Posted by Ole Rosted on July 12, 2001 at 11:02:38:
First of all thanks to all previous writers on the subject - combined it was very useful. For newcomers – like myself – let me try and sum it up:
Firstly, the reference marks on the swinging arm are only there for reference – certainly not showing anything like correct alignment. On my Savage the left-hand adjuster is at the 2nd reference mark while the right-hand adjuster is at the 3rd reference mark. Note that the official Owner’s Manual doesn’t actually say that the position must be the same on both sides – but I agree that one could easily get that impression.
Secondly, there’s a tendency that the squeaky sound only appears after some kilometres of driving when the system gets warmed up. This may explain why the workshop people can’t always hear it and think that they may have solved the problem. Don’t allow them to make a workaround with silicone or similar ‘tricks’.
Thirdly, when adjusted correctly there doesn’t seem to be any need of soap, silicone or similar. Note that the official Owner’s Manual doesn’t mention any such products under the maintenance section of the Owner’s Manual.
Fourthly, I agree that the tension ‘produced’ by the magical tool is too tight – my experience is that the correct tension – that is the rear wheel runs freely – is some 2-3 mm above the upper line on the gauge plunger.
Several previous posts have correctly mentioned that the sound comes from the belt touching the left side of the front pulley. The reason for this is mainly that the rear pulley guides the belt to the left side – it simply points in the wrong direction. When this is the case I suggest you do the following:
1) Loosen the axle nut;
2) Turn the belt side adjustment bolt ¼ counter clockwise;
3) Turn the brake side adjustment bolt ¼ clockwise;
4) Retighten the lock nuts and axle nut.
This procedure will turn the rear pulley in the right direction. Make a test drive so that the system gets warmed up. Check for any noise and repeat – if necessary – the above steps until the noise has disappeared. You may now enjoy slow rides pass the outdoor city cafes without any embarrassing noises.
Fun ride, Ole
PS If you find the rear wheel ending up more than 45 degrees out of alignment with the bike’s centreline it seems that you have a different problem ;-)