<VV> thrown belt.

[Bill Elliott]

Below 6000 rpm, with appropriate tension, the appropriate belt that's 
not near the end of it's life, an alternator under 65A, and properly 
aligned pulleys in good shape, they hardly ever throw... but they are 
more touchy than "normal" single-plane belts about age, wear, and tension.

The racers use spring-loaded idlers because we're more often over 6000 
rpm (after about 6500rpm, the belt is a 50/50 proposition with a fixed 
pulley). Besides allowing the belt to stay on better at high rpms, they 
have the side effect of keeping appropriate tension on the system AND 
allowing quick belt changes without tools. (if you were able to get your 
belt on without tools with a fixed pulley, it was WAY too loose.)

My wife just completed a 10,000 mile trip with only one "hot" throw... 
and that was on the accidental overrev when taking the powerglide from 
Low to Drive but getting neutral instead... now she did have a lot of 
"cold throws" (due to a problem with my specific pulley, not the design) 
but EVEN THEN she decided that she'd rather have the task of putting a 
belt back on in the parking lot without tools than risk having to do it 
(likely in the dark) along the highway using tools... so we left the 
faulty idler on even though she had a stock one ready to go.

All of my Corvairs have the spring loaded idlers...not because the stock 
system is bad, but just because these are better.

Bill

Jon DeVos wrote:

> By the way, this is a 65 greenbrier.  My belt did get thrown.  I was 
> just leaving the parking lot after having the van sit for 6 hours when 
> the generator light can on.  I managed to get the belt back on the 
> pulleys by hand but it just came off again with in 100 yards.  I 
> didn't want my wife to come pick me up because it was late and she 
> would have given me grief about it so I figured if I try to get it 
> home and if the temperature light didn't come on I would be ok.  It 
> was night and about 68 so not to hot and a cold engine.  It seems to 
> run fine now.
>  It just seems with all those twist as it goes over the 4 pulleys it 
> would throw more often.
> Jon
>


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