belt tension? or something else?

R

Ride92

:
2016 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech & i-Activesense
Quick Question, how to you tell if you have your belts too tight or too loose? Mine where squeaking a bit so I put some belt dressing on and sprayed some triflow on the pulley bearings and tightened them up a bit but I'm worried that they are maybe too tight now. Sitting at a stop light today the car suddenly dropped in RPM's and the lights dimmed down, then everything shot back up again. WTF? Please help
 
too tight and the belts will begin to bend inwards. It will be noticeable. I wouldn't use belt dressing, epically for these cars when the actual belt costs $6 more than the dressing. Your idle problem sounds like the typical clogged EGR valve issue common in the FS series engines.
 
so your saying they would become concave in the middle if too tight? I already had some belt dressing spray laying around so I figured I'd use it. And I just cleaned my EGR by taking it off and spraying it out with brake-kleen and then lubbing the valve, I also just did a seafoam treatment as well.
 
I worried about this and ended up with belts that were too loose. Just tighten them until you start to feel serious resistance. It will get harder to continue to tighten them. I wouldn't worry too much about overtightening...you'd really have to wrench them down hard. You should be able to twist the belt some, but definitely not more than a 1/4 turn.
 
Too tight and you put undue stress on the bearings leading to premature failure.

Too loose (you already know what that does...)

So get them tight enough to not slip and then stop. Tighten BOTH belts. Check belt deflection. If the belts are already glazed - remove and replace (cheaper than a new alt or coompressor or...)
 
i have idle problems too. my car just randomly drops RPM when im at a stop ot when i put it in park, but then it goes back up. how do you clean your EGR?
 
^thread jack!

But anyway -
A good quicky fix:
(With the engine off)
Remove the intake hose so you can see down the throttle body.
Put a brick on the gas pedal (or have a buddy floor it) to hold the throttle open
Look in and see a square hole at the 6 o'clock position?
Spray seafoam or brake cleaner or carb cleaner (any de-carbonizer) into that hole. I use a straw and spray into that to guide it.

Let it soak.

Start the car and let it run.

I have never changed my EGR - just cleaned it like that when it needs it.

Also - check and/or replace your PCV - it affects idle as well.
 
I actually took the EGR off the car, the bolts were a b**** to get at, that seems like a way easyier way to do it. When I took mine off there was no gasket or anything, should there have been? I'm thinking I might have a small vacuum leak some some.
 
Ride92 said:
I actually took the EGR off the car, the bolts were a b**** to get at, that seems like a way easyier way to do it. When I took mine off there was no gasket or anything, should there have been? I'm thinking I might have a small vacuum leak some some.
Click to expand...

there should be a metal gasket, yes. It's easy to loose when you're taking it off, so it may have simply fallen off instead of one not being there.
 
sephiroth said:
there should be a metal gasket, yes. It's easy to loose when you're taking it off, so it may have simply fallen off instead of one not being there.
Click to expand...

Is that a part that most auto places would have? If I don't have it there is it a huge issue? I may have been stuck to the manifold and not come off with the Valve.
 
Ride92 said:
Is that a part that most auto places would have? If I don't have it there is it a huge issue? I may have been stuck to the manifold and not come off with the Valve.
Click to expand...

It's a highly specialized gasket so I would think not(at least not in stock). Copper gasket marker should also work if you want to avoid a trip to anywhere
 
problem seemed to remedy itself. Hasn't done the idle thing in while maybe it was just a one time deal thing. I'l still keep an eye on it.
 
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