2billydavies
Senior Member
Offline
hi guys... me again. another quick question for ya'll. You might remember, my generator wasn't charging my batter after installing new belt.
Well, I took the generator out and opened her up. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it on the inside (not that I would know what i'm looking at it, but everything appears to be in great shape). So I'm starting to wonder a few different things.
The battery started going dead and not charging the moment I put a new belt on. So here's a few questions about the belt:
1. I understand the belt should only have about 1/2" of "play" in it. But let me ask you.... when the belt is on, should I be able to very easily grab the generator pulley and easily spin it? Not rotate the entire engine or anything... i simply mean be able to turn the generator pulley very easily by hand while the belt is on? I can do this to the water pump pulley as well. It very very easily spins. Which is really starting to make me wonder do I even have this belt on tight enough?? I'm thinking maybe the belt just isn't tight enough and its just slipping very easily.
If you remember, my father had a lawnmower belt on this thing for probably 20 years. After it broke last month, I went to Napa and simply had the guys there size one out for me. It's much skinnier than the lawnmower belt..... but for the life of me I can't remember if I could easily spin the pulley's by hand. I don't think I could.... which leads me to think the belt simply isn't tight enough.
2.: in regards to the generator... how "freely" should this pulley spin? there is no resistance at all when I spin the wheel in either direction. Again, I can't remember if there was any resistance at all before I had the issue. I don't think there was.... but this thing spins very easily. Thoughts on this?
Before I go out and buy a new generator, please let me know what ya'll think. Maybe I should just really tighten this belt up a bit more? What i'm thinking is 1/2" play in the slack of the belt might be close to an inch or something.
thanks a ton!
Billy
Well, I took the generator out and opened her up. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it on the inside (not that I would know what i'm looking at it, but everything appears to be in great shape). So I'm starting to wonder a few different things.
The battery started going dead and not charging the moment I put a new belt on. So here's a few questions about the belt:
1. I understand the belt should only have about 1/2" of "play" in it. But let me ask you.... when the belt is on, should I be able to very easily grab the generator pulley and easily spin it? Not rotate the entire engine or anything... i simply mean be able to turn the generator pulley very easily by hand while the belt is on? I can do this to the water pump pulley as well. It very very easily spins. Which is really starting to make me wonder do I even have this belt on tight enough?? I'm thinking maybe the belt just isn't tight enough and its just slipping very easily.
If you remember, my father had a lawnmower belt on this thing for probably 20 years. After it broke last month, I went to Napa and simply had the guys there size one out for me. It's much skinnier than the lawnmower belt..... but for the life of me I can't remember if I could easily spin the pulley's by hand. I don't think I could.... which leads me to think the belt simply isn't tight enough.
2.: in regards to the generator... how "freely" should this pulley spin? there is no resistance at all when I spin the wheel in either direction. Again, I can't remember if there was any resistance at all before I had the issue. I don't think there was.... but this thing spins very easily. Thoughts on this?
Before I go out and buy a new generator, please let me know what ya'll think. Maybe I should just really tighten this belt up a bit more? What i'm thinking is 1/2" play in the slack of the belt might be close to an inch or something.
thanks a ton!
Billy