Serpentine belt happy-sad

blevtr · 10-06-2011, 08:37 PM

Going to take the coach out for fuel, preparing for our Chesapeake WIT rally this weekend. Engine dragging, strange noise. Upon checking, found the remains of the serpentine belt laying on the driveway. The alternator frozen solid. Sad.

Its broken in my DRIVEWAY. The day before our trip. Happy.

Found a shop that can get the alternator done tomorrow. Found a new Gates green stripe belt. Taking the alternator out was fun, lost a little blood. Now I'm searching for a belt diagram for the re-install.

Mr_D · 10-06-2011, 08:46 PM

I ran the OEM belts for a couple years, then, while I was at the Spartan factory getting the new front axle installed I bought both belts. I took the "old" (but still good) ones off and stored them under the bed for spares and put the new ones on. Naturally I have never needed the spares but they're there if needed.

jablair · 10-06-2011, 11:40 PM

The serpentine belt is one of the items I make it a point to carry a spare. After all lose the belt and you have lost everything. Power steering, alternator, cooling, etc. Also depending on the vehicle and location just might have a difficult time finding a replacement.

Mr_D · 10-06-2011, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

I ran the OEM belts for a couple years, then, while I was at the Spartan factory getting the new front axle installed I bought both belts. I took the "old" (but still good) ones off and stored them under the bed for spares and put the new ones on. Naturally I have never needed the spares but they're there if needed.

By installing the spares right away I knew I had the right belts too. No discovering they gave me the wrong ones alongside the road in timbuck too!!

I think I need to take a picture of the belt while on, print it out and store it in the paperwork. Would make it lots easier to "remember" the routing that way!!

jablair · 10-07-2011, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

By installing the spares right away I knew I had the right belts too. No discovering they gave me the wrong ones alongside the road in timbuck too!!

I think I need to take a picture of the belt while on, print it out and store it in the paperwork. Would make it lots easier to "remember" the routing that way!!

Seems to me that it used to be pretty standard to have a belt diagram decal in engine compartment and in the owners manual as well. Now days it ain't so anymore! Picture might be a good idea. I have the same problem occur on my Mazda MX5 years ago. Raoad lost belt. Turned around went home, saw what happened, cleaned up mess, didn't even break belt. So figured no big deal just put belt back on. No diagram anywhere to found, several hours later after having to subscribe to an online service to access service manuals finally found a diagram.

Sammie · 10-07-2011, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blevtr

Going to take the coach out for fuel, preparing for our Chesapeake WIT rally this weekend. Engine dragging, strange noise. Upon checking, found the remains of the serpentine belt laying on the driveway. The alternator frozen solid. Sad.

Its broken in my DRIVEWAY. The day before our trip. Happy.

Found a shop that can get the alternator done tomorrow. Found a new Gates green stripe belt. Taking the alternator out was fun, lost a little blood. Now I'm searching for a belt diagram for the re-install.

Just for clairifcation, what motor do you have?

Sammie

cyko · 10-08-2011, 12:16 PM

We had a frozen alternator a couple of years ago, and broke three more belts until we found that our installer had left a spacer on the alternator shaft that caused the belt to be out of alignment and rubbing on a bracket. Look out for that.

Scooter · 10-08-2011, 05:11 PM

If you have the 8.1 engine there are diagrams of the belt routing on the Workhorse section. Look for Driver's downloads at the top.

CaptBill · 10-09-2011, 08:35 PM

The same thing happened to us, also in our driveway, but that was 5 years ago, or so. We were leaving (or so we thought) for the Florida Keys, but the alternator was seized, and the moment I started the engine (Cat 330), the belt broke. Took 4 days to get one ordered and installed, here at home.

Sorry I can hekp with the belt diagram, but call Cat or Freightliner tomorrow, and they will help you.

blevtr · 10-10-2011, 07:52 PM

At the end of the story, more happy than sad. The next morning 8:30 the folks at B&W Auto Electric called and my alternator was ready. Picked it up, beautiful! Rebuilt, new bearings and voltage regulator. Reluctant to put that shiny part back on my grungy 330 Cat. Back under the bed to install it. Took longer to replace the odds and ends removed to allow removal than to replace the alternator. The serpentine belt turned into a non-issue. Just keep smooth to smooth and ribbed to ribbed, piece of cake.

While I was crawling in, under and around, BW loaded up the coach with everything. I need to break something next time we go out. Down the road to Crisfield, MD, got there @ 9PM, the folks at Chesapeake Winnies met us at the gate and guided us to our site. LOVE coming into a dark, heavily wooded campground, but our guides had us backed in and ready to consume adult beverages in no time. Couldn't report earlier, no internet connection for some reason. Thanks for your responses.