How long is a piece of string?.........

  I've always found the instructions on belt tension imprecise, too.  It is
pretty hard to 'define' proper belt tension in a way that would make
everyone get it just the same....Some guys have really strong fingers and
would push really hard while some females might have smaller hands and push
less hard, yet both would get the specified deflection....at a much
different actual tension.

  There are belt tensioning tools......but they are specific to each
vehicle.  The one for my old Porsche 928 4-cam serpentine belt cost $800+
and didn't work very well anyway...

On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 7:13 AM, Rocket J Squirrel <
camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:

> Something I've never understood about tightening the belt. Instructions
> usually say something like:
>
> "Be careful not to get the belts too tight. You should have
> slight (1/8" - 1/4") deflection in the belts after they are adjusted.
> This of course depends on the length of the belt."
>
> <http://www.vanagonauts.com/**printable.phtml?&catid=215<http://www.vanagonauts.com/printable.phtml?&catid=215>
> >
>
> How much pressure do you put behind your thumb when testing? I can
> deflect the belt anywhere from not much to a lot more by pressing harder!
>
> --
> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
> Bend, Ore.
> 1984 Westfalia. A poor but proud people.
> 1971 "Ladybug"-brand utility trailer ca. 1972 from a defunct company in
> San Clemente, Calif., now repurposed as The Westrailia.
>
> Sent from my kitchen.
>