Even if you could compare tension accurately with your fingers, you're assuming the belt was on there tight enough to begin with. When I first learned about the Krikit II, it was from a post by a mechanic who was finding car after car with insufficiently tightened belts. All those people thought they were on tight enough too.

I know a lot of people rely on the deflection test, but that is no more correct than installing a part without a torque wrench and guessing about the torque. Most people would agree that you should have a torque wrench, tire gauge, spark plug gauge, etc. in your kit. If you wouldn't guess about these other measurements, why would you accept a guess on your belt tension?

 

I said that I agreed... I do have a gauge myself... I was just saying that basically in a pinch without one, doing that would be better than nothing at all.

 

I tighten it up fairly snug and run it a bit to warm up the belt. Then I tighten it a little at a time just until it no longer slips when the power steering is all the way over into lock one way or the other. After you do this a few times you get a "feel" for what is close and only need to adjust it once more to get that tension you are wanting without it being too tight.

 

Doubtful.

And "that tension you are wanting" has actual numbers. It's 140 to 160 ft lbs for a used belt, or 180 to 200 ft lbs for a brand new belt. It's not what you "feel" is the right tension. It's in the FSM.

But hey, you can run yours loose if you want. Just like you can run your tires underinflated because they looked like they had enough air. Or you can undertorque your head bolts because they felt tight enough. Just guess. It'll be fine.

 

100% agree.

 

I have been tightening belts correctly by "feel" since I was seven. In fact I am one of the few in my line of work who can correctly hand tighten the long fan drive belt on a Thermoking or Carrier refrigeration unit by feel and have it be almost exact to tension specs when I put the tension gauge on it every time.

Fortunately I was blessed with a gift for tightening belts. And it truly is not "rocket science"... But I do double check my work in certain very important applications like a unit fan drive belt.

 

One thing to remember on this forum is though, that a great amount of the members here are DIYers and not professional mechanics. Erring on the side of caution is best.

 

One thing to remember on this forum is that a great amount of the members here are DIYers and not professional mechanics. Erring on the side of caution is best.

I’m sure you can adjust belts all day by feel. I’m not trying to agrue with you on that.

 

Have you checked your Harmonic Balancer, the rubber had deteriorated in mine and the pully was slipping and had the belt out of alignment

 

I understand that completely.

And if you read what I shared about how I did it the first time on these, it is actually a sensible way to finally come very close to proper tension if you do not have a gauge or a parts store across the street. It is a sensible and easy method that will work fine for the layman who does not happen to have a gauge in their drawer and just needs to make it run and still be "very close" to what it should be without any future problems.

Please read it again

It's not rocket science, and the impression of not even trying to tighten a belt until you call a taxi and go to the store and buy a gauge is one of the most impractical and unproductive things I have read here yet. It's not that complicated. And we shouldn't make it even more complicated for these guys than it really is. Know what I mean?

 

Good points there... bugout, while you are a professional mechanic... I am not, but I've been wrenching since I was old enough to hold one, which was many, many moons ago...and started on motors with my dad that were high performance ones with very small tolerances for error... We're talking motors/trans for actual drag race cars...and high end sports cars....so I too learned that method pretty spot on every time..but that was a good point made.... not all of us on here were blessed in that fashion with vehicles... so point well taken.

 

Here's how I see it... It's not that complicated and how would we do this procedure if we were broke down on the side of the road without our huge snap on box full of special tools? Well this is pretty much the situation almost everyone who comes in here asking for help is in. They don't have a huge snap on box full of special tools and this is what we have to work with to help them. Even if you own a tension gauge how many really carry it in their mobile toolbox in case they have to replace a belt roadside? It's easy to over complicate things when you have all the special tools like a some of us do. I even find myself doing it and have to put on the brakes and remind myself that not everyone does, and a simpler method is needed considering what they have to work with.

 

The overwhelming majority of belts are not changed on the side of the road. That's called a "red herring."

It's not a Snap On tool. It's not all that special. It's a $15 Gates tool. That's called a "straw man."

None of these points excuses trying to teach people to do it the wrong way. And by "wrong," I mean teaching them a method that will result in a belt installed at an incorrect tension. In other words, an improperly installed belt. When your cognitive dissonance is so severe that you have to resort to red herrings and straw men to argue your point, the argument is pretty much over.

 

Yep...it is absolutely politically incorrect and unconventional. But it works just fine... Just like watching your headlights to see if they are brighter when it is running than they are when it is not to tell if your alternator is working because you don't have a working volt meter or amp gauge.

Again... It's not rocket science and there is no need to turn something this simple into rocket science.

 

neither method is rocket science, one is better. Both work though.