Gates 91132 Krikit V Ribbed Belt Tension Gauge

I've purchased 3 automotive belt tension gauges and this is the only reasonably priced gauge that works under $100. The measurements are in ft. lbs. which is correct for the tension or "Borroughs" measurement of a belt. ( maybe because Gates makes rubber composite fan belts.) The stick type gauge can also work but the O-rings tend to wear, slip from oil and grease or just get lost. Most other gauges also tend to measure in distance (inches) which is irrelevant for this application. The only way to get a meaningful value from a distance gradient like inches, would be to observe what this (or a >$100.00 gauge shows) and then matching that distance to ft. lbs. for subsequent use with one of these other gauges, ie: 1" = 12 ft. lbs. This gauge is also made of pot metal or pewter so it's sturdy and reliable for continued use which isn't that often.

This worked perfect for changing the belts on my 2004 nissan pathfinder LE. My belts had squealed a little bit over the past 3 years and it was one of those things that I was eternally going to get around to. I finally decided to do it after the squealing became worse. No youtube videos were available for my model or engine, but it looked straight forward enough and was easier than expected. You end up accessing everything from the bottom of the vehicle and work the belt around the fan. I checked the old belts before i took them off. they didn't even register on the tester, it would click below 100lbs. This wasn't a surprise since i knew they squealed and were loose. changed belts. used gauge to tension them. I had read somewhere to run engine for 5 minutes and then retest. I did and found i needed to tension them a bit more. double checked later in the day after letting belts cool again. Perfect tension still. My belts required upwards of 200lbs of tension so this version of the tester did the trick. for less than 100lbs you will need the other version as stated by other reviewers. I highly recommend getting this tool for your collection. Very well priced and much less than other testers.

This gauge does what it’s supposed to do. Just place it on the belt and click to see where your belt tension is. Make sure you press straight down. I do it a few times to make sure I have the right rating.

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.

Saved my butt when replacing belts, removes the guesswork when tightening them.

This tool relies heavily on making sure it is perfectly aligned on the belt (without any guide slots/pins, just has to be eyeballed) and also being able to apply perfecy straight down pressure to the pad for it to get a reading even close to accurate. For vehicles with easily accessible belts this isn't a problem but if your belts are more tucked away and require some creative angles to get this pressed on the belt or even needs to be checked from underneath, this tool just bottoms straight out every time no matter what.

Replaced a waterpump on a 1997 Jeep, manual said: adjust belt to 140-160 pounds... no way to know that without this tool or similar. Arrived in a couple of days (thanks Amazon Prime) & it does exactly what I needed. The directions included were a bit brief & pictures a bit faint, but it's easy to use & my unit gave consistent readings over a series of 5 measurements at 2 different belt locations. The key (at least on my use) seems to be making certain the tool is centered on the belt between the edged & parallel to them before you press on it, & making certain the press-point is flat on the belt as you press (which leaves the indicator end above the belt slightly at an angle) This will make more sense when you have the tool in-hand ;-) Then, you just press til it clicks & read the scale-then tighten or loosen your belt and check it again til you have the correct tension. Remember to run the engine after everything is tightened back up & recheck :-) It may change & need a readjustment.

Top alles gut .

Lo requerí para el cambio de la banda de mi auto todo bien!!!

La herramienta es buena y de calidad

I went from a shaft drive motorcycle to a Spyder which is belt drive, so I required a belt tension tester. This one is talked about the most, so I purchased it. Delivery was on time, sturdy construction and simple to use. Worked as advertised. You should know that this type of tester comes in two different models, one for low belt tension and one for higher belt tension. Check your owner's manual to ensure you purchase the correct model.

Outil pratique pour contrôler la tension d'une courroie, un poil cher je vous l'accorde.