Why serpentine?

[rjjp]

Why do people always want to swap to serpentine belts? Mine is a factory serpentine system and it's always spitting the damn thing, not as bad as it used to, but still if I drop the hammer it will shred the damned thing, if I release the throttle suddenly it will spit it, when it spits it there is a 50/50 chance weather it wraps around the fan or wraps around the crank and gets ripped in half.

Basically I'm asking if there's any good reason to keep the serpentine setup or should I swap to V belts.

 

[War Wagon]

Seems like there might be something wrong. I've never had that happen.

 

[Fordsandguns]

I think there was an upgrade to the tensioner or idler pulley that helps with throwing the belt.
Mine is a 91 so I have the v belts but I have read where just hitting a puddle can cause it to throw the serpentine set up.
I think Icanfixall can shed more light on this for you.

 

[gonecrazyi]

I've never had a problem with the v belt setup. Haven't broken a belt yet in 6 years and there the same belts that came on the truck. I think it really comes down to ease to replacement.

 

[hesutton]

My guess is the fact there is only one belt and that makes removal and replacment simpler. Both my IDI's are v-belt. I keep an eye on them and replace them all when I start to see significant wear and/or cracking. If one v-belt lets go, it will take most if not all of the rest with it.

Heath

 

[OnDaRoad]

I prefer V belt system ...

Personal experience and preference determines selection ...

I like the V belt - separate belts mean I can disconnect the
AC compressor if it is going out & still run down the road ...

I am dealing with this now on the 94' that has a serpentine
belt - I had to buy a replacement AC pulley to substitute
for the AC compressor ......

Either system has to be maintained - if a belt is
constantly breaking there is something wrong ....



Jim

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

Richard, it sounds like yeither the idler or tentioner pulley bearings are failing. As the bearing wears, the pulley ***** off to one side allowing the belt to "roll" off the pulley as the tension changes.

With the engine running and looking at the belt, slowly run the rpms up then quickly let the throttle return to idle. Chances are, you will see exactly which pulley is the culprit.

 

[gunz]

Preference, I prefer the V belts over serpantine as you can disconnect one component with ease.

 

[icanfixall]

Mostly its the ease of working on the system for me. I never liked all the adjustments needed to remove all the belts to reach the broken alternater belt.. Who made that problem.... With the serpentine belt all you have is one spring loaded tensioner. As for looseing the belt look closely at the idler pulley. If its got a curve worn into the running surface its shot. When the engine is idleing watch the dampner for running true and all the other pulleys. Site down the pulleys. They can be installed the wrong way with the shims. If the tensioner is bounching usually the vacuum pump pulley is egg shaped. Just replace it and its good to go. The tensioner with the shock absorber is the newer updated style and it works much better than the old spring type. There are actually three differant tensioners. Open spring.. Closed spring and the shock absorber type tensioner.

 

[subway]

if you are shredding belts there is a problem with alignment like mentioned and it is not the norm. i like my serpentine setup, it keeps constant belt tension, i carry one spare and one wrench to change it out. no fiddling with each individual belt tension and taking them all off to change a rear one. my set up has been reliable and problem free, no popped alternator belt taking out my whole system.

V belts are not bad and i will concede sometimes it is nice to single one belt out for troubleshooting but i much prefer the serpentine setup.

 

[redmondjp]

There are many advantages to the serpentine belt system:

1) All belt-driven components are rigidly mounted, which minimizes extra parts, maximizes alignment, and reduces chances of loose fasteners after belt maintenance.

2) One belt replaces several, making initial assembly and maintenance easier, not to mention lowering overall cost.

3) Belt is auto-tensioned (HUGE advantage, as all belts stretch initially).

As mentioned in another serpentine belt thread that is now active, a quality belt is very important as well - a lot of the aftermarket ones are crap, plain and simple. The retail selection for quality auto parts these days makes me want to cry. I tend to order almost all of my parts online these days, in order to get the best quality parts that I can find.

I worked as an engineer at Kenworth back in the 1990s when the heavy trucks switched over from V-belts to serpentine. We kept close track of warranty failures of course, and found that many alternator failures in the V-belt system happened shortly after the first belt change. Switching to the serpentine setup meant that the alternator was no longer swivel-mounted, so it never had to be messed with when a belt was changed. Alternator failures dropped significantly after the changeover to the serpentine system.

 

[RANOVRU]

One reason not to go serp is the tensioner pulley. Id much rather pull back myself and wrench down like the v-belts, one less part to go bad.

That being said I preffer the serp belts mainly because they slip much less.

They both have there pros and cons. My pops is a die hard v-belt guy and goes by the thought that if one belt breaks it might not completely leave you stranded.

My thinking is that whatever style you run, given the type of trucks we have, it might be a good idea to keep a spare or two in the cab either way.

 

[dieselgiant]

There is a TSB for the Serp belt system for 1992-94 IDIs dated 03/13/95 TSB# 95-5-22. It involves tracking concerns. They replaced the vacuum, A/C Compressor, and power steering pump mounting bracket for one that would accommodate the shock absorber type belt tensoner and they replaced the idler pulley with one that is rounded to help keep the belt lined up in the middle. The end of it describes how to shim the pulleys. I'll try to get it scanned in if anyone wants it. Its got really good illustrations.

 

[bbjordan]

Easy peasy

Preference, I prefer the V belts over serpantine as you can disconnect one component with ease.

Unless that belt is the alternator belt. You'll have to take off the A/C belt, Power Steering belt, and Vac Pump belt to get it off! Easy.

 

[Diesel JD]

Theoretically the V-belts should be less likely to leave you by the side of the road, in reality, I've only thrown belts twice since having the IDI in late 2003, and on both occasions the affected belt knocked the rest of the belts off. Belt routing is also hard to figure out on the side of the road unless you know it by heart beforehand. I still like the V-belts, but really all belts of all types are failure prone especially if something is wrong with the accessory that it drives or the belt tension. It seems real hard to get enough tension on the alt belt and keep it tensioned.