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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / February 2006

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Serpentine belt replacement with *newest design* belt?

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Lawrence Glickman - 04 Feb 2006 00:26 GMT
I went to pep boys today to buy a replacement serpentine belt for my
vulcan V6 182 cu inch, with air conditioning.

So what I end up with is a Dayco, lists for $56, got it for $35.  Now,
the reason I am listing this post is because this is a cogged
serpentine belt.  Looks like a cross between a timing belt and the
multi-grooved serpentine belt I'm using now.

IOW, it has transverse missing material at measured intervals.  Hard
to describe, but I got this from the Dayco website:
=============================================================

Dayco®  Poly Cog®  Belt

Designed for power transmission on multiple-accessory drives

       This is the "cogged" version of the revolutionary multi-ribbed
belt first developed by Dayco for the 1979 Ford Mustang.  The
multiple-rib design provides better belt-to-pulley contact for less
slippage, so it lasts longer than conventional V-belts.  "Multiple
ribs" also eliminates the need for "matching", and allows "controlled
slippage" in shock overload situations, such as when the AC compressor
kicks in.

       Today, as then, this belt sets the industry standard.  The
transverse-groove design runs cooler (up to 50 F), and dramatically
reduces rib cracking, thereby increasing the life of the belt by at
least 40%.  The grooved design provides flexural stress relief, for
increased flexibility in both normal and backside bending.    The
grooves also render the belt less susceptible to environmental factors
such as dust and splash-induced slip.  Dayco's superior manufacturing
technology uses a rubber-impregnated fabric backing that maximizes
load-carrying capability and minimizes the noise that is often
associated with the competition's rubber-backed belts.
Torque-carrying capacity equals or betters conventional multi-rib
belts.  The cord is saturated with a specially formulated treatment
that insures length and tension stability for the life of the belt.
Dayco Poly Cog belts meet or exceed SAE J1459 and J1596
specifications.

http://www.forparts.com/Daycopolycog.htm
============================================================

So I mentioned to the counter guy *this belt looks bizarre.  Mine has
continuous material, this has chopped material.*

He says this is the newest design, and is BETTER than the old design I
have in my vehicle at the moment.

IS HE RIGHT?  Is it OK to run a transverse-groove serpentine belt in
place of the one I'm using now?  I haven't installed it yet, but have
never ever seen this kind of thing before.  What do you think?  Bring
it back or put it on the engine?

TIA

Lg
Shep - 04 Feb 2006 00:46 GMT
Lawrence, had have one on my 3800 Lumina for 3 years, 60k, no problems still
looks good. I see a lot of these , no one has any viable complaints that
I've heard.

> I went to pep boys today to buy a replacement serpentine belt for my
> vulcan V6 182 cu inch, with air conditioning.
[quoted text clipped - 53 lines]
>
> Lg
Lawrence Glickman - 04 Feb 2006 00:56 GMT
>Lawrence, had have one on my 3800 Lumina for 3 years, 60k, no problems still
>looks good. I see a lot of these , no one has any viable complaints that
>I've heard.

Thanks Shep.  That's a relief!  Just wanted to check with the
guys-in-the-know.

BTW, the failure mode is invisible to the eye, because it is the
banding =inside= a belt that fails and causes it to snap.  Nothing on
the outside will give you a clue in most cases.

So the recommendation from the belt mfgrs. is to replace belts every 4
years.  Just a heads up for anybody who didn't already know.

Thanks again for calming me down.  I was thinking about this and
couldn't settle the issue until I got an informed opinion.

Lg

>> I went to pep boys today to buy a replacement serpentine belt for my
>> vulcan V6 182 cu inch, with air conditioning.
[quoted text clipped - 57 lines]
>http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
>----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----
Pete C. - 04 Feb 2006 03:14 GMT
> >Lawrence, had have one on my 3800 Lumina for 3 years, 60k, no problems still
> >looks good. I see a lot of these , no one has any viable complaints that
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> Lg

Since the serpentine belts are so easy to change and I always keep a
small socket set in the truck anyway, I just purchase a new serpentine
belt when the old one hits ~50k mi and keep it in the truck. I figure I
may as well get max life out of the belt since when it goes it will
equate to a 10 min pit stop to change it.

Pete C.
=AB Paul =BB - 04 Feb 2006 04:23 GMT
> > >Lawrence, had have one on my 3800 Lumina for 3 years, 60k, no problems still
> > >looks good. I see a lot of these , no one has any viable complaints that
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> Pete C.

Takes at least 30 minutes to change mine.  Special tools, crawling
under the car, removing RF tire, inner fender panel, etc.
It's one of the few things that I dread working on.
Pete C. - 04 Feb 2006 05:09 GMT
« Paul » wrote:

> > > >Lawrence, had have one on my 3800 Lumina for 3 years, 60k, no problems still
> > > >looks good. I see a lot of these , no one has any viable complaints that
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> under the car, removing RF tire, inner fender panel, etc.
> It's one of the few things that I dread working on.

One of those transverse mount deals eh? In my case a plain old Chevy big
block mounted the correct way. Takes about 3 min to change once you have
parts and wrench in hand and hood open.

Pete C.
Al Bundy - 04 Feb 2006 13:48 GMT
> I went to pep boys today to buy a replacement serpentine belt for my
> vulcan V6 182 cu inch, with air conditioning.
[quoted text clipped - 53 lines]
>
> Lg

They may be telling you the design is new, but I have seen that type of
belt for many years. The design is not new. Those missing chunks are
supposed to help the belt bend I guess.
Lawrence Glickman - 04 Feb 2006 16:07 GMT
>> I went to pep boys today to buy a replacement serpentine belt for my
>> vulcan V6 182 cu inch, with air conditioning.
[quoted text clipped - 57 lines]
>belt for many years. The design is not new. Those missing chunks are
>supposed to help the belt bend I guess.

UPDATE on that Al,

I went to put on the Dayco belt and it was 2 inches or 3 inches too
short.  GLAD I DIDN'T LEAVE IT IN MY EMERGENCY ROAD KIT!

I went to Autozone and bought a Goodyear Poly Gatorback, which has
transverse groves in it also, but angled instead of perpendicular to
the belt axis.

At least at Autozone, the computer gave me a chance to say I have a U
CODE ENGINE!  Evidently, there are differences in length.  Pep boys
are called boys for a reason.

If this Gatorback FITS, then I am in Heaven.  I have to get the car
back from the Mrs. first and let the engine cool off.  Then I remove
the old belt, pull it next to the Gatorback, and PRAY they are the
same length!

Lg
tylernt@gmail.com - 05 Feb 2006 05:02 GMT
I didn't know they put cogs in serpentines, but V-belts have been
cogged for a long time now.
Lawrence Glickman - 05 Feb 2006 13:54 GMT
>I didn't know they put cogs in serpentines, but V-belts have been
>cogged for a long time now.

V belts are being obsoleted from what I read.  They are being
obsoleted by single belts which drive all the accessories.  Wih a v
belt you can only drive 1 or two accessories, then you need another v
belt.  with a ribbed belt you can drive *the works* off one belt,
without having to distribute the load off to other belts.  These
design changes have all come about in the industry in the last 10
years.

We are only using automobiles, but heavy industry, like road building
equipment uses belts also, and *downtime* on one of those big earth
movers costs big dollars.  So big machines are now obsoleting v belts
also and replacing them with v ribbed and cogged.

Since my belt looked worn, and it was more than 3 years old, and since
I didn't know where it came from to begin with, I replaced it with a
Goodyear Poly V Gatorback, 85.5 inches long.  That is right at the
limit of max length my automatic tensioner is designed to handle.  An
inch shorter would have been OK, but I got what I got and it's a
beauty.

If there is one thing that I can think of that can *uck* up a car real
fast, it is losing a belt.  Better to replace them before they snap
than after.  OTOH, a good belt could last up to 100,000 miles, so it
is hard to say exactly =when= to replace it.  It depends if you want
to go by time or mileage.  I'll swap out again at about 80,000.  It is
cheap insurance.  Heck, they're only $30.

Lg
Scott Dorsey - 05 Feb 2006 23:19 GMT
>>I didn't know they put cogs in serpentines, but V-belts have been
>>cogged for a long time now.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>design changes have all come about in the industry in the last 10
>years.

This means we now have a single point of failure, where one belt takes
out everything.

What I liked best were cars that had several V-belts of the same size,
so when the alternator belt went you could take the belt off the air
conditioner and get home.

>If there is one thing that I can think of that can *uck* up a car real
>fast, it is losing a belt.  Better to replace them before they snap
>than after.  OTOH, a good belt could last up to 100,000 miles, so it
>is hard to say exactly =when= to replace it.  It depends if you want
>to go by time or mileage.  I'll swap out again at about 80,000.  It is
>cheap insurance.  Heck, they're only $30.

Well, keep spares in the trunk.
--scott
Signature

"C'est un Nagra.  C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Scott Dorsey - 04 Feb 2006 15:02 GMT
>So I mentioned to the counter guy *this belt looks bizarre.  Mine has
>continuous material, this has chopped material.*
>
>He says this is the newest design, and is BETTER than the old design I
>have in my vehicle at the moment.

The idea is that the surface area is much greater, and therefore the
cooling will be improved.

>IS HE RIGHT?  Is it OK to run a transverse-groove serpentine belt in
>place of the one I'm using now?  I haven't installed it yet, but have
>never ever seen this kind of thing before.  What do you think?  Bring
>it back or put it on the engine?

Well, I doubt you can get the old-style belt any more, anyway.
--scott
Signature

"C'est un Nagra.  C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Lawrence Glickman - 04 Feb 2006 16:08 GMT
>>So I mentioned to the counter guy *this belt looks bizarre.  Mine has
>>continuous material, this has chopped material.*
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>Well, I doubt you can get the old-style belt any more, anyway.
>--scott

Actually you CAN get the old style belt, but it only has a 2 year
warranty on it, and seeing a belt is supposed to be *good* for 4
years, I passed on that, and went to Autozone where they sell *good
stuff.* ( relatively speaking )

Lg
 
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