serpentine belt and hose replacements

rgatijnet1 wrote:
I've had Dayco belts fail at 15,000 miles and I have had Gates belts last twice as long. An inspection to check for cracks should tell you when it is time.

. My OEM serpentine belt was replaced at 10 years and 50,000 miles with a Gates belt it now is 10 years old and still looks new no cracks. The old one had longitutnal cracking and separation. I changed the transmission, rear end,and brake fluid 3 times in 10 years because I can't see what is happening inside. The radiator hoses and other belt has 107,000 miles on them and are 20 years old and show no signs of deterioration. As Ron said they are easy to inspect.

Funny I have hoses on diesel engines that are 35+ years old. Belts that go 15 years and run in a lot harsher conditions than any rv. Oh and they set for 9 months between seasons.

Snomas wrote:
When do you replace serpintine belt and radiator hoses on
diesel engines? Last year I replaced all heater hoses & tank radiator hoses. Autos are generally 5 years.

Don't forget to keep any eye on the bearings in the belt tensionors and idler pulleys when you replace your belts. They can fail and wipe out the best belt in a matter of a seconds and altho you may be able to find a belt at most parts stores, the pulleys might be more difficult.
If you believe in the OEM being better, you may want to consider what GM does with their parts. I bought an OEM ACDelco idler pulley from the dealer that proudly announced on the package that it was made in Canada. The real truth was that ONLY the pulley itself was made in Canada. The only part of the assembly that ever fails, the bearing, was made in CHINA.
I carry a spare idler pulley and tensionor in my coach.

We have replaced the serpentine twice in our DP. Both times on the side of the highway, both times in Mexico. :E

The second time at least we had a spare belt. :) According to the mechanic, the second failure was due to the tensioner coming loose. I now have added this to the list of things for our at home mechanic to check during the annual service.

Love the pulley where package says "Made in Canada" and mold on the bearing "CHINA"
Technology change and when some things improve, some go downhill.
I had cars with 200,000 miles and factory serpentine belt and hose.
But idle pulley bearing gave up in the mean time.
Bearings used to be lifetime items on the cars, were they not?
So when it comes to belts and hoses >>> Inspect, Inspect, Inspect.

My belt and hoses were 11 years old until I traded for a new Motorhome about 4 weeks ago. Appeared to be in good condition.

Trackrig wrote:

usersmanual wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:

I have found that when it comes to belts and hoses OEM are best

Nothing wrong with OEM parts, but especially on hoses and belts, you can buy better. I keep my vehicles for a long time. When it comes to hoses I go to silicone hoses, much more expensive, but I've never replaced one of them and I kept my 1983 Chevy diesel for 29 years. If the mfg can save a dime, they will as long as the part will fail after the warranty is off.

Bill

I disagree I have found for the most part over time OEM belts and hoses fit better and last longer its just they usually cost 2x as much

Usually there is no set replacement interval for most soft parts. Regular inspection and knowing what to look for is the key to minimize unexpected roadside issues, but, not a cure all.

From experience, belts and hoses rarely fail without notice, but, it does happen. Usually belts will crack, glaze over, harden, fray, squeal, crackle, slip, come off, need tension adjustment, etc. before they give up. If any combination of the above happens, its time for further investigation. Hoses usually bulge, harden, leak, crack (often from the inside first), etc. Generally, higher heat causes failure before colder hoses, but not always. Using the incorrect coolant can lead to early failures. Bad motor mounts can also lead to premature failures.

Bearings in tensioners, pumps, usually start singing/grinding/vibrating before failure. Misalignment should always catch your attention.

Segmented belts, its best to replace them at or before the recommended time/mileage interval if there is one. When replacing segmented belts, its wise to replace any related tensioners, water pumps, leaky seals etc. at the same time.

Chum lee

Chum lee wrote:
Usually there is no set replacement interval for most soft parts. Regular inspection and knowing what to look for is the key to minimize unexpected roadside issues, but, not a cure all.

From experience, belts and hoses rarely fail without notice, but, it does happen. Usually belts will crack, glaze over, harden, fray, squeal, crackle, slip, come off, need tension adjustment, etc. before they give up. If any combination of the above happens, its time for further investigation. Hoses usually bulge, harden, leak, crack (often from the inside first), etc. Generally, higher heat causes failure before colder hoses, but not always. Using the incorrect coolant can lead to early failures. Bad motor mounts can also lead to premature failures.

Bearings in tensioners, pumps, usually start singing/grinding/vibrating before failure. Misalignment should always catch your attention.

Segmented belts, its best to replace them at or before the recommended time/mileage interval if there is one. When replacing segmented belts, its wise to replace any related tensioners, water pumps, leaky seals etc. at the same time.

Chum lee

what the hell is a segmented belt? R U referring to a serpentine belt?
why is wise to replace a water pump simply because your changing a belt>?all news to me? what is incorrect fluid?

Belt life is not all that predictable, so frequent inspection is a better strategy than trying to make a maintenance decision based on years in service (for many industries, operating hours tends to work better). I am just home from a motorcoach tour in which our year-old Prevost coach threw a serpentine belt at about 30,000 miles and had to be towed 200 miles to a service center for Volvo diesels. Upside of that one was riding in a 50-year old MCI, as the final solution of our tour company's efforts to find replacement coaches. We had three different replacements in a 18 hour period.