drive belt tension question
07-29-2014, 02:02 PM
#2
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 8,091
aileen,
Yes a loose belt can slip and that will create friction which will over heat the belt and create a stinky burning odor.
A belt should be just tight enough to not slip. This is a line almost verbatim out of the Singer owners manual. I've found that when a belt is just right it will look loose when sitting still, but once the motor is running it will drive the machine quite reliably.
Also a dirty oil soaked motor can stink as well. "Usually" a dirty motor is one that has sat unused for a time and will clean itself up as you use it. Sometimes however you'll have to clean them.
An oil soaked motor may actually quit running. If the commutator, brushes and springs are oil soaked, the motor may not run well at all. I'm guilty of creating that condition by over oiling the motor to my Edison clone and letting it sit for a year. It smoked, sparked, sizzled and then just lost power. After cleaning I ran it wide open for a few minutes so the brushes would reseat and it's all better now.
Joe
Yes a loose belt can slip and that will create friction which will over heat the belt and create a stinky burning odor.
A belt should be just tight enough to not slip. This is a line almost verbatim out of the Singer owners manual. I've found that when a belt is just right it will look loose when sitting still, but once the motor is running it will drive the machine quite reliably.
Also a dirty oil soaked motor can stink as well. "Usually" a dirty motor is one that has sat unused for a time and will clean itself up as you use it. Sometimes however you'll have to clean them.
An oil soaked motor may actually quit running. If the commutator, brushes and springs are oil soaked, the motor may not run well at all. I'm guilty of creating that condition by over oiling the motor to my Edison clone and letting it sit for a year. It smoked, sparked, sizzled and then just lost power. After cleaning I ran it wide open for a few minutes so the brushes would reseat and it's all better now.
Joe
07-29-2014, 08:40 PM
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Utah
Posts: 2,071
Make sure it's not the motor bearings that are causing it to over-heat. You can check by rotating the motor pulley by hand. If it's not moving smoothly, you need to get some oil in the bearings.
Some motors will have a carbon smell if they haven't been used for a while. But that usually goes away with use. It does help to clean the commutator.
Some motors will have a carbon smell if they haven't been used for a while. But that usually goes away with use. It does help to clean the commutator.
07-30-2014, 05:16 AM
#4
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Ponchatoula,La.
Posts: 294
Aileen,
I recently acquired a Merritt 2404 and it ran very well before cleaning and oiling, but after I reinstalled the original belt the machine ran at about 2/3 speed. I quickly found that I over tightened the belt and when I loosened it up which appeared to be too loose, it was back up to speed and a test run on a piece of cloth confirmed that the belt was indeed properly tensioned. I watch the belt under load and even though it looked to be loose, I had no issues with slippage.
Rodney in Ponchatoula, La.
I recently acquired a Merritt 2404 and it ran very well before cleaning and oiling, but after I reinstalled the original belt the machine ran at about 2/3 speed. I quickly found that I over tightened the belt and when I loosened it up which appeared to be too loose, it was back up to speed and a test run on a piece of cloth confirmed that the belt was indeed properly tensioned. I watch the belt under load and even though it looked to be loose, I had no issues with slippage.
Rodney in Ponchatoula, La.
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