Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Shredding Belts

[Bartman001]

Hi everyone,



My truck is chewing off the belt on the motor by running itself off track and "peeling" it down in width...



Everything is stock on front of motor, I did replace the alternator, but that's not my problem, started before alternator swap.



Can't really drive it, what "test/checks" can I do??



Thanks!!!!

 

[B.G. Smith]

Check the idler pulley and the belt tensioner for loosness and misalignment. bg

 

[klcammie]

I read the other day that the a/c compressor can get out of alignment. the artcile said to loosen the bolts then hod up on the rear of a/c while tighten the bolts. going to try this on mine today as mine cuts one rib off the belt and jams it into the a/c clutch, after that it is fine. tried different belts no change went back to gator back. even after losing one rib it works better then any other belt.

 

[JWiegel]

Seen more tensniors coming apart causing mis alignment. Then a/c problem

 

[seafish]

Any of the pullies that the serpentine belt runs over might have a bearing going bad. Also the tensioner spring might be failing. With the serp belt removed, spin and check for side play and end play on EACH of the pullies. You will hear or feel roughness or feel excessive looseness and too much play if a particular pully is bad. The PS pump can have end play (in and out) and still be ok, but that is the only one that might have end play without being bad. There should be no side play on any of the pullies. WHen the serp belt on my 2005 started tracking forward, it was both the idler pulley and the alternator pulley going bad.

 

[Bartman001]

The idler seem to turn hard,looks like its not square to the the rest... ?

What the best way to remove the idler/tension pulley?
Is it just the one bolt through the middle?

What about the bare metal smooth pully next to it?

Thank you!!

 

[B.G. Smith]

The tensioner pulley is facing toward the rear of truck and may be easier to get to with the whole tensioner removed. The bare metal pulley is probably the water pump. bg

 

[Bartman001]

Update...
I have replaced the AC with a bypass kit from Genos,new alternator,new Gator belt, new water pump, new tensioner...
It still runs off what would be the AC pulley the minute I fire it up!!

Ahhhhhhhhh!!!! I need my truck!

Any help would be sweet!!!! Thanks!

 

[mweiman]

Did you replace the tensioner or just the pulley on the tensioner? Also does the crankshaft pulley run straight and true?

 

[Bartman001]

I replaced the whole tensioner, how do I check the crankshaft pulley?
Is that replaceable?
It's really driving me crazy.

 

[mweiman]

With the truck running you might see it wobble and also look at the rubber ring in the front to see if it is coming apart or deteriorated.

 

[JR]

With the truck running you might see it wobble and also look at the rubber ring in the front to see if it is coming apart or deteriorated.

Yep, if you have already replaced everything else my guess would be the damper. There is a scribed line that crosses the pulley hub and inertia ring. Per Cummins specs, if the scribed line is more than 1/16" out of rotational alignment it is due for replacement.

If it is bad enough to chew a belt that quickly, you should be able to see it wobble while the engine is running. (Or any other pulley for that matter. )

The only other option aside from a faulty new part would be your P. S. pulley.

 

[gtwitch]

What is the PS pully, Power Steering??? My 99 has the ps pump on the back of the vac pump and is not belt driven!



gtwitch in wyomng

 

[B.G. Smith]

Is there any possibility that the belt is routed wrong? It should go under the crank pulley, over the tensioner, all the way around the AC then around the gen, under the water pump, over the fan and on down to the crank pulley. Just a thought. Just cant see the crank pulley being out that bad to throw the belt and still operate. Also look at the new tensioner very close, could be something wrong with the mount where it fits onto the engine. bg

 

[Bartman001]

Belt is surely on right, it's got a pic right on the body under the hood.

The problem I have, is Exactly the same as when I started.
It just runs a groove off the back of the AC pulley the minute I touch her off...

Thanks!

 

[JR]

What is the PS pully, Power Steering??? My 99 has the ps pump on the back of the vac pump and is not belt driven!



gtwitch in wyomng

LOL! You certainly are right! . I did a timing chain on a Toyota pick up this afternoon, and I had that pesky little power steering pump and bracketry on my mind . That's what you get when you pull a 16 hour night shift then instead of going to bed stay up all day and rip the front end of a motor apart. Thanks for the correction.



Maybe a couple of pictures of your belt and accessories would help paint a better picture of what exactly is going on? I agree that the damper should not be in that bad of shape but if everything else is new and correctly installed it doesn't leave much room for other options... .

 

[klcammie]

Another thought, since it seems to be the a/c pulley, get a belt that does not go on the a/c. Geno's sells them I'm ssure any auto parts does, that way the belt does not go on the a/c.

 

[RonaldLarson]

I'm beginning to believe that your issue is that the AC compressor is starting to fail internally. Mine died in warranty. It locked up so tight it killed the engine.

 

[ed9824v]

I put a guess on the Damper pulley I had one go bad on another truck, on my dodge it ate a couple of belts and when I went to the Gator belt all was fine but that is not working of

you

 

[LPMorgan]

I had this problem with my 1999. It was a problem since I was towing a trailer across the country. I had replaced the tensioner (two or three times, a Chrysler rep insisted I need a factory original instead of the one from Genos, it made no differnce ) and tried many other things. A very good mechanic finally put a spacer washer in with the tensioner to set it a little further out. I have not had a problem since and it has been about three years. Why the tensioner needs to be further out now than it did before is still a mystery.