I was taking my truck on a 60 mile drive the other day and was left on the side of the road by a broken fan belt. I now want to go with a double pulley for LWP, Crank and Alt.. Is this the best choice or do they make a serpentine system that I do not have to have a reverse rotation water pump for? I will always be traveling with 1 extra belt from now on.
Serpentine belt systems use a reverse flow water pumps and to be perfectly honest they ain't cheap. Best bet is to replace the pulleys. HRP
Not all serpentine belts are reverse rotation on the pump. If the pump pulley is smooth, then it is a reverse rotation pump. If the pulley has ribs on it, it is a regular rotation.
If something happens to the serpentine belt all systems stop. Something to consider if your worrying about belt problems. I'd keep an extra belt in the truck, the right tools to fix it, and keep on rolling with what you have.
Keep in mind that alignment on a serp is more critical than a V-belt. The pulleys really have to be inline and parallel or they will squeak or toss.
If you are running a SBC, a junkyard swap might be pretty cheap, but all the pulleys, maybe even the alternator, ps pump and ac compressor would have to be changed. Just carry a spare and save some $ and work.
That just goes to show you I don't know Jack about serpentine belt systems,but I don't need to know that ether because I wouldn't use it on a hot rod anyway. HRP
Here's my junkyard serpentine swap. Factory setup off a 88-92 camaro/firebird. I used to be against serpentine setups but I got tired of 3 v belts on my last ride and have to admit the one belt sure is nice. Just make sure you have a spare belt. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Btw I ended up not using the smog pump just rerouted the same belt. I agree with hrp on a hotrod this would be an ugly sight but on anything with a hood you would never know. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Yeah,that would be as ugly as a mud fence if it was to be used on a hot rod. We all have our likes and dislikes,,personally I don't care for the serpentine look so when it came time to put the 302 in the wagon I pulled it all off and tossed it in with the scrape metal going to the salvage yard. HRP
What you are doing is akin to saying "I blew a tire so now I am going to mount dualies on each wheel so that it never happens again !" Cars with single V belts run for thousands and thousands of miles with no problems if the pulleys are aligned and in good shape, so I see no point in going crazy now and putting on some system that you really don't need. Put on a quality Gates or similar belt, not the house brand of Autozone or Advance Auto, make sure it is adjusted correctly, and, if you really want to be safe, toss a brand new one in the trunk. But I bet that one never gets used. Don
Carrying an extra belt is a good idea whether you are using a serpentine or a V-Belt. the difference is cost. V belts are a good system but like any other system on your vehicle they need to be up to par. I like Gator belts and good stock pulleys aligned properly.
Funny you mention that I just had a gates belt disintegrate on me not to long ago it wasn't even 2 month's old Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I've had the best luck with Gates and Dayco belts. Perellis are junk as far as I am concerned, they stretch out very quickly. Don
I'm with HRP...serpentine belt systems are ugly no mater which way that they turn. Way too streetroddy for me.
I prefer the 87-91 Chevy truck pulleys. The alternator is a ribbed belt design, but the P/S pump and A/C are V-belts. (The pulleys have one ribbed section and 2 V sections.) I hate slipping squealing V-belts. Since I don't generally have P/S or A/C, I just use the ribbed Alternator, plus it is a fairly high output alternator, and the belt is tightened by hand just like the V-belt alternators.
If you use a serpentine system-make sure you use a tensioner-some of the aftermarket systems dont employ one and they require frequent adjustment as the belt wears-dont ask me how I know....
Ifn I wanted to stay "Trad-Brad" I'd consider double V belts AND be sure to isolate the AC compressor if you have one with another belt or two - so that would be 3-4 B belts on the front. Serpentine belts provide a lot better "grip" than V belts so if you have a lot of accessories / powerful stereo, etc.. doubling V belts will increase the efficiency all around. I'd do the same with serpentine, make sure the AC has a separate belt. You need to be able to drive the car if the AC compressor locks up. I had that happen to me on my Dakota / 318. It only had one big belt. When the AC unit froze up, the belt stayed on but it blew a lot of fuses, and I also lost power steering. Luckily I got it off the highway. I could have lived without the AC at the time, but the motor quit when some of the fuses blew and you know how hard it is to steer with the PS goes out. If the AC had it's own belt, no blown fuses and I could have still kept going. Gary
FWIW, they do require alignment... but my beater threw a belt and I drove it home about 15 miles without a hitch. I just kept an eye on the temp gauge and turned off all the electrical I could. In that instance, it happened because the alternator on it just plain wore out and locked up tight. Lucky it didn't catch fire.
You didnt really say if this was a new install, or an old one that was just not kept up with. If something had been changed, double-check the alignment. Try to get the cogged belt, if you can get an industrial type belt, it will have an "X" designation. These run cooler and last longer, especially if asked to bend in a tight radius like on the alternator pulley. Goodyear, Gates and Dayco make the best ones, but they will all work for a little while, if you just want a cheap spare to get you home. If you have one that squeals, mist ( not soak) a little WD-40 on it while its idling.Dont laugh, I thought they were yanking my chain when I heard about it, but it softens the belt a little and make it grab rather that sqealing. Just dont overdo it.
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