serpentine belt coming off.......help!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 3,376
Likes: 4
From: Hershey, PA, USA
Cruise-In VI Veteran
St. Jude Donor '12
how old is that belt? I would just loosen up the tensioner and put it back on. If it keeps coming off check your crank pulley to make sure it didn't seperate and walk forward alittle.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 606
Likes: 18
From: burke va
When my son's 99 and my 97 started throwing belts, replacing the tensioner fixed the problem. Fairly easy inexpensive fix. A routine maintanence item. Look at your harmonic balancer with the engine running and see if it "wobbles". If so, that is probably your problem but a pain to replace. Good luck.
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Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 213
Likes: 0
From: Diamond Bar CA
When my 99 started throwing belts, I replaced the tensioner and the pulleys, tried different belts and it kept throwing. I noticed the balancer wobble so I had that replaced and pinned, and it's been fine ever since.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Classic signs of a deteriorating harmonic balancer/dampener. The damper is three separate parts. The HUB, the elastermric bonding material and the outer ring. The hub and outer ring are bonded and held secure by the rubber material.
The bonding material fails and the outer ring can walk off the hub. If it walks reward, it will destroy the timing chain cover. If it walks forward, it will damage the rack. Both symptoms will cause the belt to do what yours is doing.
Sometimes the outer ring will wobble when the engine is running. Another symptom of failure
You will need to change the damper.
The bonding material fails and the outer ring can walk off the hub. If it walks reward, it will destroy the timing chain cover. If it walks forward, it will damage the rack. Both symptoms will cause the belt to do what yours is doing.
Sometimes the outer ring will wobble when the engine is running. Another symptom of failure
You will need to change the damper.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,683
Likes: 144
From: Memphis Tennessee
Before you go ***** nilly replacing parts, start the engine and watch the balancer pully on the crank as it spins. If it has a wobble to it then that is the problem. Do a search on balancer and there is plenty of reading about these failing and the replacement alternatives.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 772
Likes: 6
From: Huntsville AL
I have found that most balencers have some wobble to them on the C5. My 2000 belt came off at about 70,000 miles. I replaced the tensioner and belt. Never had another problem.
Balencer has some wobble but not real bad.
Balencer has some wobble but not real bad.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 8,466
Likes: 51
St. Jude Donor '17
looks like a gator back belt.
They seem to walk off under hard acceleration. If you replace the tensioner you may want to consider the one for the LS2. The pulley is suppose to have higher walls on it.
They seem to walk off under hard acceleration. If you replace the tensioner you may want to consider the one for the LS2. The pulley is suppose to have higher walls on it.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
BC
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 135
Likes: 1
From: Belle Plaine MN
I just fixed this problem on mine. I put 2 new gatorback belts on (a/c and serpentine) and I knew the serpentine tensioner needed replacing too but no one locally had one in stock. I put the belts on anyway while I waited on the tensioner. While I was replacing the belts I noticed the serpentine belt kept trying to walk off after about a half hour drive. I also noticed that I had the 2 belts on different ways. The a/c belt was on so you could read the Goodyear name from the driver seat and the serpentine belt was on so you could read Goodyear from the front of the car. Well when the tensioner came in the next day I replaced it along with swapping the serpentine belt to the same direction as the a/c belt. So far I haven't had any issues since. I don't really know if it was the tensioner, the direction of the belt, or the fact that the gatorback belt is .25" longer than the belt it replaced that was causing the belt jumping issue but knock on wood its fixed now. 
Last edited by chevbowtie22; Feb 8, 2011 at 12:37 PM.
