I just noticed my drivebelt is falling apart at 40,000 miles. I've been hearing strange noises from the motor on occasion and now see the belt seems like it's been shaved off one side by about 1/4 inch. Also, the back side shows some damage too (split/cracked in areas). How long to the belts normally last?

So, would this be covered under warranty still or is it under the 36,000 mile cut-off? If not, I'll try to replace it myself. Any replacement tips would be very helpful and appreciated.

 

Yep, this is the issue I have as shown here in the thread below. Man, this bites! Makes the truck untrusty.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...erpentine+belt

 

Better than our old ford. Went through 6 belts in 6 months. I've got 4 years and 80k miles on my stock belt and it still looks brand new.

 

It's one of two things; Tensioner or a bad bearing in the alternator. I went through 5 belts within 6 months of having the truck before the dealership finally figured it out. At 40K it's your baby now unless by some freak they will warrant that as an engine problem. I would buy two, one to replace the bad one right away and one to have as a spare in case the replacement goes. After that keep a close watch on it for about 10K and if it hasn't developed the shredding, splitting, cracking I would check it off the list.

 

You need to find the root of the problem. It's more than likely your idler is shot or your altenator bracket is broke . Just replacing the belt will NOT solve the problem, thus it will happen again. Once you get the old belt off check the idler by turing, if it rolls easy then it may be OK. Also chek the spring tension in it, this could also cause the problem.

 

I dropped it off at the dealer this morning and expressed my disgust in the issue and asked that it be covered by Dodge. Service writer did say he has seen it before and will look into the cause. He made it sound like Dodge may cover it depending on what they find. I'll let y'all know.

 

Good way to start out . I've seen three of these come through the shop. I ended up putting tensioners on them and it seemed to solve the prob. One was a local contractor so I see his truck quite a bit and the belt is still ok.

 

At least yours lasted 40,000 miles. Mine went at 5400, and most of the rest of us that have had this problem here and on TDR it was under 10,000 miles.

You're right, it makes it untrustworthy, and I check my belt weekly now. Never had to do this on any car or truck in 25 years of driving. Modern drive belts should go MUCH longer than 40,000 miles, let alone, on a few thousand.

These 3rd gen engines seem to be very hard on belts, and if the belt is even *slightly* substandard, it's going to eat it.

Before all you guys chime in and say check your pullies, etc, most of us that have had this problem have not had pulley or tensioner issue. In fact, our dealers do not have an explanation.

On edit: my new MOPAR belt, which is crosshatched, has now lasted about 6200 miles (so far, knock wood, don't want to jinx myself). It could be that the belts that Cummins supplies with their engines were bidded to the lowest bidder. The replacement MOPAR seems to be better quality. Time will tell.

 

In most cases anything that MOPAR sells for the Cummins is just a rebadged Cummins part and jacked up price

 

Here’s the deal. I let the dealer replace the belt & had them check for a possible cause. They say all looks good & said the belt just bit the dust. The dealer let me take the truck w/o paying the $101 bill because I opened a case with D/C customer service to argue the so soon belt failure. They also feel it’s just a normal wear item and it was the belts time to go.

After looking at the manual it states to inspect the belt and replace if needed at only 20 something thousand miles. So, I guess, based that I shouldn’t be so surprised the belt died at 40k.

It’s a shame we’ve been delt w/a weak belt design!

 

Dealer can say whatever they want. Modern drive belts, unless defective, should last WAY longer than 40,000 miles.

There's another belt failure thread over on TDR right now.

 

I'm with you on that one. Our books make it sound like to expect it, though.

 

My belt still looks great, but its only got 40k on it. Not all belts are created equal - I learned that from experience from my last F350. Me buying cheep replacements.

I think some additional cost savings measures within DC were implemented in the '04 timeframe and one of the casualties of them was a lower grade belt.

If the hardware (pulley's) are sound, and there are no misalignments; the only moving part left is the rubber belt. Rubber breaks down - especially cheap rubber. Doesn't matter if its belts or hoses.

If a belt lasts only 5000 miles, and dealers have no explanation, odds are its a cheap belt from the factory, not an engineering problem.

 

Good info guys. I got my spare belt from the dealer today just in case

 

I'm hoping this is the explanation. The replacement Mopar belt, which is crosshatched and ribbed, seems higher quality than the belt that Cummins supplied with the motor.