Krikit V-Belt Tension Gauge Experience
 

Hello all,
I just got done putting all new belts on my 1996 V6 Tacoma. Using a Krikit belt gauge I measured the tension prior to disassembly and they were all in the 35lb ball park, which is way under what I found in the FSM. The specs below came straight from the FSM. Are they Krikit gauges way out of spec or do the belts really need to be that tight???!!! I set them all up at about 50lbf using the Krikit gauge. I thought this was more than enough tension for new belts. I guess the way I see it is I want just barely enough tension on them to keep them from squealing to minimize bearing wear and maximize efficiency. What are everyone’s thoughts on these amounts and any input on the Krikit gauges would be great. Or if anyone has any other rule of thumb for setting the tension on these belts please share. Thanks in advance.

Alt.
New belt 160 ± 20 lbf
Used belt 100 ± 20 lbf


A/C
New belt 160 ± 25 lbf
Used belt 100 ± 20 lbf

P.S.
New belt 135 -180 25 lbf
Used belt 85 - 120 lbf

In all my years I never used any sort of gauge.

I have always adjusted them by feel.

Is this the same gauge Toyota uses to get the 160 Foot pounds ??