clutch pulley alignment

[scotty747]

I put a new clutch in a few months ago. i'v gone through two gates belts, looks like the clutch pully is a hair to far out. I engaged the clutch and tightened the center screw to try to cinch it back on. Is there anything else I can do to make sure the pulley is fully tightened down to the shaft?

 

[hogjowl]

I think I paid around $150 for a laser alignment tool on Amazon. It helped me solve my ongoing PTO alignment issues.

 

[Dwain Ray]

I put a new clutch in a few months ago. i'v gone through two gates belts, looks like the clutch pully is a hair to far out. I engaged the clutch and tightened the center screw to try to cinch it back on. Is there anything else I can do to make sure the pulley is fully tightened down to the shaft?

When i built frankinstien i got a gates laser alignment tool. Of all i looked at it was the best ( i did the video below when i was installing my driveshaft and was having a problem aligning it. In that situation the shaft was too far to left)

 

[Dwain Ray]

I put a new clutch in a few months ago. i'v gone through two gates belts, looks like the clutch pully is a hair to far out. I engaged the clutch and tightened the center screw to try to cinch it back on. Is there anything else I can do to make sure the pulley is fully tightened down to the shaft?

Ive been thinking about your problem. A couple of questions. First, did you move anything other than the single center bolt on the clutch? Second, did you replace the clutch with same manufacturer, make,model #? If not there can be slight differences between between manufacturers and or models both of the above could require re alignment. If all the above a are the same . Check your woodruff key and or keyhole for burrs and or debris that could cause the clutch to not completely bottom out on the taper of the shaft. Maybe try temporarily installing the clutch without the woodruff key and see if it pushes farther down on the shaft. If it does the problem is with the key

 

[scotty747]

Thanks Dwain. I was thinking I would pull it off and try to re seat it. The clutch was the one everyone said to get from Napa, They took to long so I got it from Orielys, with the same numbers as the one pictured from Napa.

 

[Dwain Ray]

Thanks Dwain. I was thinking I would pull it off and try to re seat it. The clutch was the one everyone said to get from Napa, They took to long so I got it from Orielys, with the same numbers as the one pictured from Napa.

When you get it off, lay it side by side with the old one and see if there's any small differences. You probably don't have any inside micrometers. But if you lay them both on a flat surface with the magnet side up, place a ruler across it . Using a new, unsharpened pencil or similar item use it to measure from the bottom of the tapered hole to the ruler/straight edge also from the top edge to straight edge . Mark both measurements And compare with the old clutch (hope this makes since) also measure the outside upper(innermost) and lower(outer most) belt groove (edges where belt goes) to see if theres any differences. Easiest way to do that is to set the 2 clutches side by side touching and compare ( both magnet sides up and magnet sides down) if the clutch fits and the belt simply doesn't align you'll eighter have to straight edge align it or pop for a laser. The alignment tolerance for a standard 6rib Serpentine belt is ½ rib for every 6" between closest pulley meaning that if the next closest pulley is 12" away from your clutch the belt can be 1 full rib outa perfect alignment and be in tolerance but if the next closest pulley is 3" away that tolerance shrinks to ¼ rib. Not knowing your equipment that's as close as i can get to advising. Frankenstein is in a 2020 van pulleys are close and alignment has to be made with a laser however my backup machine is a 2000 and the distance between pulleys is much much greater and till Frankenstein I've always aligned the driveshafts by eyeball and straight edge and had no problems

 

[scotty747]

thanks. do you remember what size bolt pushes it off? I bought it but cant find it.

 

[Dwain Ray]

thanks. do you remember what size bolt pushes it off? I bought it but cant find it.

I don't remember but i have one at my shop and a bolt checker so ill get you the size tomorrow morning

 

[scotty747]

Thanks. The alternator and clutch are about 6 inches apart. I thought about adding a washer to the alternator pulley to bring it out a hair. What do you think?

 

[Dwain Ray]

Thanks. The alternator and clutch are about 6 inches apart. I thought about adding a washer to the alternator pulley to bring it out a hair. What do you think?

Alternator pulley or idler pulley? I spaced my idler pulley out a bit to center the belt on it but i wouldn't screw with the one on the Alternator itself you'll be screwing with the alignment of the whole Serpentine belt system

 

[Dwain Ray]

thanks. do you remember what size bolt pushes it off? I bought it but cant find it.

The bolt to remove the clutch is ⅝×11 NC

 

[Rob Grady]

Not the best picture, but my AquaTech is easy to get aligned. Old school, just use square stock to do the process, and the idler pulley is shimmed using washers.

 

[they live]

I think I paid around $150 for a laser alignment tool on Amazon. It helped me solve my ongoing PTO alignment issues.

But didnt you say you still have to change them a couple times a year?
Chip replaced my driveshaft for me and used a dial indicator to dial in. I rarely change belts now. Maybe every couple years just because.

 

[Dwain Ray]

But didnt you say you still have to change them a couple times a year?
Chip replaced my driveshaft for me and used a dial indicator to dial in. I rarely change belts now. Maybe every couple years just because.

Are you shure he used a dial indicator to set your driveshaft??? I have dial indicators and for the life of me i can't see how that works. Unless he used it to measure a fixed distance before removing and used it to set the driveshaft back. Without doing that there's no measurement to reference. I set Frankenstein up with a laser,but i was positioning the machine in the van at the same time dealing with 3 axis instead of one.when replacing an existing driveshaft you're generally speaking only setting in and out with frankinstien it was in & out , high &low(raise or lower machine end) right & left ( machine placement in van in, twards drivers side, out toward passenger side) (right or left was the hardest) even there cant see how to use a dial indicator

 

[Dwain Ray]

Are you shure he used a dial indicator to set your driveshaft??? I have dial indicators and for the life of me i can't see how that works. Unless he used it to measure a fixed distance before removing and used it to set the driveshaft back. Without doing that there's no measurement to reference. I set Frankenstein up with a laser,but i was positioning the machine in the van at the same time dealing with 3 axis instead of one.when replacing an existing driveshaft you're generally speaking only setting in and out with frankinstien it was in & out , high &low(raise or lower machine end) right & left ( machine placement in van in, twards drivers side, out toward passenger side) (right or left was the hardest) even there cant see how to use a dial indicator

Frankenstein is 3years and 1472 machine hours and still going on the same Serpentine belt, a gates fleetrunner(green)belt, only belt you should run on a pto

 

[Rob Grady]

Butler recommends to use a dial indicator when installing a new lower pulley on the van engine. Is that what you mean? I don’t think you need that for the driveshaft.

 

[hogjowl]

But didnt you say you still have to change them a couple times a year?
Chip replaced my driveshaft for me and used a dial indicator to dial in. I rarely change belts now. Maybe every couple years just because.

I went from every three months to once a year. It was a process but I think I’ve finally got it dialed it. The hardest thing was aligning it on the vertical plane.

 

[Dwain Ray]

Butler recommends to use a dial indicator when installing a new lower pulley on the van engine. Is that what you mean? I don’t think you need that for the driveshaft.

That would make sense, you take a fixed measurement before removing and again after installing crankshaft pulley to be sure the position is the same

 

[Dwain Ray]

I went from every three months to once a year. It was a process but I think I’ve finally got it dialed it. The hardest thing was aligning it on the vertical plane.

If you use a laser with a line not a dot the vertical plain would look cross the rib or target at an angle but from side to side adjustment would show the laser walking across the ribs ( that was my problem. I finally had to do this video and email it to a friend to get it figured out