The drive belt controls all engine-mounted accessories. All driven accessories rigidly mount to the engine. A spring-loaded drive belt tensioner maintains the drive belt tension. A drive belt squeak, occurring when starting or stopping the engine, has no effect on drive belt durability. The drive belt tensioner can control the drive belt tension over a broad range of drive belt length. However, there are limits to the drive belt tensioner's compensation ability. When using the drive belt tensioner outside of its operating range, poor tension control and/or damage to the drive belt tensioner may occur.
The supercharged 3800 engine utilizes two drive belts. The outer drive belt drives the supercharger. The inner drive belt drives the following components:
• | Generator |
• | Power steering pump |
• | Coolant pump |
• | Air conditioning compressor |
All driven accessories rigidly mount to the engine. Spring-loaded belt tensioners maintain the drive belt tension. Each drive belt has its own tensioner. A drive belt squeak, occurring when the engine starts or stops, is normal and has no effect on the durability of the drive belt. The drive belt tensioner can control the drive belt tension over a broad range of drive belt lengths, due to stretching. However, there are limits to the tensioner's compensation ability. Poor tension control and/or damage to the tensioner may occur after using the tensioner outside of its operating range. Replace the drive belt when this occurs.