Drive Belt System Description
The drive belt system consists of the following components:
| • | The drive belt tensioner |
| • | The drive belt idler - upper |
| • | The drive belt idler - lower |
| • | The accessory drive components: |
| - | The A/C compressor, if equipped |
| - | The power steering pump |
The drive belt system uses one belt. The drive belt is thin so that it can bend backward and has several ribs to match the grooves in the pulleys. The drive belt is made of EPDM and has different layers of ply containing either fibre cloth or cords for reinforcement.
Both sides of the drive belt may be used to drive the different accessory drive components. When the back side of the drive belt is used to drive a pulley, the pulley is smooth.
The drive belt is pulled by the crankshaft balancer pulley across the accessory drive component pulleys. The drive belt tensioner keeps constant tension on the drive belt to prevent the drive belt from slipping. The drive belt tensioner arm will move when loads are applied to the drive belt by the accessory drive components and the crankshaft.
The drive belt system has 2 idlers, which are used to add wrap to the adjacent pulleys. Some systems use an idler pulley in place of an accessory drive component when the vehicle is not equipped with the accessory.
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