serpentine belt failure... can it be prevented?

[brownc1]

Just back from being stranded in Mt. Tremblant P. Q. Sunday. The serpentine belt frayed and lost two strands. I didn't want to chance it and stayed over at great cost. Monday got an aftermarket belt: going to the dealer tomorrow. I have a 2005 3500 with 12000 miles on it, pretty much all towing. I was racing my car so mechanics all around (not the diesel kind mind you but d*** good ones). All agree no way should the belt go so very soon.



I now see many postings here about the belts not holding up. The replacement belt seems loose. One actual truck mechanic looked at it this AM and thinks the tensioner may be weak. Again, a number of postings about that... but all from some months ago.



Is there a preventive fix out now? Is there a recall? I bought this rig to tow my race car because I wanted maximum reliability... looks like a wrong choice just now.



I will now keep a spare belt. What tools will I need to replace it? One of my grease monkey friends guessed I would need some special tool or tools. The owner's manual no help.



Would appreciate any comments... Thanks Stretch

 

[CBradford]

my factory belt still looked fine at 70k... ... . i just replaced it b/c i wanted to... ... . it's not that expensive to carry an extra belt if you're gonig to be on the road all the time..... they're not all that hard to replace either..... that doesn't really help your premature failure problem tho

 

[BigPapa]

ALWAYS keep a spare. I've used spare belts that I've carried more than I've used a spare tire, and you always have the spare tire, right? I've got a milk crate with things in it in my truck that I keep just for emergencies. Spare belt, headlight bulbs, radiator hoses, fuel hose, coolant, etc. Failure to plan is a plan to fail!



Scott

 

[RDyson]

I think a 1/2" ratchet or breaker bar is all it takes to change it. There is a hole on the tensioner to be able to bar it loose. Then just thread it on per the diagram under the hood and your done.

I had to replace mine at about 65K. It's not the easiest belt to put on, but very do-able by anyone



Randy

 

[jelag]

I own several of these trucks..... one has 205K miles... we've never had to replace this belt on any of them... . I'm guessing that either too much tension or not enough tension might cause failure... I've been told. . but haven't seen this in person... but I'm told that there are times that one of the accessories might get a pully that has either one too many groves or one less grove than that of the belt... and this strange spacing will cause the belt to fail early... and until the 2nd or 3rd belt its not caught... miss match at the time the parts are shipped for assembly... . WE HAVE bought items for our Fords that have the wrong pully on them... .



Hope this helps...

 

[swexlin]

Yes, several of us have had early belt failure. There IS a TSB now, which involves putting a "clutched" pulley on the alternator or some such, which helps to reduce the diesel "chirp", which, while normal, DOES cause stress on the belt.



My original belt went at only 5400 miles; the replacement has been fine for two years now - knock wood. There was no TSB when mine was replaced.

 

[sag2]

Swexlin is correct. The TSB for the OAP (overrunning alternator pulley) is the fix for frayed belts.

 

[EGroeneveld]

I also had a clutched pulley replaced on the very first oil change at 5,000 miles. The dealer said that they had just seen the pulleys came from the factory out of spec. My belt was starting to fray. 2005 Dodge Ram Also.

 

[swexlin]

As I said, I haven't had any issues (Knock wood) in two years and about 20,000 miles on the replacement belt, but I do check it weekly. If it starts to fray again, I will insist upon the TSB.



When my original went, I had NO warning - just started her up, and heard a horrrible flapping sound under the hood. It had shredded, and wrapped itself around the fan spindle. It required 45 minutes of skinned knuckles and a pliars to get that off, not to mention a flatbed to the dealership.

 

[brownc1]

As I said, I haven't had any issues (Knock wood) in two years and about 20,000 miles on the replacement belt, but I do check it weekly. If it starts to fray again, I will insist upon the TSB.



When my original went, I had NO warning - just started her up, and heard a horrrible flapping sound under the hood. It had shredded, and wrapped itself around the fan spindle. It required 45 minutes of skinned knuckles and a pliars to get that off, not to mention a flatbed to the dealership.

can anyone give me a number or identifyer for the TSB? Dealer draws a blank and customer service Chrysler Canada ditto. I might get a Morpar belt as a replacment for the aftermarket one but no comfort on the OAP or anything else. Curiously, my power seems down. Anyrelationship to the belt? It does seem looser. Stretch

 

[swexlin]

The TSB has been out for a while now. Your dealer is probably not looking hard enough, or the service writer is a dope. Find a different one. Perhaps someone on here has a link.

 

[artie]

Here is a link to the TSB information:



http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2006/09-004-06.htm

 

[brownc1]

Here is a link to the TSB information:



http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2006/09-004-06.htm

Thank You. Thank You. I really appreciate the leg up. Stretch.

 

[JHardwick]

I finally replaced my OE belt at around 175,000 miles and keep it with me as a spare.