iaredneck72

I have put on 3 belts within 2000 miles. The original lasted 69,xxx miles. The original belt was replaced because it had jumped splines and was rubbing on the inside side of the pulleys. The replacement shredded after about 800 miles. The next belt lasted about 1200 miles after jumping splines on the a/c compressor. It happened going down the road and turning on the a/c. The mechanic said it was caused by a peice of belt stuck behind the alternator and caused the belt to jump. Now I'm on my 3rd replacement. The shop says the tensioner and all pulleys are in good repair and in alignment. (I tend to disagree). Any ideas on the root cause?

Nevada

Start with the belt tensioner.

Mexstan

First, suggest you place your vehicle in your sig so that we can see what you have.<br>Something is obviously very wrong. A couple of suggestions for now. Rotate and check every pulley for something stuck in/on it. Check your tensioner for proper tension and maybe even consider replacing it. How many miles on the tensioner? Take a look yourself at the alignment of all the pulleys. With the belt off, shake each pulley and check for any movement/wobbbling etc. Are you sure that the belt was replaced with the correct belt each time? How did the previous belts look after they deteriorated? Did they just break or were teeth missing. Any unusual noise prior to the problem? If so, what kind of noise?<br>Hope this helps to get you started on the rectification path. After you have found and rectified the problem let us all know what caused the problem and what you did to fix it.

bulabula

I'll assume nothing is out of alignment or amiss if the last one lasted 69k. Unless, it had a catastrophic demise rather than you just decided to replace it. 69k? whew. I like to change mine around 50k irregardless of how it looks.

Don't forget that all belts and hoses are NOT created equal. I've found that the old saying &quot;you get what you pay for&quot; really applies when it comes to belts and hoses. I cheaped out once on a belt for my F350, and it threw it after 50 miles. I was towing the boat at the time, and fortunately, Ford put two serp belts on it so I did make it home ok, but had no alternator or power steering.

Who made the belt?

Did you happen to replace the AC recently and lose a spacer before it went back on? Maybe put a huge of vice grips on a pulley and screw up the ribs? I've seen these happen before.

Hired Gun

I just changed mine last night. 78,000 miles on original. I changed it because I am going to Claremont, Virginia this weekend.<br>As I removed the original, I noticed a slice across the belt. Glad I decided to change it. I got the Mopar belt<br>from a local dealer, and was very surprised at how cheap these belst are. Took 3 minutes to instal and I am happy as a clam.<br><br>Since you are having this trouble, sounds like an alignment problem. Especially if it is jumping splines and rubbing.<br>I would check the tensioner, and then check all the pullys for a loose one. After that is checked, check each spline for a bur in the pully. You may have one with a wear place that<br>makes it jump off. I have seen this happen. [undecided]

TXRAM2

HG, mine looked just like you said at 66000. Thought I was replacing soon enough to keep the old one for emergency ??? maybe not :

StakeMan

Whats the best belt for replacement? Part # and location of purchase would be appreciated.<br><br>I have over 90,000 on the factory belt.

duner

perhaps a problem with the compressor?

DarrellB

Here is a sure fire way to see if your belt needs replacing. This was told to me by a fleet diesel mechanic and goes for all serp. belts.

Take the belt off and double it over in one hand now sqeaze it together until you can see the cracks across the top of the belt. If you can count more than 20 cracks per inch it's time to replace it. I've had 2 on my truck and will be replacing the 2nd this weekend and I've got 80,000 miles on the odo.

I use a Napa belt on mine, here are the part #'s

W/O AC NBH 25080653 $27.99

W/ AC NBH 25080810 $32.49

DB

bulabula

What Darrel said. I like to use NAPA belts myself. Keep the old one in the truck in case the new one destroys itself. Or to pass it on to someone whose serp belt broke on the road.

TXRAM2

Stakeman<br>I got one from Geno's, with a/c $27.95<br>hth

StakeMan

Thanks for the info. I didn't know if there was a super duper replacement belt. The kind that adds 5 hp.

DarrellB

[quote author=StakeMan link=board=4;threadid=16073;start=0#151532 date=1056119295]<br>Thanks for the info. I didn't know if there was a super duper replacement belt. The kind that adds 5 hp. <br>[/quote]<br><br>That's why the Napa belt is $10 more. It will add a felt 10hp over the factory replacement. <br><br>DB

j-fox

Guys , that hp gain is only with a decal, right?<br>We already have the fart tip!

BPD239

During one of the first oil changes when I was messing with that overflow breather bottle I was surprised how much oil was in the bottle. I was even more surprised how much was blowing on the engine, pulleys, and the belt. There was a thick coating of oil and dirt. I have since removed the bottle and sent the hose down to the bottom of the truck. I have noticed that the oil and dirt I once had on the front of the engine and belt is no longer a problem. <br><br>Just a thought but I'm sure all that oil is not helping the life of the belt.