Bob,
That’s a good one.
Assuming that everything is mechanically
OK such as:
1. pulleys are aligned properly and in good condition (no nicks or
gouges in the belt-contacting surface of any pulley)
2. the proper belt of good quality and proper tension
3. no contamination on belt or pulleys
we can then look at the electrical side of
the system.
It is really a long shot, but let’s
assume that the alternator is putting-out too much power due to a
malfunctioning regulator which is applying full field current. (which should
not burn-up the belt, but you never know). To determine if this is the case,
you need to determine how much current the alternator is putting out.
- Is
there an ammeter? – if so it will most likely be pegged or at least
staying way to the right indicating lots of amps output
- If
no ammeter, how about a volt meter? Which will also be reading high –
above 14.5 volts
- If
there is neither type of meter, you need to measure the system voltage
with a multi-meter. If this is indeed the problem, you will see voltage
go up and past 14.5 volts as engine RPM increases.
Like I said earlier, this is really a long
shot because I think you would be experiencing other problems with your
electrical system if the voltage were getting real high.
Best of luck,
Jeff Luckey