You have 3 places that can slip on a treadmill.
1. The walking Belt. When they slip they make a shush
Kind of sound.
2. Drive belt. They normally squeak when they slip.
3. The plastic pulley can loose its grip on the roller and spin instead of move the belt. It usually makes a zing kind of sound.
Remove the motor hood. Turn on the treadmill and walk.
When it slips look down at the front roller were the drive belt is.
If the walking belt is slipping, The walking belt will stop, but the motor, drive belt, and front roller will continue to move.
If the drive belt is loose, the walking belt and front roller
Will stop, but the motor will still turn. It can also make a burning smell.
If the plastic pulley on the front roller looses its grip, the motor, plastic pulley and drive belt will move but the walking belt and front roller will stop.
To tighten the drive belt you would need to move the motor.
If you can send me a picture of the motor and bolts I could tell you how to adj. it.
What concerns me is the smell. If your motor brushes are going bad they will spark and smell. If your belt and deck are worn or need lube, it can make it slip, smell go off track and blow your lower electronic board.
To try something fast, get some silicone spray from Napa auto parts. The silicones model # is 8300. Spray it on top of the deck and under the belt. Then walk it in.
If this doesn’t help you have one of the conditions above. I have a video on this.
You can reach me here www.mindbites.com/person/214-Mark
Or
markepeterson@austin.rr.com
Mark Peterson
April 2008