Customer Reviews

Gates 91132 Belt Tension Tester

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The way this tool works is you put the arm of the tool in the down position, and then put the tool midway on the belt between two pulleys. Then push on the tool until you feel the click. Once you feel the click, you stop pushing tension on the belt with your finger and then look at the resulting measurement. The top of the moving arm (left of the picture in this product description) intersects with the scale of numbers engraved on the tool. Wherever that intersection point lies is the resulting belt tension number. I can tell the tool basically converts some level of belt deflection into a corresponding tension number. By applying the specified amount of tension (i.e. up to the point of the clicking noise of the tool), the belt has deflected a certain amount and the moving arm will only move up as much as the belt has deflected. So I would say the key aspect to this tool is when the clicking happens which assures when the appropriate amount of deflection has been applied and then to read the measurement thereafter. Very cool tool.

The only possible ways I can see a wrong measurement occuring is if the user applies more force to the belt (after the clicking already happened) or if the clicking mechanism is out of calibration and clicks too early or too late (thereby applying too little or too much force to the belt to create a wrong measurement). I can't imagine the clicking being out of calibration as it looks like a very simple mechanism. So I would say this tool is very accurate almost all the time. I took a few readings of my belt and always got fairly consistent readings, maybe differing by plus/minus 10 lbs.

I read in some forums where people would say they had no room to insert this tool, but the tool is only 5 inches long (shorter than most pens) and for the most part, if you have room to put your finger on a belt and be able to push on it, you will most likely be able to fit this tool there too. The tool has a rubber strap for your finger to help prevent you from dropping it while finding your way to the belt. Since it's so small, I might recommend you have one of those telescopic magnetic pick-up tools handy in case you drop it down in the engine compartment somewhere since the tool is that small (however, the only magnetic part of the krikit I got is on the pen clip).

You should also be aware that the krikit model 91132 has a tension measurement range of 100-320 lbs while model 91107 has a lower range (30-160 lbs). My car ('03 G35) requires a new belt tension of greater than 200 lbs on one of the belts, so I got the 91132.

I also wanted to comment on the other amazon user reviewer who mentioned the gauge was ineffective for him. I would have to say he likely has loose belts because the tool, in my opinion, is highly accurate if used correctly and it's kind of hard to use it incorrectly. But even with loose belts, you might never notice any noticeable squeeling...basically you can be lucky and never see a problem until the next belt change.

I tried to cover as much as I can because I could never find anyone giving a detailed review of this product which would have helped me evaluate this product prior to buying it, but now that I have it and actually used it, I think it's a very handy gauge and anyone who needs to manually adjust their belt tension should get one. I know some people can tension their belts by feel or using some belt twisting rule of thumb, and that's how I used to do it too, but I get much peace of minding know that my belt is tensioned EXACTLY to specs.

Please understand I am not mad but you are selling the wrong gauge and I don't know what to do other than to let you know. If you look at the picture of the gauge sold under the part # 91132, it has little triangular wings one on each side. These wings as pictured give the gauge better stability when used on a flat belt. The part # is right, the picture is right, the part # on the box was right but the gauge inside was not. The one you sent out does not have wings and it also has a raised line of metal on one edge of the bottom that makes it impossible to measure the stress of a wide flat belt.

I would send it back but it would cost me almost half of what it cost to buy it. I would really like to get the one pictured if possible. Any thing you can do, I appreciate it. Please if nothing else, just let me know you got this...

The only reason I gave it a low rating was it was not what I ordered. The one pictured is what I need...

I have a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee that doesn't use an automatic tensioner, and so I need to use a gauge when replacing the accessory belt. Since a proper gauge costs over $100 and there's nowhere near me where I can rent one, I thought the Krikit-II would be ideal. I noted that it got mixed reviews, but it was cheap enough to take a fly on.

Unfortunately, I'm one of the people for whom it simply doesn't work. I don't know if I just happen to have a faulty gauge, but despite following the (not very good) instructions to the letter, I always get the exact same reading on every belt I've tested it on - by the time you hear the click, the indicator arm has deflected all the way. This indicates less than 50kg of tension, which I know is just plain wrong.

I have used one of these to tension the belts on my 1999 Miata. There is not enough room on the front of the engine to use any of the larger tools or to easily use the straight-edge/force method.

Was initially a little concerned about the accuracy of this tool so I tested it at my work by suspending 200Lbs of mass via a micro-v belt and measuring the tension with this tool. The tool measured 105 pounds of tension which is very good (actual tension is 100Lbs with 200Lbs force on the belt). The larger style of dial indicating tension gauges typically will be 80 to 120 Lbs tension at this force making this gauge more accurate than I normally see in a v-belt tension gauge.

I see that someone else here had a bad experience with this gauge.

Gates makes several versions of this gauge for different tension ranges and belt styles. I can only vouch for the Krikit II (91132) version.

Personally, I love it. I have found it to be very accurate. I had my belt professionally adjusted with a much more expensive (and admittedly, more impressive) gauge. I then put this belt tension gauge on it and tried it 3 times. Each time I came up with the same value and it was within a few pounds of what the mechanics gauge read. Well within any tolerance I would ever need.

I've used it on other people's belts and it has worked well. You have to be a bit careful to keep it flat against the belt and it has to be mid span at the longest distance between pullies (which can be a pain on some vehicles). But it isn't rocket science either.

I've used it on both V belts and Flat belts with great results. (It is not recommended for flat belts but hey! Works for me.)

For $20 I am one happy camper! Highly recommended! I have recommended it to several friends and they are as happy as I am.

I am following the instructions which came with this device which say that I must apply pressure until I "hear and feel" a "click". I do not hear and feel this. The more I press with the tester on the belt the more the belt deflects and the more the indicator arm on the tester moves up. I wonder if a part is missing from my tester or if I am using it incorrectly.

Don't be surprised if your belt snaps on you while you're trying to tension it to the spec using this junk. This tester consistently reads values that are like 1/2 what the actual tension is. Perhaps it works on that one exact belt they used to calibrate it, but I couldn't care less because it is not the belt my car uses. Too bad there is no 0-star rating, as this is exactly what this product earns. The price under $20 for a working tension gauge sounds too good to be true? Then it probably is.

i'm not sure how others are not seeing how to use this. there is a very informative video on youtube (search 'dayco krikit')

you will want to make sure to use this in the middle of the belt between pulleys or wherever the service manual shows to test tension

i got repeatable readings, and in the end you have to trust the gauge is correct/calibrated.

this one is really only useful (on my car) for the initial 170-200 pound tension on NEW belts. after a few minutes they are supposed to be reduced to a 90-120 pound range and this gauge is 100-300 but only with markings every 20 pounds therefore limiting my adjustment range to only between the first two marks (100 and 120)

i have also now ordered the 91107 to get a much better view from 30-160

I needed to set the tension on two serpentine belts on a Mitsubishi Eclipse after changing the harmonic balancer. I purchased this belt tension gauge after looking at many of the $100+ options out there. I was a bit weary after reading some people's reviews saying that it constantly registered 50 lbs no matter what they did. I was also a little concerned that it stated it was only for V belt and not serpentine or grooved belts, but I figured it was worth the try.

I took the chance, and am very glad I did. It worked just fine on my grooved serpentine belts. As others stated the directions were a bit sparse, but that's because it's so simple to use. You just hold it properly, and press it onto the belt between the pulley's ensuring that it's parallel to the belt edge. You push until you hear the click and then you're done. The only trick that those who say it registers only 50 lbs (or the lowest value) neglect is that before pressing it onto the belt, YOU MUST MANUALLY SET THE DIAL TO THE HIGHEST SETTING (and it will move down during the measurement).

The green rocker dial indicator only works in ONE DIRECTION, the action of pressing the gauge onto the belt can only move the indicator from high to low force. So if you start it out on a low or lowest setting, it will not contact the belt, and will not move at all from the initial low setting during measurement. This is not clearly explained in the directions, but if you just look at the device it's pretty clear from studying the way it operates. Set it to the highest setting before measurement and it works like a charm.

I cannot comment on the precision of this device because I didn't have another gauge for comparison, but it definitely responded correctly to the adjustments of the tensioning bolt, and allowed me to quickly obtain the desired tension on both of my belts (assuming that the device is calibrated).

I would definitely purchase it again, and would recommend it to anyone that needs to tension belts. My belts are good, no squeeking, and I have an extra $75 in my pocket...

This is one of best tools I have ever used to adjust a motorcycle belt. It's easy, fast, and fits in my shirt pocket.