If, after starting a cooled engine or when the accelerator pedal is pressed sharply, a whistle is heard from under the hood, this indicates a weak tension in the alternator belt, which must be tightened.
Instructions
Step 1
Place the handbrake on the vehicle so that it does not budge while you are doing work. Check that the engine is stopped and the ignition key is removed. Also remember to disconnect the negative cable from the battery terminal. After that, carefully lift the hood and locate the generator. Check it first for cracks, tears, and excessive elongation.
Step 2
Take a vernier caliper or ruler in your hands and press the belt towards its narrowing. You do not need to press hard, the normal force will be three to four kilograms, which can be achieved if you press with your thumb with medium force.
Step 3
Keeping the belt pressed, measure the distance the deflection has occurred. If this value exceeds 10 millimeters, then it is necessary to tighten the belt. Another indicator of normal belt tension is the rotation of only 90 degrees, which is done with just two fingers. If it can be turned to a greater angle, then the belt must also be tightened.
Step 4
Take a 17 mm socket wrench and use it to carefully loosen the nut that secures the generator to the tension bar. Now, using a spudger or a conventional pry bar, slowly move the engine away from the generator until the belt is sufficiently tensioned. Then, without changing the position of the generator, tighten the nut that you recently unscrewed.
Step 5
Make sure that during fixation, the load remains the same, and there is no displacement of the belt from the desired position. For best results, tighten the lock nut to a torque of at least 30 N / m. Remember that it is recommended to check the belt tension every 10 thousand kilometers, and if necessary, even earlier.
