Patent ID: 6364795
Filing Date: 2002-04-02
Classification: F16H

Abstract:
A belt tensioner for tensioning a belt on a motor vehicle engine, said belt tensioner configured to be mounted to a tensioner mount and comprising: a pivot shaft;a pivoting member pivotally mounted on said pivot shaft; a pulley rotationally mounted on said pivoting member; a spring configured and disposed so as to bias said pivoting structure and said pulley toward the belt when the tensioner is installed on the tensioner mount and the belt is installed on the motor vehicle engine; a mounting bolt configured and disposed for mounting the belt tensioner to the tensioner mount, said mounting bolt being configured to be tightened down to the tensioner mount to a predefined extent when installing the tensioner on the tensioner mount; and a resilient clamping member configured and disposed so as to apply a predetermined, axially oriented clamping force against said pivot shaft after said mounting bolt has been tightened down to the tensioner mount to said predefined extent, said predetermined clamping force holding said pivot shaft against said tensioner mount and being large enough to maintain the pivot shaft in perpendicular relation to the tensioner mount when the tensioner is subjected to belt loads, thereby preventing tilting of the pivot shaft when the tensioner is moved into installed, tensioning engagement with the belt, and said predetermined clamping force being small enough to permit manual rotational movement of the pivot shaft relative to the mounting bolt so as to adjust the amount of tension applied by the tensioner to the belt.