Serpentine Belt
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach VA
Serpentine Belt
So right at the tail end of about a 1000 mile road trip leaving the last gas stop when i pull off i notice that my battery light is on my ac isnt blowing cold and my power steering isnt working. Obvious sign that my belt is broke but i only have a few miles and would rather get where i am going then just stop right away.
Anyway make it to the destination and pick up the belt from Auto Zone and proceed to putting it on. I follow the belt routing pattern and dont even have to put a wrench on the tensioner to get it on and there is a lot of slack. I double check that i followed the right path... all good. So I call Auto Zone to double check that they gave me the right belt... again all good. Call a dealership to double check the belt... all good. So luckily i still had the belt that got ripped up and even though it was torn it was still intact in an oval so i pulled it tight to compare with the one I had picked up and sure enough they didnt match up. I cant think of how that could have happened unless maybe whoever had the car before me changed out some or all of the pulleys which would change the belt length. Luckily by taking the torn up one into Auto Zone I was able to match up and the size i needed but sure was more of a pain in the dick then i thought it would be. Definitely kept the package of the one that i got to fit so will be easy if it ever breaks.
Anyway make it to the destination and pick up the belt from Auto Zone and proceed to putting it on. I follow the belt routing pattern and dont even have to put a wrench on the tensioner to get it on and there is a lot of slack. I double check that i followed the right path... all good. So I call Auto Zone to double check that they gave me the right belt... again all good. Call a dealership to double check the belt... all good. So luckily i still had the belt that got ripped up and even though it was torn it was still intact in an oval so i pulled it tight to compare with the one I had picked up and sure enough they didnt match up. I cant think of how that could have happened unless maybe whoever had the car before me changed out some or all of the pulleys which would change the belt length. Luckily by taking the torn up one into Auto Zone I was able to match up and the size i needed but sure was more of a pain in the dick then i thought it would be. Definitely kept the package of the one that i got to fit so will be easy if it ever breaks.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 10,036
Likes: 346
From: Anaheim CA
I had a similar experience with a '78 Corvette. The belt number was wrong in all the parts books and the belt was too short. I managed to get it on the pulleys but it rubbed a hole in my upper radiator hose. The hose blew out in Phoenix on Labor day (300 miles from home). Luckily there is a 24 hour auto parts store there and I replaced the hose in the parking lot. It was fun filling up my radiator with a Coke bottle I found in a trash can using the sink in the men's restroom.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,394
Likes: 2,741
I believe the OP was only passing on a recent experience and all's well for him. He was able to match the old worn belt to an on the shelf belt at AZ I believe he mentioned.
