i have a 1992 olds cutlass and i think the belt is too tight cause it sqeaks how do i loosen it?

Question

if i spray lube on it. it fixes the problem but is only temperary

Answer 1

That makes it sound like it's too loose. General rule of thumb...push firmly on the belt in the dead center of it between two pullys with your first finger pointed straight out and see if it goes deeper than your kunckle. If so, it's loose. If it doesn't flex at all it's too tight.

I'm assuming that since you're only referring to one belt that it's the serpentine belt. If so it has a tensioner that will need to be replaced if the belt is too loose. It automatically holds the belt at the correct tension if it's operating correctly.

Answer 2

Anything other than pure silicone spray will eat the rubber alive. Your Olds. has a spring tensioner in the belt itself there's
no adjustment.

As these tentsioners get old the internal spring grows weak plus the bearing may be shot. Chances are there is not enough tension on the serpentine belt. If you can depress the belt more than 1/2 inch in it's widest spot it's too loose. Tensioners are relatevly inexpensive to purchace. Good Luck.

Answer 3

i doubt it;s too tight, that should be what is called a sepantein (sp) belt, un like "v" style belts where several belts run different assceories, this uses one belt to run them all. if that sounds like our set up, then it should have a tensioner that controls the tightness of the belt. chances are that our belt is worn out and slipps, which makes it squeal, sraying lube on it takes away the friction and stops the squeal, that only mask the real problem. time to change the belt, also have the tension checked to make sure it is not worn out. now if you have v belt setup which i doubt ou do, then you either need to again replace the belts or tighten them, that is doen by loosing things like the altantor and using a pry bar to pull the belt tight and retighten the alt. most likely it's the serp belt. good luck, and i hope i helped

Answer 4

You lube a belt? Those things don't do much good if they slip, you know. There's a spring loaded pulley that keeps the right tension on the belt. The bearings in those pulleys tend to get old and squeal. They don't cost too much to replace.