{"id":5078,"date":"2016-11-04T20:46:58","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T18:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.knottinbotswana.com\/?p=5078"},"modified":"2016-11-04T20:59:07","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T18:59:07","slug":"k11-nissan-march-micra-belt-tensioning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.knottinbotswana.com\/index.php\/2016\/11\/k11-nissan-march-micra-belt-tensioning\/","title":{"rendered":"K11 Nissan March Micra Belt Tensioning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Little bit of DIY on the ‘roach<\/a>, the squealing air-conditioning and alternator belt has been annoying me for a while so I decided to see about tensioning it.<\/p>\n

A brief perusal with my search engine du jour wasn’t much help: it seems that air-conditioning is a bit unusual on the Nissan March\/Micra K11 (and with a <1 litre engine that’s hardly surprising), the most common fitment seems to be alternator only, with the belt tension handled by an automatically adjusting idler-tensioner.<\/p>\n

Luckily I’d seen where the guy that services the car in my absence adjusted it last time, just not which way it needed to be turned (anti-clockwise to increase tension, clockwise to decrease).<\/p>\n

You will need a ratchet handle, long extension, universal joint, short extension and 14mm socket. I also recommend slim-fit but tough work gloves: to steady the universal joint you have to wedge your hand in a confined space with some sharp edges nearby.<\/p>\n