Vantage "Adjust polyvee drive belt tension"

[Tremelune]

The maintenance schedule for my 2007 V8 Vantage has "Check / adjust polyvee drive belt tension, renew if necessary" every 10k miles...I tried to find out how to do this from the factory manual, but it seems it is tensioned automatically, and therefore cannot be adjusted.

How should tension be measured? What is "good"? Am I supposed to change the belt if it's "bad" or what? How bad is bad?

Kinda seems like a copy-paste error from an older manual...

[8Tech]

If you pull on the belt, you should feel/see the tensioner act against you. There is a tool used to check belt tension but have yet to find anyone who uses it for anything other than French car timing belts. Most technicians "feel" the tension from experience, and look at the ribs on the belt to inspect for cracks.

Any cracks and the belt should be replaced, and no tension return from the tensioner indicates either the belt is stretched, or the tensioner is failing/failed.

https://www.lasertools.co.uk/Product/5846/Belt-Ten...

[Tremelune]

So I take it nobody's adjusting tension on their drive belts?

No concern that this is just...randomly in the manual as a maintenance item...?

[vulcan26]

I suspect when they say 'adjust' its actually, 'replace the tensioner'. They aren't expensive and probably works out cheaper than some special tool and an hours labour!