Nah, dust throw is due to misalignment. Take a good look - sight along the belt - is it absolutely straight? I guess not.
Tightening Engine Belt on Universal 5411
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Partial correction. Belt dust is due to misalignment (unless you are trying to pull more horsepower than the belt configuration can deliver.)
In my case, I have the normal 3/8" 3-pulley system on an M25XP. This means that the belt only contacts the pulley for about 120º. Given the belt size and contact arc, about the most I can get with a perfectly aligned belt is 60-70 amps. Any more than that and I start to create a cloud of dust. My alternator is rated at 108A and I have a large LFP bank so if I do not reduce the charge output, I will burn through a belt in a few days.
Well, there you go! I should have said, if you have a properly designed system, belt dust is a symptom of misalignment. Get thee a serpentine belt upgrade!
Yep. Just need to come up with 5-boatbucks. After a new set of sails, the kitty is dry for a while.
I take exception to inferring that my belt system was not properly designed. In 1988 Universal designed it for the factory installed 51-amp internally regulated alternator and it is well designed for that application. It still works well for me as long as I stay within those parameters. Just because I am greedy power hog is no reason to besmirch the engineers at Universal.
I'm not besmirching the 'engineers' at Universal, I'm besmirching you!Yep. Just need to come up with 5-boatbucks. After a new set of sails, the kitty is dry for a while.
I take exception to inferring that my belt system was not properly designed. In 1988 Universal designed it for the factory installed 51-amp internally regulated alternator and it is well designed for that application. It still works well for me as long as I stay within those parameters. Just because I am greedy power hog is no reason to besmirch the engineers at Universal.
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Now, now. If I was pulling the full power out of my 108A alternator and smoking the belts every day that would be fair. As it is, I designed my system to limit the max output to 60A and at that power point, I get good service life out of my belts with minimal dust. Now once I get a serpentine kit, I will be upping that limit a fair bit.I'm not besmirching the 'engineers' at Universal, I'm besmirching you!
Like Clint said, A man's got to know his limitations.
Oh, I thought a boat buck was a grand these days. If it's still a C-note, then not so bad. But, yea, it's excessive for this kit, in my opinion.
I understand. It was a big leap for me to spend $500 on that serpentine belt kit, and now I'm thinking I really didn't need it, since I don't have a battery bank that can absorb the amount of current that that belt system and alternator can deliver. I ruined a pair of Trojan SC200's, at $250+ a piece, by driving them too hard. So, I have a serpentine belt system and a 125A alternator, and a bank that can only stand 25 or 30A max charging current. Duh! What was I thinking? It will be cool if I can ultimately get a LiFePo4 bank, but who knows when?Now once I get a serpentine kit, I will be upping that limit a fair bit.