"This is why belt tension is so important [...]" Lame-o confession: I never know when my belt tension is right. The push-to-check-deflection thing is so subjective to me that I just don't trust my results. The engine squeals sometimes when I start it. Reckon it's the belt. -- Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott 1984 Westfalia, auto trans, Bend, Ore. On 09/23/2012 07:51 AM, Dennis Haynes wrote: > The water boxer engine cannot reliably drive a larger alternator due to the > drive belt set. Most belt drives are designed around the belt having a 180 > degree wrap around the drive and driven pulleys. On the waterboxer the belt > only skims around the drive pulley limiting the amount of friction available > to drive the load. This is why belt tension is so important and from the > factory a special high tensile strength belt was used. > > Dennis > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of > David Beierl > Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2012 11:13 PM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Re: Alternator continuous-duty rating? > > At 07:41 PM 9/22/2012, Rocket J Squirrel wrote: >> I don't think the 90-amp rating is a continuous rating. It's probably >> peak rating, or one-hour rating or something, but not continuous. I'm > > Just some context - with 90 amps at 13.6 volts, assuming 85% efficiency the > alternator will be sucking down about two horsepower from the belt and > dissipating about 225 watts as heat. > > I don't know how much the water pump uses, but you're definitely pushing the > edges of what most marine folks recommend driving with one automotive vee > belt, especially the 3L size that we use. > > There's a little calculator at > http://www.gizmology.net/pulleysbelts.htm for required tension and such. > Only set up for two-sheave systems, but it's something. > > I took squint around www.gates.com for hp ratings and got nowhere useful. > Stopped short of asking an engineer, which they provide for on the site. > > Yrs, > d |
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