Improper serpentine belt adjustment problems
The serpentine belt or fan belt still requires regular attention and inspection. Failure to maintain a serpentine belt can be very detrimental, especially if the damage occurs at unfavorable times, such as at night during long journeys. In practice, serpentine belt care consists only of inspection and adjustment.
Inspection of the serpentine belt is carried out by observing the condition of the serpentine belt itself. Is the serpentine belt still elastic, hard, or even cracked? If the physical inspection of the serpentine belt is inadequate, replacement of the serpentine belt with a new one should be carried out immediately.
One thing that is most often doubted is adjusting the tension of the serpentine belt. If the vehicle has adopted a serpentine belt with an automatic adjustment system, this is certainly not a problem.
However, if it turns out that you are still using the manual adjusting system, improper adjustment can harm the serpentine belt itself or the components associated with the serpentine belt. This article will share related information due to improper serpentine belt adjustment problems
Over tightened belt problems
A serpentine belt that is too tight will automatically put more weight on the serpentine belt itself as well as on the bearings connected to the serpentine belt. You will generally find that the serpentine belt will be connected to the alternator, water pump, and crankshaft pulley in the car engine.
If the serpentine belt is set over tight, then the impact will quickly damage the water pump bearing and alternator bearing. Bearing damage due to adjustment too tight is often indicated by a noise sound which, if left for too long, the bearing can be broken.
In addition to damaged or broken bearings, the serpentine belt set too tight also becomes damaged faster because it is easier to stiffen and break quickly.
Also read:Loose serpentine belt symptoms
If the serpentine belt is set too loose, it can also be bad, especially with the serpentine belt itself. Loose serpentine belts can cause the serpentine belts to slip between the pulleys of each component. Because the serpentine belt has slipped, there are two possibilities, namely:
A squeaking noise appears when the engine is rotating
The serpentine belt is too loose, causing the serpentine belt to slip, causing a squeaky noise. Apart from the squeaking noise, the serpentine belt also gets hotter and breaks more quickly because it will harden and become less elastic.
The alternator and water pump are not working optimally
In addition to damaged serpentine belts, too loose serpentine belts can also affect the work of the water pump components and the alternator.
If it is on the alternator, it can cause the battery charging system to have problems due to unstable rotor rotation. If it happens on the water pump, it can make the engine coolant flow not smoothly, allowing overheating.
Therefore, adjust the serpentine belt according to the size recommended by the manufacturer, not too tight or too loose, because each effect still harms the serpentine belt and the components themselves.