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Serpentine belt

Subject:

  • Serpentine belt

V-ribbed belt:
The multi-ribbed belt is sometimes confused with the timing belt. This belt is of course very different. The multi-ribbed belt is always located at the very front or side of the engine block. This belt provides the drive for the dynamo and in modern cars also for the power steering pump and air conditioning pump. The crankshaft provides the driving force. The belt drives the other components, such as the alternator. There are several ridges (often 6 or 8) on the belt and on the pulleys (that is, the wheels on the components, such as the crankshaft pulley, air conditioning pump pulley, etc.) so that the belt cannot slip off these pulleys.

This used to be called the V-belt. Back then the cars did not have that much luxury and the V-belt in most cases only had to drive a dynamo. With so many other components added, the belt is taking a beating. That is why this (Multi V-belt) has been made a lot wider and has more bearing surface for a longer life.

When the small belt is removed, the tensioner roller (3) must be moved against the spring force. When a torx cap is inserted into the star-shaped recess on the underside of the tension roller and it is pushed downwards, the tension roller 3 will move downwards against the spring force. This gives the (now blue) belt enough space to be removed from the pulleys. By then placing a new belt around it and letting tensioner roller 3 spring back slowly, it is immediately mounted back to the correct tension.

In this case there are 2 separate belts mounted. Sometimes the engine is equipped with one multi-ribbed belt and one V-belt in succession, or one multi-ribbed belt which drives all components.

The circulation rollers have the function of letting the belt run over them. Using the rollers prevents the belt from flapping and thus slipping. When looking at idler 10 in the image above, the belt loops around it. If the roller were not there and the belt ran directly from the alternator to the power steering pump, it could chatter and slip.