Drive Belt, FYI, What it should not do back there!

Quote from rabtech

one thing to remember ......

WHen the back spring is compressed down the belt gets tighter. And right the opposite...to take the belt off you can disconnect the rear shock and let the swingarm down and the belt will come right off.

I know yall won't belive me.... but it's true. I had the dealer in Athens AL adjust my belt tension in March of 2015. I HAVE NEVER adjusted it since that day. And actually he got it to tight and later that day I moved it back to where it was. So I can say my belt has never been adjusted. She has 30,000 miles on here and I brought the baby home on Haloween 2014.

And remember to always find a flat spot somewhere and check it with the transmission in neutral and the parking brake off. The reason is because you will have the slingshot drivetrain possibly under tension and one side will be tight and the other will be super loose. Just get it where you can move the the top and the bottom of the belt about 1/2 of an inch. If it's so tight you have to mash hard with your finger to deflect it. It's to tight. Especially when you hit a bump. It will get even tighter. ...

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As far as I know my 2015 belt has never been adjusted unless it was when they did the recall on the swing arm. I did clean it a couple of times as it was sqeaking and now it needs cleaning again. Working on 75,000 miles.

The only reason that I initially readjusted and started experimenting with the drive belt was to see how it would affect the whine, where I found most of the whine I was blaming on to the angle drive was actually the belt...............

Bill

Quote from paulj

Has anyone tried using a bit of Silicone lube spray on the belt ??

Yes, @Ross and I did it in preparation for our cross-country trip this summer. Don't remember if we did it for @exharleyrider also. Bottom line, didn't see much difference in the longterm.

Quote from KayTwo

Yes, @Ross and I did it in preparation for our cross-country trip this summer. Don't remember if we did it for @exharleyrider also. Bottom line, didn't see much difference in the longterm.

we need another epic road trip to properly test.

I think it helped. We went over 2k miles before the noise was noticeable - without the graphite spray I would normally start to hear it in just a few hundred miles

I did apply dry lube on belt before leaving and then again at Sundre. I believe it did help the belt noise but I agree with @Ross, another epic trip is needed to confirm the original findings.

I tried the same lubr as I use on my trailer slides. It seems to have worked pretty well. Put it on back in August. Started hearing a little belt noise Sunday as we were headed up to Helen. Washed the belt yesterday and the noise was pretty much gone. Need to reapply the seal dressing.

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Just look at your front drive pulley, if it's clean and shiny it's not to tight. If it looks like it has black rubber on it it' is to tight.

There is one thing about the drive belt alignment procedure that I cannot wrap my head around, as I understand it, you turn the pivot shaft from the driver's side to adjust from left to rightto align the belt and when the nut on the passenger side is torqued to its 195 ft/lbs keeps everything in place, correct? So, what is the purpose of the torquing of the pivot shaft to 20 ft/lbs, isn't that going to depend on how tight the shaft nut is?

Thanks,

Bill

Well, it is comforting to know that I am obviously not alone in not knowing this answer!

Bill

That is why it just doesn't matter about where the belt is riding. The swingarm bolt just tightens down. It doesn't adjust anything.

So the only adjustment is tighter and looser. This is done with the adjustment bolt on the front.

The 2 bolts that hold the the final drive in (besides the swingarm bolt) are on the side and tighten down tightly againt rhe frame. So it's always going to tighten down the same way every time you adjust the tension.

Another lil tidbit we have just experienced with our looser belt is that when the temperature dropped, (lower 30s), the belt started squealing again, where tightening it up a skosh quieted it back down. This I should have already realized for even in the summer time the warmer the rear drive gets, the quieter it becomes.
Bill

Added note: After almost five years of ownership and experimentation now, I believe I can state unquestionably that WITH OUR SLINGSHOT, the dirtier the belt, the looser the belt, or as the belt temperature drops, the higher the likelihood for the rear drive to start back-talking? (Or, to put it in another way, the warmer the rear drive, the quieter it becomes?)
Bill

Could someone please respond with a link for the tool that's required to adjust the position of drive belt or tell specifically where I can find one. I believe it's a large allen wrench of some kind, but I'm unable to find one that big in any of the local stores and my Amazon assistant has no idea what I'm talking about... thanks in advance.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wilma…-Bit-Socket-/282754189016

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Power…937ca2:g:UcoAAOSw3q5aYDZG

And you will also require a torque wrench capable of 195 ft/lb

And with that, you may find that a 24", or longer, breaker bar may be handy.

Oh, and maybe something else to keep in mind, and this really goofed me up early on, is that you are pushing the swing arm to move it, it is not on a threaded rod. So make sure the nut is tight against the bearing on the side you are pushing from, and the opposite nut is a little loose to allow the swing arm room to move.

Bill

I don't remember needing a 22mm Hex Socket/Allen Key. You do need a 30mm Deep Socket with a 24" Breaker Bar. I found that the deep socket gave me just enough depth to not have to use the extension or anything else. I used the breaker bar just enough to loosen the nut (less than 1/2 turn). Then I think there are some 15 or 16mm bolts on the angle drive mount that also just need to be loosened a 1/4 turn. Then behind the seat, there is a hole to put in a 15 (or 16?) mm socket with extension on a 3/8" drive ratchet. You only need to turn this also a little bit (1/4 to 1/2 turn) to take up a lot of tension. Then tighten everything back down. I've done it a couple times.

Thanks guys. That's exactly what I needed. I have a torque wrench and a breaker bar, just couldn't pin down the other items.

Quote from chavey2

I don't remember needing a 22mm Hex Socket/Allen Key.

I have not adjusted the belt position but I have adjusted the tension and used both the 30mm socket and the 22mm hex. I don't remember the procedure like y'all, but I don't remember what I had for dinner last night either...

Quote from SlingLow

I have not adjusted the belt position but I have adjusted the tension and used both the 30mm socket and the 22mm hex. I don't remember the procedure like y'all, but I don't remember what I had for dinner last night either...

Adjusting where the drive belt rides on the rear sprocket is a very easy process, you simply loosen the nuts on the right side and then, on the left side, turn the swing arm shaft either clockwise or counter clockwise to adjust the drive belt either left or right until it rides where you want it (slightly left of center). I found a dozen videos on Youtube of how to do it, including one by Sam Owens, but none of them said specifically what size wrench to use or where to get one. I suspected it was a 22mm, the auto parts stores look at you like you have two heads when you ask for one that large... lol

Quote from Roadhawg

Adjusting where the drive belt rides on the rear sprocket is a very easy process, you simply loosen the nuts on the right side and then, on the left side, turn the swing arm shaft either clockwise or counter clockwise to adjust the drive belt either left or right until it rides where you want it (slightly left of center). I found a dozen videos on Youtube of how to do it, including one by Sam Owens, but none of them said specifically what size wrench to use or where to get one. I suspected it was a 22mm, the auto parts stores look at you like you have two heads when you ask for one that large... lol

I've never had an issue with belt position but when my Sling was delivered brand new to my driveway from Minneapolis by a beloved forum member (thanks mniron !), the drive belt was so tight it was undrivable. Of course I didn't want to wait for delivery so I went to local sources for the tools. The only 22mm hex I could find was at an industrial tool supplier that charged me $70 for a high-end, impact 22mm hex. I'd jump all over that link from wjfyfe if I was looking today.

Ah, okay. So, the 22mm Hex is to adjust belt POSITION.

The 30mm Deep Socket is to adjust belt TENSION.

I've never had to adjust position - always rode fine for me. (The drive belt that is.)

Quote from chavey2

Ah, okay. So, the 22mm Hex is to adjust belt POSITION.

The 30mm Deep Socket is to adjust belt TENSION.

I've never had to adjust position - always rode fine for me. (The drive belt that is.)

I have found that one must use both the 22mm hex on the pivot shaft and the 30mm socket on the pivot shaft nut so to adjust the belt position because you are pushing the swing arm to adjust it in and out. if moving the swing arm outward, make sure the pivot shaft adjustment, (22mm hex), is tight against the swing arm, and that the nut is loose enough so to allow the swing arm to be pushed outward against it. And the opposite if moving the swing arm inward, where the nut must be tight against the swing arm and the pivot shaft must be backed off enough to allow the swing arm to move inward. When everything is adjusted to where you want it, the nut is then torqued to 195 ft/lbs to bind everything together in that position, (you must make sure that the pivot shaft does not turn while torquing the nut.)

Just to confuse things more, adjusting the swing arm outward gives the appearance that the belt is moving inward, (towards the tire), and the opposite where moving the swing arm inward gives the appearance of moving the belt outward, (away from the tire.)

Fun, huh?

Bill