Several factors on belt tension. This should help. https://www.bestorq.com/library/techinfo/whytension.pdf
Hey thanks Trunk Monkey That information is very helpful .I think my fan belt is A little loose, may be why my motor is running A little warm.
Your welcome. With as many belt type and materials as well as pulley sizes and routing, it is good to have the means to adjust things correctly. Especially in light of the time and effort to get a replacement part because it was not adjusted properly and having a car sit in the garage on a nice weekend while you wait three weeks for a $15 part. (and $347.62 for economy shipping...)
I'm running 35° total right now,have been trying to find the sweet spot. It runs best around 35 to 37.I checked the fan belt ,and it seems a little loose .I'm going to tighten it up some,I think that is my problem.
I hear ya, My belt has about A in. Of slack ,way to much.Im going to use the information you gave me ,and adjust it this evening. I would about lay $ that is my running warm problem .
I tightened my fan belt and it help it alittle run cooler.I took it on A trip A few weekends ago, and it started running 210 to 220 with A 180 stat .Friday I drained coolant took stat out,and flush rad,motor with water hose.Put some rad flush in,and straight water and have be driving it this weekend, to get A good flush like the directions said .It runs about 175 ,180 with out thermostat .I'm going to put A 160 stat in ,and see.I have read A thermostat can make it run cooler ,keeping the coolant in the rad longer to help cool it.
Nope. Thermostats open to speed up flow through the radiator, (and the rest of the system) to cool the engine more. The thermostat is a throttle on the cooling system to prevent over-cooling. If the cooling system can't over-cool the engine at idle and cruise, the cooling system has problems or the engine makes too much heat. If the thing runs at 175--180 with no thermostat, how is a 160 thermostat going to lower the coolant temperature? It'll be WFO as soon as the engine has run long enough to come up-to-temperature. If the thermostat is WFO at idle or cruise, the cooling system has no reserve capacity for heavy loads/open throttle.
