As you all know Gates no longer makes to belt tension measuring tool. I finally found one place that still have some is stock. Total cost with shipping was $20.00 If any one is interested here is the link http://m-and-d.com/GA-91107.html Regards, Milton
I was just explaining to my G/F about her squealing a/c belt and that it's best to have tension measuring tool. Plus I've always needed one anyway. Dang, didn't know that they weren't being made anymore but thanks, I just ordered one.
Permits user to tension belts during installation, while engine is shut off, to maintain belt service life and performance. Use for tensioning all automotive V-belts up to, and including, 7/8 top widths. Easy to use. Instructions packed with product. Scale reads in pounds and kilograms. Measures tension from 30 to 160 lbs., and 15 to 75 kg. Die-cast aluminum body, nylon Indicator arm and pressure pad. Fits in shirt pocket with stainless steel clip. Packaging: Individually boxed. Part No. 91107 Image Unavailable, Please Login
That'll take a lot of guess work out or new belts! Thanks for the info. I also found them through Google but they were more $ at all the other sites.
I got one, it is kind of funky but works I noticed that my tension was way off the scale on the light side. I dont want to burn ot bearings and have never had a screeching sound, however I did have a set of belts that did the snapping sound swithed belts and it was gone? rob
I've used this tool for the past 10 years for tensioning the cam belt in my Porsche. It works well for me. Others claim it does not work well. My conclusion is that they are bumping it as they remove it to read it or they are just ham fisted. This tool is the alternative for the $500 Porsche tensioner tool.
I think I could have done with one of these the other evening. How does it work? Looks fairly basic ....
Perhaps I should explain the above. We were doing a friend's 328 timing belts and it required a leap of faith to trust the spring tensioners. On their own they couldn't twist the camshafts to take up the slack and even after turning the engine thru one revolution they seemed a bit suspect. With a light helping hand however (an extra push on the tensioner) we seemed to get reasonable results. I've heard if you can just twist the longest bit of free belt (sure there's a good word for this) through 90° with your fingers, then the tension is about right. Not very technical I know. Anybody agree / disagree? Richard
No. Offhand I'm thinking that 100 ft/lbs of tension will stop you from twisting a belt 90 degrees (I'll have to actually try it to see some day, though). The timing belt on my Ferrari 348 needs more like 160 ft/lbs. I wouldn't recommend the Kricket tensiometer tool for timing belts (too close to the limit/margin-of-error for that tool)...but it should be fine for alternator or A/C belts (that's how I use mine).
I just got mine a few weeks ago as well. CarQuest still has this Gates part # as an orderable part so your local CarQuest should be able to get them within a day or 2. One problem I noticed is that to measure the tension for the alternator belt on my 308 QV, the longest span, where the manual states to measure tension, is too close to the AC bracket and I cant get the Gates tool on the right spot. Oleh
90° is the test for way too loose. 35° to 45° is about right. Am in the middle of a belt change on an '82 GTSi. One of the belts was obviously too loose, you could easily rotate the tensioner with your fingers w/o moving the belt. The belt twists to about 70°, but since the engine was on PM1-4 ready for the cams to be locked down, we didn't try to take the slack out of the tensioner side to see how much more it would twist. Suspect still wouldn't be all the way to 90° tho.
That's so funny. I bought the one in my toolbox about two decades ago. It's great and works well. Larry, I'm not surprised you have one! -Peter
When a belt (water, alternator, or AC) makes a snapping sound, is it too loose or too tight? When it screeches, it's too loose right? Thanks. - Nguyen
Snapping sound on Polyflex (hard rubber, very narrow) is too loose. Screeching is a bad noise but that is normal for a too loose conventional V-belt. -Peter
Just got this response back from my order, why do I have this feeling about what they'll tell me in a couple of weeks:
Hi Verell, in this case you give more than a gentle helping hand to the timing belt tensioners, right? In my freind's case it would need considerably more tension if it should only be possible to twist the longest span by ~40°. The manual recommends leaving it up to the tensioner springs alone, having turned the engine over one revolution and that would seem to give far too little tension. "ham-fisted"? Robert, I hope your not casting nasturtiums.... Richard
WRONG. My experience to date is that the tensioner springs have been sufficient. I've mostly done QVs & 328s, but the 2Vs I've done the tensioners did fine themselves. Here's what may be the difference: After everything's setup to my satisfaction, I rotate the engine a couple of turns, sometimes more. Then, while keeping some pressure on the crank damper to ensure the long belt section is stretched tight, I tighten the tensioner down. If you don't keep the long section tight while locking the tensioner down, the belt will be too loose, as the tensioner spring can't work on any slack that's in that long section as both the drive gear, & both cam gears are providing resistance.
Verell, sorry to hear that M & D run out of the Gates 150 tool, hopefully they are able to order from another source to fullfill your order. As for CarQuest, I just spent 1 hour at the local store while they were trying to locate a store that had them in stock. No such luck. According to them, this tool is no longer made by Gates, and CarQuest in unable to order it. If I find another source, I'll post it here. Regards, Milton
The first time I heard about the Gates Krikit Tension gauge was years ago from a Ferrari factory trained mechanic. He was servicing a new F40 while we discussed my 308 timing belts that I was going to change myself, and did. He had a Gates Krikit in his shirt pocket on a clip with a Ferrari logo that the factory gave him. I think the setting was 38 KG for the new 308 belts as I remember. E. Doug
Krickets used to be all over the place. My biggest frustration is that I didn't know that the Gates 150 tool was the same as the 'krikit'. I've had an eBAY search for 'Gates 150' & 'tool' running ever since eBAY started saving searches(sigh).
