NordicTrack belt drifting to one side, here's what worked for me

[Thomas Martinez]

Had the problem of my treadmill’s belt sliding off to one side while in use. Friction were noticeable and somewhat bothersome. Initially thought it was due to a warped deck which would be pricey to fix. Ended up it was just tension.
Had to purchase an hex key and adjusted the tension on each side. Had to ensure that the adjustments was even on each side or else the belt would end up pulling to one side or the other. Initially, the belt was too tight on one of the bolts so I had to tap it with a hammer to loosen it. Pliers could of also be used. Once evened out, adjusted the tension on each side to where the belt remained centered on the treadmill.
Initially thought it would be more involved than just adjusting the tension. Was surprised at how easy it was once knowing which way to turn each bolt. Small adjustments is all that is needed as going too far in one direction or the other will cause the belt to drift in the other direction.
Anyone else experienced this on there NordicTrack treadmills?

 

[Gorgeous Gerbil]

quarter turn rule. Literally never crank more than 1/4 turn at a time on either side or youll chase it forever. Learned that the hard way after spending an hour going back and forth on my c990

 

[Shiny Shark]

Did mine last month, same exact symptom. Hammer trick worked for me too. Belts tend to seize those bolts up with the gunk that builds up from the treadmill belt.

 

[Muppet Mop]

wait does the direction matter? like clockwise tightens and pulls toward that side or is it the opposite

 

[Bewildered Bat]

Eyeballing works for most people but if you want to get fancy with the mask tape on the treadmill deck to line up with the belt and check for evenness.

 

[Gorgeous Gerbil]

wait does the direction matter? like clockwise tightens and pulls toward that side or is it the opposite

clockwise tightens that roller side which pulls the belt TOWARD that side. So if its drifting left, loosen the left or tighten the right. Small adjustments tho dont go nuts

 

[Ingenious Dog Dre]

honestly i just put a drop of silicone on the deck every couple months and havent had a tracking issue in years. People overcomplicate this stuff

 

[Muppet Mop]

clockwise tightens that roller side which pulls the belt TOWARD that side. So if its drifting left, loosen the left or tighten the right. Small adjustments tho dont go nuts

ok that helps. And how tight is too tight? like is there a way to tell if youve gone too far other than the belt slipping under your foot

 

[Proud Pollan]

ok that helps. And how tight is too tight? like is there a way to tell if youve gone too far other than the belt slipping under your foot

Lift the treadmill belt in the middle of the treadmill deck. You should be able to lift the treadmill belt approximately 2 to 3 inches from the deck. If it s not able to be lifted that high then the belt is too tight for the treadmill which can damage the motor and the rollers over time. If you can lift it more than 3 inches then the belt will continuously slip while running. That is the rule of thumb every other tech ive spoken to on treadmill issue.

 

[Dist]

NordicTrack belts are garbage. I had one of their 1750 model where the belt was constantly slipping. Tried every adjustment under the sun. Upon inspection the deck was warped due to the heat from the treadmill. Ended up flipping the treadmill over and getting an extra year out of it before selling it and going sole footing it.