Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips
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Safety Car
Joined: Aug 1999
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From: San Jose CA
Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips
Man, this car has instantly fallen apart on me. Tonight on my way home, I started to hear the familiar sound of metal to metal, like a bearing going bad, a few miles later I hear is the belt coming apart in the engine compartment. I pulled off the expressway and the belt was all over the place in shredded in long thin strips. I have a fair chunk of it wrapped behind the A/C clutch.
I have a new bearing in the compressor, and tensioner, new water pump, power steering pump and alternator. The air pump spins fine. I cannot get all of the belt out from behind the compressor clutch/pulley so it will have to come off. Could my A/C clutch freeze causing the belt to shred???
Could I have a misalignment? I wouldn't think that would shred it, just wear the edges. I can still turn the A/C pulley, it was fairly tight to turn when it was hot, and now that it is cooled moves a bit easier, but with the belt wrapped around it, I would expect it to be hard to move.
One more thing, with the engine running and no accessories hooked up I still had the metal to metal sound. I am thinking the timing chain may be going. Car runs fine, but the noise was pretty bad. I do have a 165K on it. So it is about time.
UGH!!! :smash:
What do you think? :mad
[Modified by Grzldvt, 10:19 PM 1/14/2002]
I have a new bearing in the compressor, and tensioner, new water pump, power steering pump and alternator. The air pump spins fine. I cannot get all of the belt out from behind the compressor clutch/pulley so it will have to come off. Could my A/C clutch freeze causing the belt to shred???
Could I have a misalignment? I wouldn't think that would shred it, just wear the edges. I can still turn the A/C pulley, it was fairly tight to turn when it was hot, and now that it is cooled moves a bit easier, but with the belt wrapped around it, I would expect it to be hard to move.
One more thing, with the engine running and no accessories hooked up I still had the metal to metal sound. I am thinking the timing chain may be going. Car runs fine, but the noise was pretty bad. I do have a 165K on it. So it is about time.
UGH!!! :smash:
What do you think? :mad
[Modified by Grzldvt, 10:19 PM 1/14/2002]
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 1999
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From: San Jose CA
Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (Hawaii89vette)
Belt is about 2 years old, and looked to be in very good shape, not cracked or frayed at all. I looked at it yesterday just to be safe.
Safety Car
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From: Hillsboro OR
Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (Grzldvt)
See if the ring on the harmonic balancer on the crankshaft is loose. That could be the source of the grinding noise. Also make sure all the rotating assy stuff is spinning okay.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2000
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From: Santa Monica CA USA
Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (Grzldvt)
Check that the harmonic balancer hasn't slipped. Sometimes they start to come loose and walk forward or backward and rub against the timing chain cover or some other metal. If it did slip that could explain how the belt went out of alignment and came apart.
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Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (Grzldvt)
if you're still hearing the grinding/metallic noise with all accessories out of the loop, check your crank damper. Mine came apart on my '85 with 160,000 miles on it. I though the water pump was going out, but did the same thing you did, remove the belt (although mine came off when I wanted it to!) and listen with the belt off. When I still heard the noise, I knew it wasn't alternator/water pump/ps pump/ac related. I think looked closer and the outer metal ring of the damper was rubbing on the timing chain cover. You can see the marks in the second picture below... Worth checking out....
Thread Starter
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From: San Jose CA
Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (Marcho Polo)
Excellent. My idler is pretty tight, I replaced the bearing on it a few weeks ago.
But, not on a bet would I have guessed the crank damper. I almost changed the timing chain when I had the water pump off. But it was very late Saturday night, and I was anxious to get the car on the road.
I will check it when I get home tonight.
Thanks
Steve
But, not on a bet would I have guessed the crank damper. I almost changed the timing chain when I had the water pump off. But it was very late Saturday night, and I was anxious to get the car on the road.
I will check it when I get home tonight.
Thanks
Steve
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Drifting
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Lafayette IN
Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (Grzldvt)
My idler *looks fine on and off the vehicle. However when I actually put a belt on, as the tension from the 1/2 drive is released and it starts to make contact with the belt, it starts cocking itself. By the time it is applying full tension on the belt, it is about 8 degrees slanted from vertical which brings the innermost rib on the belt up and over the A/C compressor housing when running.
Right now, I am running a 5 rib belt with it on the innermost grooves of the A/C compressor pulley and the outermost grooves of all the others. I need to find out where to get a complete tensioner assembly...not just the puley. -Matt-
Right now, I am running a 5 rib belt with it on the innermost grooves of the A/C compressor pulley and the outermost grooves of all the others. I need to find out where to get a complete tensioner assembly...not just the puley. -Matt-
Thread Starter
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From: San Jose CA
Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (HighHopes85)
The Last Detail has them for $77 http://www.tld-corvette.com/catalog.htm
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From: Atlantis
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Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (Grzldvt)
I had the harmonic dampner fail on my 84' Vette just like the pictures.
It had about 125,000 miles on it when it failed.
The belt pulley was still bolted to the the inner part so there were no problems with the "turpentine" belt.
The outter ring would sit and spin for a few seconds after shutting off the engine. Made a metal on metal sound.
It ran perfectly!
I was able to get my puller down there and remove the inner part, then installed a new dampner.
( you can work by the steering rack of you're real careful)
Somethings locked up and shredded that belt. It doesn't matter what's new on it, most everything should be a suspect at this point.
Sounds like the alternator bearings or water pump bearings or tensioner bearing.
Might be the power steering pump.
Could be the AC compressor but turning off the AC which releases the compressor clutch relieves the symptoms.
The TIMING CHAIN would probably be my last suspect in this particular case.
Good luck with the find/fix.
It had about 125,000 miles on it when it failed.
The belt pulley was still bolted to the the inner part so there were no problems with the "turpentine" belt.
The outter ring would sit and spin for a few seconds after shutting off the engine. Made a metal on metal sound.
It ran perfectly!
I was able to get my puller down there and remove the inner part, then installed a new dampner.
( you can work by the steering rack of you're real careful)
Somethings locked up and shredded that belt. It doesn't matter what's new on it, most everything should be a suspect at this point.
Sounds like the alternator bearings or water pump bearings or tensioner bearing.
Might be the power steering pump.
Could be the AC compressor but turning off the AC which releases the compressor clutch relieves the symptoms.
The TIMING CHAIN would probably be my last suspect in this particular case.
Good luck with the find/fix.
Thread Starter
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From: San Jose CA
Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (VetNutJim)
I double checked all the rotating parts, and everything spins great, but the A/C pulley, it is still a bit tight, so I suspect that is where I shredded the belt. I check the damper by hand and I cannot get it to move, but it appears as though the left side is very close to the timing chain cover, if not touching it. I tried jamming a screwdrive in the gap to see if the damper would move and it wouldn't budge. I started the car and I did not get any noise UGH!! I am going to take Friday off and check everything out.
When it rains it pours.. My son's 93 Grand Prix, just blew a radiator... This is not my car month... The good news, the year can only get better :D
When it rains it pours.. My son's 93 Grand Prix, just blew a radiator... This is not my car month... The good news, the year can only get better :D
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 1999
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From: San Jose CA
Re: Shredded my Serpentine into tiny strips (Grzldvt)
Well the damper was bad, it has shifted a good 3/4 of an inch...
As soon as I get the batteries charged I will take a picture of the old and new so others can compare.
Now I need to figure out how the belt got shredded.
:mad
As soon as I get the batteries charged I will take a picture of the old and new so others can compare.
Now I need to figure out how the belt got shredded.
:mad
