Rb25det Belts Change

[GTSBoy]

Something coarse-ish. 180 is good.

[silviaz]

I just checked my belt, it wasn't super loose but I could bend it past 90 degrees a small amount so I tightened it up and for the first time ever my car didn't crank first time, had to crank it again lol. Don't know if that was because I tightened the belt or if it's my starter motor going out (been having slow starts for some time).

Coulda also been when I was recording I didn't crank the key properly and it didn't save the recording lol.

 

Is that a thing if you overtighten a belt it struggles to start?

Edited 16 hours ago by silviaz

[GTSBoy]

1 hour ago, silviaz said:

or if it's my starter motor going out

This almost never happens these days.

1 hour ago, silviaz said:

Is that a thing if you overtighten a belt it struggles to start?

No.

Clean your battery terminals and make sure they are tight. Use sandpaper on a dowel if you have to, to get oxidation off the inside of the terminals, particularly on the -ve. Check the earth cable from battery post to chassis ground and engine ground. Make sure the contact surfaces are clean - including the threads on the bolts that anchor them - because that's where a lot of the contact occurs. Wire wheel on a drill is a good thing for this. Make sure the crimps on those cables are all sound.

Assuming none of that causes an improvement:

Check the battery voltage after it has been resting for a while. If it's at the lower end of the range, put it on charge for a while, then see if it will crank better.

[silviaz]

2 minutes ago, GTSBoy said:

This almost never happens these days.

No.

Clean your battery terminals and make sure they are tight. Use sandpaper on a dowel if you have to, to get oxidation off the inside of the terminals, particularly on the -ve. Check the earth cable from battery post to chassis ground and engine ground. Make sure the contact surfaces are clean - including the threads on the bolts that anchor them - because that's where a lot of the contact occurs. Wire wheel on a drill is a good thing for this. Make sure the crimps on those cables are all sound.

Assuming none of that causes an improvement:

Check the battery voltage after it has been resting for a while. If it's at the lower end of the range, put it on charge for a while, then see if it will crank better.

Will do. Suprised if it's not the starter motor considering it's 30 years old. Will get a volt meter though. Battery is close to new.

 

Cheers for your help, always appreciated.

[joshuaho96]

15 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

You can also get belt dressing in a spray can which can help to settle a belt in that otherwise wants to slip.

Everything I found online said never use it because it'll dramatically reduce belt lifespan. 

1 hour ago, silviaz said:

I just checked my belt, it wasn't super loose but I could bend it past 90 degrees a small amount so I tightened it up and for the first time ever my car didn't crank first time, had to crank it again lol. Don't know if that was because I tightened the belt or if it's my starter motor going out (been having slow starts for some time).

Coulda also been when I was recording I didn't crank the key properly and it didn't save the recording lol.

 

Is that a thing if you overtighten a belt it struggles to start?

No, but I have seen excessive v-belt tension cause the audible bearing noise from excessive radial load in things like alternators. So don't overdo it. Ideally you set it to manufacturer spec using a proper belt tension guage. I tried the "clicker" type gauges but those cheap things are trash. They read way too low even when you're careful.

[silviaz]

11 minutes ago, joshuaho96 said:

Everything I found online said never use it because it'll dramatically reduce belt lifespan. 

No, but I have seen excessive v-belt tension cause the audible bearing noise from excessive radial load in things like alternators. So don't overdo it. Ideally you set it to manufacturer spec using a proper belt tension guage. I tried the "clicker" type gauges but those cheap things are trash. They read way too low even when you're careful.

Funny thing is when i flexed the belt it seemed like it had the same tension as before. Like I didn't tighten anything lol. Will start the car again tommorow and see what happens

[GTSBoy]

12 minutes ago, joshuaho96 said:

Everything I found online said never use it because it'll dramatically reduce belt lifespan.

It's certainly not the first choice, but it is a perfectly good bandaid when the alternative is to anger f**k the thing with a blowtorch.

13 minutes ago, joshuaho96 said:

I have seen excessive v-belt tension cause the audible bearing noise from excessive radial load in things like alternators

It's not just noise. It f**ks bearings.

[silviaz]

23 minutes ago, GTSBoy said:

It's certainly not the first choice, but it is a perfectly good bandaid when the alternative is to anger f**k the thing with a blowtorch.

It's not just noise. It f**ks bearings.

I'm almost at a point where I feel like changing the alternator. Need to check the stuff you mentioned first though.

Edited 14 hours ago by silviaz

[silviaz]

nvm this comment

Edited 14 hours ago by silviaz

[joshuaho96]

1 hour ago, GTSBoy said:

It's certainly not the first choice, but it is a perfectly good bandaid when the alternative is to anger f**k the thing with a blowtorch.

It's not just noise. It f**ks bearings.

Yep, in my case as soon as I started hearing weird noises I backed off the tension until it sounded normal again. Delicate balance between enough tension to avoid that cold start slip and too much damaging things.