Drive Belt tracking funny

[BurnNturn169]

Hey guys, I have a drive belt tracking about 1/2 off the drive. Tried to take in apart and realized I'm better off asking about it. Ever had that problem? If the belt shows no serious wear or cracking, should I just send it or park it til it's straight?

Scott
s.herrickdesign@yahoo.com

[mcenhillk]

What do you mean by "tracking about 1/2 off the drive"? Which clutch, primary (attached to the engine) or the secondary? Is the belt crawling up one side of the clutch or is it the clutch squeezing together hard enough to push the belt half out the sheaves? Is this condition at off/idle or at speed? If a train leaves Chicago at 35 mph... wait, wrong question, sorry... Pictures would help.

A normal setup will have the belt all the way down to the bottom of the primary with a little (0.020" or so) clearance to the sides with the engine off/idle. The secondary have the belt all the way out to the edge, generally just showing the top thread line on the belt.

[cory mcleod]

By "drive belt," I assume you mean the belt transmitting power from jackshaft to axle (not the clutch belt). Have you aligned the jackshaft and axle?

Advice #1 - Do the alignment with the normal car weight on the rear axle, not with the car on a stand and the axle just hanging. I usually take the wheels off and support the rear end with jack stands under the rear uprights.

Advice #2 - Aligning the jackshaft and axle in a static state only gets you in the ballpark. Once you've aligned it, run the car (still with the rear axle weighted). Take it up and down through the rev range and see what the belt does. Make adjustments until the belt runs in the center of the gears. Then have someone looks at the belt as you drive away, and see where it's riding when you come in from a session. Make further adjustments as needed.

Cory