Power steering Belt Adjustment

[Southleigh]

My Peugeot Boxer Symphony has developed screeching noises when I turn the steering wheel. I've checked underneath and the power steering drive belt is quite slack. How do I tighten it up?

 

[Wickolad]

I'm no expert but believe it tightens up with the alternator adjustment bracket, i'm sure if you check power steering pump belt it will connect to a pulley on the alternator. Also check fluid level.
Further info.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/motoring/2014/04/09/don-t-ignore-a-squealing-noise-from-the-steering

 

[simsy56]

Follow the belt around, and one of the pulleys will have an adjuster on it.

Craig

 

[laird of Dunstan]

Have a good look at the belt first to see if it's got any splits in it, try not to over tighten it as you could destroy the bearings if you do

 

[Southleigh]

I've located a bracket with a screw thread and nut on the end. Is it simply a matter of carefully tightening the nut or do I have to slacken something else off before I make the adjustment.

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[scotjimland]

My apologies in advance and not meaning to upset you, but if you need to ask advice on how to tighten the serpentine belt you would be better served by visiting a garage and let a mechanic check it for you.. the belt may need replacing, or the auto tensioner may be seized..

 

[tonyidle]

A conventional V belt or a poly-V (serpentine) belt should never be adjusted after the initial bedding in. If the belt slackens in service it needs to be replaced. Serpentine belts almost always have an auto-tensioner & if so these comments apply to it even more than to a manually-tensioned belt. Replacement of a serpentine belt must always include the auto- tensioner.

 

[pappajohn]

A conventional V belt or a poly-V (serpentine) belt should never be adjusted after the initial bedding in. If the belt slackens in service it needs to be replaced. Serpentine belts almost always have an auto-tensioner & if so these comments apply to it even more than to a manually-tensioned belt. Replacement of a serpentine belt must always include the auto- tensioner.

A serpentine belt is not a V belt....its flat with numerous circumferential grooves and both sides of the belt run over varous pulley's....all have auto tensioners.

V belts only use the narrowest V side of the belt and have manual tensioners.....they need adjusting from time to time.

 

[tonyidle]

A serpentine belt is not a V belt....its flat with numerous circumferential grooves and both sides of the belt run over varous pulley's....all have auto tensioners.

V belts only use the narrowest V side of the belt and have manual tensioners.....they need adjusting from time to time.

Serpentine belts are all poly-V belts. All the ones I have seen or changed have had auto-tensioners - I don't claim to have seen every use of one so I wasn't sure whether they all had them. I can't agree about V-belt adjustment: do it when you fit it and again after a few hours use. It's worth checking again after a couple of weeks but after that if it slackens again - change it.

 

[pappajohn]

My apologies Tony.....different terminology to me.
i know a conventional v belt as just that....a v belt
a flat belt is either a serpentine or flat belt

I would never change a v belt just because its slack.
if its polished or the cords are showing then yes, otherwise retighten.

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[Larby]

A serpentine belt is not a V belt....its flat with numerous circumferential grooves and both sides of the belt run over varous pulley's....all have auto tensioners.

V belts only use the narrowest V side of the belt and have manual tensioners.....they need adjusting from time to time.

Beg to differ John, I have a 2005 Fiat 2,8 JTD and the ancillary belt is flat and ribbed but is tensioned by the alternator.

To the OP, I enclose picture of tensioner, slacken lock nut (2) then gently turn bolt (1) clockwise, check and when happy, tighten locknut. They are 13mm. You can get to them from behind OS front wheel. LAY ON BACK, just like I did in a car park at La Rochelle 1 week after I fitted a new one !
Diagram is purely so you can identify what/where.

 

[tonyidle]

The big problem with re-tensioning V belts later in their lives is that belt wear has occurred and unless a record is kept of re-tensioning attempts it isn't long before the belt is bottoming. It used to be that you could look for cords showing but a lot of belts are now manufactured with the cords (layer) showing. You can look for polish, I agree, but given the intended life of a V belt and the inconvenience of breakage it isn't worth it IMO. Without hunting down my Fiat handbook I can't be sure but a number of manufacturers now schedule belt changes (timing, serpentine, and V) as part of a major service.

 

[Deleted34567]

A serpentine belt is not a V belt....its flat with numerous circumferential grooves and both sides of the belt run over varous pulley's....all have auto tensioners.

May have manual tensioner too PJ.... many do.

Beg to differ John, I have a 2005 Fiat 2,8 JTD and the ancillary belt is flat and ribbed but is tensioned by the alternator.

View attachment 56156

100% correct.

 

[dave newell]

We're getting cross talk here, "serpentine" refers to the way the belt passes over various pulleys not the makeup of the belt itself. Belts are either Vee or Polyvee, Vee being a traditional single vee belt and Polyvee being the wider flatter belt with multiple vee ridges on one side. No Ducato/Boxer/Relay I've seen uses a "serpentine" layout but some are tensioned via a spring loaded tensioner and some via a mechanical adjuster. Just to add to the confusion some vehicles have one belt driving everything and others have two belts, one drives the alternator and the other drives the water pump and power steering (or other variations on that theme). Without knowing the model year and engine size/type it is almost impossible to advise on how to adjust tension, even if tension adjustment is possible.

D.

 

[Deleted34567]

We're getting cross talk here, "serpentine" refers to the way the belt passes over various pulleys not the makeup of the belt itself. Belts are either Vee or Polyvee, Vee being a traditional single vee belt and Polyvee being the wider flatter belt with multiple vee ridges on one side. No Ducato/Boxer/Relay I've seen uses a "serpentine" layout but some are tensioned via a spring loaded tensioner and some via a mechanical adjuster. Just to add to the confusion some vehicles have one belt driving everything and others have two belts, one drives the alternator and the other drives the water pump and power steering (or other variations on that theme). Without knowing the model year and engine size/type it is almost impossible to advise on how to adjust tension, even if tension adjustment is possible.

D.

And the older ones had 3, all poly-vee.
One for the alternator & PAS
One for the vacuum pump
One for the water pump, drove of the camshaft.

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[jockaneezer]

My aux belt was screeching on startup, it has an automatic spring tensioner, the spring mechanism had siezed and when I attempted to back off the tension via a 19mm hexagon cast into the tensioner bracket, the hex sheared off. Managed to free off the spring mechanism and refit the belt using a crowbar to lever up the spring. It runs a lot quieter now but I think I will fit a new belt. The oil on the picture is just release oil I was spraying around.