

2. Act on the belt by pulling it away from the strip using your fingers.

3. Measure the distance from the top position alternator belt to a metal strip.

The resulting value will mean the deflection of the alternator belt. If it has any deviations from the norm, then it will be necessary to adjust the alternator belt or replace it, depending on the degree of belt wear.

Alternator Belt Adjustment

So, if you come to the conclusion that the tension on the alternator belt is insufficient or excessive, then you need to proceed with the adjustments. It is quite simple to perform, so you can do without car service employees.

Procedure:

1. Place the vehicle on a level surface and prevent any accidental movement. The presence of a viewing pit is not at all necessary, however, if your car is of a "classic" family, then it is better to use the pit. Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery to avoid accidental short circuits of live parts engine compartment (wires, plugs and metal housings).

2. Loosen the nut located on the generator adjuster bar. It is not necessary to unscrew it too much, since you only need to free the generator from fastening. Do the same with the bottom nut. It is screwed on with a long bolt, which is the main fastener of any generator.

3. Insert a pry bar between the engine and the alternator and bend the alternator, applying the required force to the belt. Without slackening the applied force, tighten the adjuster nut as tight as possible. After that, check the belt tension as described above. If the measurement result is not correct, then loosen the nut again and repeat the tension.

4. As soon as the belt tension meets the requirements maintenancethen tighten the nut on the long bolt. This completes the alternator belt adjustment.

Video - How to tighten or loosen the VAZ alternator belt

In the case when the tension of the alternator belt is impossible due to the strong wear of the rubber component, then it is necessary to replace the belt. relevant in the case when the belt is stretched or has any defects in the form of burrs and cracks. In addition, in the process of operation, it can emit a characteristic whistle, by which it is not difficult to determine its faulty state.

Purchase exactly the same alternator belt before replacing. A product from another car model will not fit in any way - you need to remember this well.

Procedure:

1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and immobilize. The presence of a viewing hole, as in the first case, is not mandatory, but a desirable condition. Be sure to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery.

2. Loosen the nut that secures the alternator to the shim. Then, loosen the nut that tightens the long bolt from the bottom of the generator.

3. Pull the alternator towards the engine and remove the old belt.

4. Fitting a new belt looks more complicated. The most important thing is to make every effort, while not spoiling the product. First, it is recommended to put the belt on the crankshaft pulley, then on the alternator pulley. If you have a water pump pulley - last, put the belt on the pump pulley.

5. Then tension the belt and tighten all loose nuts. Remember to reinstall the battery terminal.

This is how the generator belt tension is checked, adjusted and replaced. This set of procedures is basic and is performed with a standard set of automotive instruments. This does not require special knowledge, so you can check the belt tension yourself.

The performance of the internal combustion engine depends on the quality of the generator. After starting the engine, the device is the main source of electricity on board the car. However, for smooth rotation of the rotor, it is necessary to properly tension, otherwise there will be problems with the generation of current.

How to tension a car alternator belt.

The degree of belt tension in a given belt drive is a critical parameter that it is advisable to regularly monitor by car owners. With significant loosening, there is a risk of slipping along the profile of the pulley, because rotation is transmitted due to frictional force. Due to the low tension, the friction coefficient decreases, and the voltage generation is lower than the standard set by the car manufacturer. Due to the low voltage, negative factors arise:

• disadvantage;
• the on-board electrical system is experiencing a voltage deficit;
• electrical appliances included in the circuit operate with increased load, which negatively affects their operational resource.

Important! Weak tension of the alternator belt contributes to its slippage, heating from friction and leads to rapid failure due to the loss of its performance.

Motorists should also avoid tightening the strap too much. Such actions will also not bring positive. A large effort ends up in rapid wear, and also often leads to a gear break at an unexpected moment. High tension forces have a negative effect on the operation of bearings, which must be installed on the generator output shaft and on the crankshaft output shaft. Exceeding the optimal load speeds up their production. Long-term operation in extreme conditions reduces their resource.

Before checking the tension of the alternator belt, it must be borne in mind that the optimal value depends on many external factors, which include:

• car make and model;
• type of generator installed under the hood;
• type of belt used to transmit rotation.

What level of belt tension on the generator should be in the car, the manual for the car brand helps to find out. Also, manufacturers of generators and belts regulate the value, indicating it in the passport attached to the products. The parameter is influenced by the presence of additionally connected equipment. These units include generators, hydraulic and electric power steering. Not in all conditions it is possible to obtain accurate information about the electrical equipment installed in the car. In such situations, experienced drivers are guided by a universal rule, which falls under a large number of domestic and.

Important! For many vehicles, the tightness test is performed on the longest straight section of the belt between the pulleys. After applying a force equivalent to 10 kg, the deflection of the belt should be about 10 mm.

For example, in VAZ 2115 models, generators of different models can be installed depending on the year of manufacture of the car. There are brands 37.3701 or close analogues 9402.3701. In the first case, a deviation at 10 kg by 10-15 mm is permissible, and in the second case the interval is limited by manufacturers to 6-10 mm.

Signs of a weak generator drive tension

The motorist will be able to determine the insufficient level of tightness by indirect signs that quickly manifest themselves in any car brands. Most often, you should be on your guard in such cases:

• from under the hood during iCE operation whistling sounds are heard, so it is worth looking into this area and confirming / refuting doubts;
• some (or all) electrical appliances function intermittently or in an abnormal mode;
• a light on the dashboard lights up continuously during travel.

Indicator on dashboard can be in the form of a battery icon or a corresponding abbreviation. It is worth paying attention to her behavior.

Tensioning options for drive belts

Depending on the design features of the car, manufacturers mount various tensioner options under the hood. Such nodes are in demand if drivers detect belt sagging or excessive overtightening, which may have been allowed at the station after maintenance. Most often, the load on the belt connecting the generator and the crankshaft can be adjusted using regulators in which the force is transmitted through one of the element types:

• bar;
• bolt;
• roller.

All designs have their own positive and negative characteristics.

The technique is relevant to a greater extent for older generation cars, for example, the "classic" from VAZ. The method consists in fixing the generator to the body using an arcuate bar clamped with a bolted connection through a groove. By releasing the thread, it will be possible to move the generator to adjust the force. The following algorithm is used:

• unscrew the fastening nut one turn or half a turn to loosen the bar, which acts as a belt tensioner;
• we pry the body of the electrical appliance with a mount, which must be tightened the alternator belt to an acceptable level in order to provide the required tightness;
• tighten the fasteners, fixing the generator in a new position.

Since the process is relatively easy, it can be repeated as needed.

Tensioning with the adjusting bolt

More progressive is the technique in which the tension of the alternator belt is adjusted and fixed by means of an adjusting bolt. By moving it along the thread, you will be able to achieve the desired result. The step-by-step algorithm includes positions:

• first of all, we loosen the fastening of the generator;
• then unscrew / tighten the adjusting bolt with a key;
• tighten the upper and lower generator mounting bolts.

The advantages of this method are that the car owner has the ability to control the degree of effort directly in the adjustment process. It is important to consider the error that occurs when tightening the fasteners.

On certain models modern cars to loosen the belt comfortably, a construction with a roller is mounted. For example, this is how the Priora's generator weakening is organized. It should be borne in mind that the installed belt is also used to ensure the rotation of the air conditioner and the hydraulic booster. A special roller is an integral part of the design. An auto mechanic will need a 17 open-end wrench to work with the Priora. It will help loosen and tighten the threaded system. In addition, you will need a special key used to turn the roller. It looks like a special device in the form of a key with a handle, the working end of which has two rods with a diameter of 4 mm and a length of 25 mm, located at a distance of 18 mm perpendicular to the handle.

Important! It is not recommended to use tools for adjustment that are not intended for this operation, for example, bent pliers or other homemade products, since they can not only weaken the belt, but also damage the tensioner on the generator.

The cost of a special key does not usually exceed 80-100 rubles. They are looking for it by encoding 67.7812-9573. Having chosen the optimal force, tighten the adjusting rollers with a 17 key. Access to the settings is simple, it opens from above from under the hood. You can check the degree of tightness after starting the engine and turning on the electrical appliances. They should work normally. During the rotation of the crankshaft, the internal combustion engine should not dashboard "AKB", and the whistle of the belt should not appear. Manufacturers recommend monitoring the belt force at least after 15 thousand km. Obligatory replacement of consumables is carried out no later than 60 thousand km of run. Since the product has the ability to stretch over time, we recommend that you periodically check its performance several times a season.

Important after all the adjustments, after driving a couple of kilometers, check that the strap is not overtightened or sagged again. Such control will give complete confidence in the correctness of the operations performed.

What happens if you drag

Not all motorists know what will happen if drivers overtighten the belt during tensioning. The increased load increases the wear on the assembly. It manifests itself in the form of a characteristic hum from an electrical appliance. The main noise is generated by bearings and rollers, which will create increased interference. More expensive due to pinching will be to repair the water pump or air conditioning compressor involved in the circuit. It is worth paying attention to the special marks used by manufacturers to monitor tensioner wear and timely replacement belt.

Output

It is necessary to keep the belt in optimal condition without loosening and overtightening. This minimizes stress on electrical appliances and does not create unnecessary stress on mechanical components. It is not recommended to allow excessive loosening, as the belt can simply fly off the pulleys, and with increased tension it can break.

The timing belt is an element in the engine design that connects the camshaft and crankshaft, organizing the timely opening and similar closing of the valves. The belt drive must always be well tensioned, as a result of which the engineers have introduced special tensioners into the design of the gas distribution mechanism. Few people know, but not only the service life of the belt itself, but also the unit as a whole, depends on the correct tension setting. In more detail about how to tighten the timing belt, and when such an operation may be required, we will talk in the article given today.

A few words about the importance of correct stretching

Many motorists are aware that improper timing can cause very serious engine damage. This is due to the principles of functioning of the mechanism, which are reduced to timely and high-quality opening / closing of the motor valves. This approach not only allows you to adjust the valve timing of the internal combustion engine, but also to distinguish between sensitive valves and constantly knocking pistons in operation.

If the timing begins to work incorrectly, the timing is disrupted, as a result of which the engine elements begin to wear out at an accelerated rate. Similar disturbances in the functioning of the motor may also appear due to improper belt tension.

Note! A break in a belt drive during movement not only negatively affects the condition of the engine, but is actually capable of greatly bending the valve. Repairing a car with such a breakdown often costs motorists five-figure sums of money.

In addition, inappropriate drive tension accelerates the wear of the main timing elements, which include:

• directly the belt drive itself;
• rollers;
• twisting clutches;
• guides;
• tensioner.

Repair of each of the marked timing parts is carried out significantly longer than the usual belt tension. Well, there is nothing to say about the cost, if you can pull on the drive yourself and completely free of charge, then you will have to pay for the replacement of the components of the mechanism.

When belt tension is required

Having considered the previous paragraph of the article, it was probably not difficult to understand that it is quite important to monitor the correct functioning of the timing. Including it is worth keeping the tension of the belt drive at the proper level. By the way, stretching is carried out only in two main cases:

• With a scheduled check of the gas distribution mechanism and the tension does not correspond to the norm. The normal tension of the timing belt drive is checked very in a simple way, for which you will need a conventional spring scale and a ruler or vernier caliper. To check, the hook of the scales clings to the belt and stretches until the display has a load of 10 kilograms. Without loosening the grip, it remains only to measure the deviation of the drive from the normal position. If the belt is pulled back by more than 5.5 millimeters, but its tension is inevitable. Otherwise, you can leave everything as it is until the next timing check, which is recommended every 10-15,000 kilometers;
• When repairing the timing belt, when the belt was removed or its tension was loosened.

In situations that do not correspond to those noted above, it is simply not worth touching the belt drive of the mechanism. Especially if the motor runs stably, without pronounced problems.

Stretching procedure

Let's say the timing belt literally slips on your car, or its tension slightly deviates from the norm. What to do? Naturally, tighten the drive. Fortunately for many motorists, the stretching procedure is not so difficult and takes 5-10 minutes. To carry it out, you need the following tools:

• timing belt adjustment key, the design of which is quite simple, so it is not necessary to buy it, but it is quite possible to do it yourself;
• basic set of wrenches.

The stretching procedure itself goes like this:

1. First of all, we put the car in a place convenient for repairs and turn off the battery (just disconnect the negative terminal);
2. Then we tear off the hood and remove the protection from the timing belt, of course, if available;
3. After that, loosen the tension roller nut;
4. Next, using a special key to adjust the belt tension, we tighten. To do this, insert the "horns" of the key into special holes on the adjusting nut, which is located in the area of \u200b\u200bthe previously loosened fastening of the tension roller. The belt tension is adjusted by twisting a special key counterclockwise;
5. After tightening the drive in the right way, we fix tension roller in a stationary position and tighten its fastening;
6. We check the belt tension again. If something is wrong, we fix it;
7. Otherwise, we bring the car to its original form, after which the repair can be completed.

Note! In the process renovation works you need to act carefully without damaging the adjacent timing elements. Often, the negligence of inexperienced auto repairmen complicates their life with the need for additional repairs.

To carry out this work, you need a wrench to tension the timing belt.

a) It is necessary to remove the plug at the top of the clutch housing.

b) In this window, use a screwdriver to turn the crankshaft by the teeth of the flywheel crown

until the mark on the camshaft pulley and the protrusion of the rear timing belt cover are aligned.

In this case, the mark on the flywheel must be aligned with the center of the scale.

If the relative position of the crankshaft and camshaft is broken, then turn crankshaft until the mark aligns with the center of the scale. Loosen the belt tension and remove it from the camshaft pulley. Turn camshaft until the mark on its pulley coincides with the projection on the back cover. Without changing the relative position of the shafts, put the belt on the camshaft pulley and adjust the belt tension.

7. Using a 17 mm wrench, release the tightening of the tension roller nut.

8. Turning the roller with a special wrench, adjust the belt tension and, holding the roller in this position, tighten the nut of its fastening.

9. Check the belt tension (see above) and, if necessary, repeat the adjustment.

10. Finally tighten the roller nut to a torque of 33.2–41.2

11. Reinstall the front belt cover and tighten the bolts.

Related videos:

There are certain points that the car owner should know and be able to do on their own. Of course, today you can easily contact any car service and experienced mechanics will do whatever is necessary. But breakdowns, as a rule, occur suddenly and can happen in the most inconvenient place. And if the reason is a break or loosening of the alternator belt, then in this case it is enough to have the necessary knowledge to correct the situation and go further. In today's post we will talk about or replace it yourself.

Diagnosing the problem

First, let's figure out what observations can confirm the need to tighten the alternator belt. As a rule, high-quality components recommended by the manufacturer serve the prescribed period. Usually it is a mileage of 60 thousand kilometers and only after that it is necessary to replace it, during this period there should be no problems. However, experienced car owners recommend that you regularly assess the condition of the alternator belt.

If microcracks are noticed on the object, then this is already a reason for replacement, allowing you to prevent a sudden breakage. If the driver hears a whistle from under the hood or notices the slipping of the belt on the pulleys, then just tighten the belt a little and the problem will be solved. Slippage occurs when a part is slightly stretched or loosened.

The degree of tension is of great importance, so it is important to knowhow to tension the alternator belt correctly... Not strong enough will cause the drive shaft pulley to spin, and therefore reduce the efficiency of electricity generation. In such conditions, the belt itself overheats and loses its original properties. To get rid of such phenomena, it is important to control and maintain the optimum degree of tension.

But here it is important not to overdo it. An excessively tensioned belt will lead to an early breakdown of the generator, and this is a completely different scale of repair. Bearings fail, after which it is necessary to completely change the generator.

How can you tell if the belt has sufficient tension? It depends on many factors and there is no universal meaning. The car owner should read the instructions for the car or generator. If you use an average value, then you need to push the belt in the longest part between the pulleys. With a pressure of about 10 kg, the belt should deflect by about 1 cm. A larger deviation indicates the need to tighten the belt.

We will look at several stretching methods. The choice of a particular one will depend on which car needs to be adjusted.

Using the adjusting bar

This solution is suitable for older domestic cars... It is based on the use of an arcuate bar, with which the generator is attached to the engine. If you loosen the bolt, you can move the bar with the generator to the required distance, which allows you to adjust the degree of tension.

As a result, the process is reduced to the following algorithm.

Then you need to check the degree of tension. If the desired results were not achieved the first time, the process should be repeated. The method is simple and does not require any special skills.

Using the adjusting bolt

The adjusting bolt method is suitable for most modern vehicles. Moreover, it is no less simple than the previous one. By scrolling a special adjusting device, you can change the position of the generator and thereby change the degree of belt tension.

So what needs to be done?

Unlike the previous method, the tension can be checked during the adjustment process. This greatly simplifies the process. There is no need to work with the bindings several times.

Adjusting roller

An adjusting roller is installed in some modern cars and is part of the design. You can rarely meet him, but we want to consider the process of stretching and using it. This is the easiest and fastest way to get the results you want.

The roller is unscrewed and fixed with an ordinary wrench. In addition, you will need a device to turn the adjusting roller. If there is no such key in the kit, it can be easily purchased at any auto store.

How to tension the alternator belt? Everything is simple here. Loosen the bolt holding the roller. Turn the latter in the right direction, depending on what exactly is required (tighten or loosen). Fix the position by tightening the fixing bolt.

To check the tension, you can start the car and turn on the devices that consume the most electricity ( high beam, air conditioning). If there is no whistle and all functions are working properly, then the tension is correct.

Tips & Tricks

At the end of the article, we want to give a few useful recommendations to novice car owners.

• It is recommended to change the alternator belt every 60 thousand kilometers. Even if it shows no signs of malfunction.
• A preventive check of the tension state should be carried out every 15 thousand kilometers. This will prevent sudden breakdowns and keep the systems functioning optimally.
• After adjusting the belt, turn the crankshaft a couple of times with a wrench, then check if the tension has changed.

If you still have questions about, you can ask them in the discussions. But it would be more reasonable to contact the nearest service station, where qualified specialists will perform the procedure and show an illustrative example. Share the article on social networks and stay with us.