Pinch that point between your index finger and thumb and move it back and forth. The belt should have about a half an inch of play when at the appropriate tightness. If there is less than a half an inch, the belt will need to be loosened, if there is more, it will need to be tightened.
The advantage of a serpentine belt is that it has more surface area than a v-belt. The other part of the equation is the tension of the belt. Tension can increase the coefficient of friction, but too much can cause power loss and even increased wear to the belt. An engineer could design a belt system that would never slip or wear out.
But on the Nissan Maxima, the recommended deflection is tighter. First, they are having you push twice as hard (22 lbs force, rather than 10 lbs force), and second, the range is smaller (4.2 -4.6 mm for the AC belt, e.g. .10 to .18 inch, which is about 2/3 of 1/4, so a smaller deflection than is typical in most vehicles.
Use a box wrench, socket wrench, or belt tensioner tool to slowly release pressure from the belt. Pull the belt off of all of the pulleys, slowly release the belt tensioner, and remove the belt
Video Description. The video above shows how to check the serpentine belt on your 2007 Nissan Titan - if it gives more than a half inch when pressed, is cracked, frayed or appears shiny, you should change it (or have it changed) immediately. Worn serpentine belt noise in a Titan can indicate impending problems if ignored, while typically being
. I created a very crude belt routing diagram to assist you in properly installing the new belt. A good rule to remember is that the smooth part of the belt should be against the smooth pulleys and the ribbed side of the belt should be wrapped around the ribbed pulleys. Lower the new belt down into the front of the engine bay.
Measure the span length “K” of your drive (See Figure 1). Slide the large O-ring to the recommended deflection distance on. the scale, and slide the small O-ring up against the barrel of the gauge as shown in Figure 2. Place the large end of the tool onto the belt at the center of the span. Apply a sufficient force to deflect the belt until
how tight should a serpentine belt be