Final Drive Belt Tension questions??

[MeudtPG]

Thanks in advance for input.
2018 RTL.
1) After replacing recall drive sprocket should the final belt tension be readjusted or at least checked?
2) What damage can occur if the final drive belt tension is too tight?
A) Could output needle bearing be destroyed causing output shaft to break?
B) Would belt break before doing major damage?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks in advance for input.
2018 RTL.
1) After replacing recall drive sprocket should the final belt tension be readjusted or at least checked?
2) What damage can occur if the final drive belt tension is too tight?
A) Could output needle bearing be destroyed causing output shaft to break?
B) Would belt break before doing major damage?

If the work was done by a dealer ..... they will/should check the tension ..... However, if they do, they will set it to BRP SPECS .... and IMHO & most others here - BRP Spec tension is way too high ..... I use a KritKit gauge and have mine set at 160 lbs. with the wheels on the ground .... good luck ....Mike

[Navydad]

No reason to loosen the rear wheel in order to install front pulley. My dealer didn't. Rear wheel off ground and rotate the wheel backwards while pulling the belt off. Install front pulley and reverse the process. Nothing changed as far as my belt tension or alignment.

[BajaRon]

Thanks in advance for input.
2018 RTL.
1) After replacing recall drive sprocket should the final belt tension be readjusted or at least checked?
2) What damage can occur if the final drive belt tension is too tight?
A) Could output needle bearing be destroyed causing output shaft to break?
B) Would belt break before doing major damage?

A too tight belt can destroy bearings at either or both ends. However, the 998 models run a lower tension and the 1330 runs a higher tension. They beefed up the 1330 output shaft bearings as well as the rear wheel bearings to accommodate the higher belt tension. I have been told that the working tension on the drive belt can be as high as 600 lbs. So the belt is way over engineered.

[MeudtPG]

A too tight belt can destroy bearings at either or both ends. However, the 998 models run a lower tension and the 1330 runs a higher tension. They beefed up the 1330 output shaft bearings as well as the rear wheel bearings to accommodate the higher belt tension. I have been told that the working tension on the drive belt can be as high as 600 lbs. So the belt is way over engineered.

Anyone had this happen from overtightening belt before? Shaft Failure Output Bearing.jpg

[MeudtPG]

No reason to loosen the rear wheel in order to install front pulley. My dealer didn't. Rear wheel off ground and rotate the wheel backwards while pulling the belt off. Install front pulley and reverse the process. Nothing changed as far as my belt tension or alignment.

Question: Did the dealer check the belt tension after installing the new recall sprocket?
How do we know both the new sprocket and old sprocket didn't change the belt tension?

[BajaRon]

Anyone had this happen from overtightening belt before? Shaft Failure Output Bearing.jpg

Too tight belt tension may have contributed to this. But I would think the bearing would give out before the shaft, unless there was some flaw in the shaft to begin with.

[MeudtPG]

If the bearing went out first causing the shaft to break possibility?

[BajaRon]

If the bearing went out first causing the shaft to break possibility?

Possible, I suppose. It's hard to tell but it appears that some of the rollers are missing from the bearing. Bearings usually give some warning that they are failing. It would take quite a bit to break that shaft. Does the bearing turn at all now?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Anyone had this happen from overtightening belt before? Shaft Failure Output Bearing.jpg

Is that from / on a Spyder ????? ..... Mike

[MeudtPG]

Is that from / on a Spyder ????? ..... Mike

Yes Mike! A 2018 RTL with 14,541 total miles on Spyder. Had the sprocket recall done at dealer 3172 miles ago and nothing adjusted for belt tension since 6923 miles for a new rear VREDESTEIN Quatrac 5 - 205/60R15.
We are currently trying to find the reason this failed but suspect maybe belt tension as the culprit after recall sprocket installed without checking tension? Whatever caused this very serious failure needs to be discovered so any thoughts are welcome.
Output Shaft Bearing Failure1.jpg Transmission Assy Failure.jpgOutput Shaft Bearing Failure1.jpgShaft Failure3.jpg

[Peter Aawen]

If the bearing went out first causing the shaft to break possibility?

Possible, I suppose. It's hard to tell but it appears that some of the rollers are missing from the bearing. Bearings usually give some warning that they are failing. It would take quite a bit to break that shaft. Does the bearing turn at all now?

Yes Mike! A 2018 RTL with 14,541 total miles on Spyder. Had the sprocket recall done at dealer 3172 miles ago and nothing adjusted for belt tension since 6923 miles for a new rear VREDESTEIN Quatrac 5 - 205/60R15.
We are currently trying to find the reason this failed but suspect maybe belt tension as the culprit after recall sprocket installed without checking tension? Whatever caused this very serious failure needs to be discovered so any thoughts are welcome.

Output Shaft Bearing Failure1.jpg Transmission Assy Failure.jpg

The belt tension might've been the final trigger, and it looks like the bearing wasn't really happy either, but going by those pics, I'd hazard a guess that the shaft wasn't all that great to start with and that failure was bound to happen eventually anyway, with or without any other contributions!!

[pegasus1300]

That bearing isn't any good. I don't know if the failed bearing took out the shaft (Though that is what I suspect) or the failed shaft took out the bearing. That shaft should go to a metallurgical lab to determine the failure cause. It looks like the shaft sheared off because the failed bearing would no longer let it spin at speed.

[Isopedella]

Thanks in advance for input.
2018 RTL.
1) After replacing recall drive sprocket should the final belt tension be readjusted or at least checked?
2) What damage can occur if the final drive belt tension is too tight?
A) Could output needle bearing be destroyed causing output shaft to break?
B) Would belt break before doing major damage?

Talk about a " Loaded Question" Think a more straight up 1st post in this thread would be more ........ well take ya pick.



Fire for effect.

[Mikey]

So are you doing the work and trying to figure out how and what to point the finger at? Is BRP involved? They should be! I would say that this shaft was brittle for whatever reason, bad material, heat, and with that you add a lot of side tension and some torque, then you get a break. The hard part is that you have to know how hard that shaft was supposed to be, and that numbers going to hard to get if BRP don't want to play nice, then it would have to go a lab to be tested!! My hopes and prayers are that BRP will help you out on this one, because that really sucks to see! Good Luck!!

[SkipH]

I'm wondering what the case bearing looks like?
I can see where a grove was cut outside of the bearing and also can be seen on the shaft. if that was a sharp cut then that could have caused the shaft to shear. There has to have been some wobble in the shaft/pulley to destroy the bearing.
then again it could have been the bearing going out that caused the wobble fatiguing the shaft.