Belt Tension on 2000 Sonata

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Hi all!

I am a weekend (aka wannabe) mechanic, and have just changed out an alternator on a 2000 Sonata. My question is this: since it doesn’t have a tensioner (it uses the screw setup–if I was a real mechanic, I would know the official name for that thing), how do I know if I have over-tensioned the belt, short of it going bad on me?

Thanks!

2

As you tighten the jackscrew, check the belt deflection at the greatest distance between two pulley’s. The deflection should be about an inch.

Tester

3

Thanks!

By deflection, do you mean give (as in pressing down on the belt)?

4

Yep!

Tester

5

Awesome, thanks again!

6

That’s an inch total, not an inch each way.
Another common way of determining proper tension on a system without a tensioner is to twist the belt by hand, You should be able to twist it about 3/4 of the way around and no more.