... going to do the accessory belts on my 240D in the next few days and was wondering about setting the tension ... is it OK to do it by feel, or is there any advantage to using a tool? If you do it by feel, is it pretty much common sense as to what the appropriate tightness is?
Right now it has the wrong belt on the A/C compressor and its squealing. Other two belts look OK but I'm replacing them anyway due to unknown vintage.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

I've never used any special tool. Feel works for me. Tight.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

I like to have mine set a little bit tighter than the point where they squeal under acceleration. Tight enough to not squeal, loose enough to keep the bearings happy .

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http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...73378_30-1.jpg

NAPA sells a tension gauge called a Kriket for a reasonaable price. Once I started using a gauge, I was shocked at how inaccurate the various "rule of thumb" methods are.

http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPages/NOLMaster.aspx?PageId=470&LineCode=NBH&PartNumber=KR1&Description=Belt+Tension+Gauge

It can be done without the gauge.

The V-belt system provides a good bit of latitude with regard to tension. Over the years, I've come to realize that the tension set by most folks is way too tight. The belts can transmit much more torque with lowered tension settings than one would initially believe.

After installing a new set of belts, they'll typically stretch a bit, sometimes to the point of being visibly loose. No hint of slippage on the component.

I set them to that there is a good 1/2" of movement when the PS and ALT belts are pressed in the middle. The a/c belt will be less, possibly 1/4", due to the short distance between the two pulleys.

Just remember............tighter is NOT better.

Which is precisely why using a gauge is such a fantastic idea!!!

Think of all the crank pulley bolts that could be saved.

I should pick one of them up......what's the cost?

NAPA webside lists $13.99. Click the link in post #4.

Thanks......that's cheap enough to make it worthwhile to have.

I bought one of the gauges at Napa and a set of belts but I still haven't had a chance to put the belts on. At work I do a lot of belt changes and I have done it with and without a gauge and for consistency it's best with a gauge.

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1983 300SD
200000miles

Thanks for the advice, all. Looks like the tool is a cheap way to get extra assurance I've done it right, and I like my local NAPA guys, so I'll pick one up.

I got all the belts yesterday from the dealer, so hopefully I can actually get to this job soon. I don't know how you guys with like 10 cars can do it all. I have a growing list for just three. I like doing it all but it's hard to find the time with my funky work schedule. 4 a.m. isn't really a good time to change belts, is it?

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

Why not?

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

Dark, damp, rabid raccoons.

Actually I've done quite a few things at that hour, but usually things I'm more familiar with (e.g. oil change) or things that can be done inside (repairing door lock tumbler for example). Now that I'm living at my parents house I kind of have to be considerate about waking them and the neighborhood too.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

time to get a garage...

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

It's high on my checklist whenever I decide to buy a house. Big garage, big driveway ... if there's a house attached to it, bonus.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)