Serpentine Belt

I like the Gatorback line from Goodyear
When i replace the belt on this 460
It's going to be a Gatorback poly v serpentine belt

Without a doubt, the Gatorback cog belt is the one to use. Another very good belt is the Dayco Polycog belt. Be sure you use a cog belt whatever you do. They're the only ones that stand up to the torture of the heat and work they need to do.

I use them on my Aerostar because none of the other "premium" belts lasted more than a month with the air conditioner on in the hot summer weather. The Gatorback belts last for years and years. Don't waste your money on anything else.

RV.net post on Ford F-53 fanbelt from 2005

I have had good experiences with Gates belts on my RV and pickup. Have a Dayco on the car. It's noisey but is holding up just fine.

I guess it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. Following up on the information I had from years ago which I posted above, I find that Dayco has replaced their line of Polycog belts with Dayco Poly Rib Gold Label belts. I found this statement on https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/dayco-qa/

Ed Rammel, Vice President Marketing, Dayco Rubber Products wrote:
Poly-cog belts were designed to improve overall durability by increasing the flexibility of the belt as it bends around accessory pulleys. Dayco’s new Poly Rib W profile belts are not cogged, but use a new rubber formulation, EPDM, which increases the overall durability without the cogs, and improves the noise resistance of the belt by allowing the rib tips to flex whenever entering misaligned pulleys. Poly Cog belts were designed and introduced to the aftermarket in 1989 based on the serpentine drives and belt technology that existed at that time. The Poly Rib W profile belt was first introduced in 2007 and incorporated the newest rubber formulations along with the improved rib profile, designed to flex and conform in worn aftermarket drives.

Dayco has been in business for over 105 years and also makes a quality product right here in the USA supply belts to the OEM market.

Many years ago when my first Ford that had a serpentine belt was starting to get cracks in it, I asked the mechanic that I had gotten to know and trust, said that Ford had told them not to worry about those belts until they started loosing rubber.

Dusty

Dusty R wrote:
Many years ago when my first Ford that had a serpentine belt was starting to get cracks in it, I asked the mechanic that I had gotten to know and trust, said that Ford had told them not to worry about those belts until they started loosing rubber.

Dusty

X2!

Had a 2003 F250 that went up to 223,000 miles with the ORIGINAL serp belt.

The ONLY reason it was replaced was one of the idle pulley bearings went bad and was screeching continually..

43K miles is nothing for those idlers, are you REALLY sure it is the idler and not just the BELT causing the chirp? Belts sometimes will chirp just for no good reason.

I use the Gates belt. It's a good idea to also change out the tensioner when you get a new belt. There is a cheap little plastic tool that will give you an indicator of the wear on a serpentine belt. You really can't tell by looking. Carry a spare for cheap insurance. One of our members broke a belt on startup when an unfortunate squirrel got caught in it.

All these people recommending Goodyear Gatorback belts...Goodyear sold off their belt business in 2015, to Continental.
Any of the good name brands will hold up fine. I prefer Gates or Bando. Dayco and Continental are fine also.
Any of the major brands will be made of EPDM, which is the preferred material. Some of the cheap no name belts are not epdm and will crack and break down much faster.

Well I did the old "2 foot length of heaterhose trick" (put one end near your ear and the other near the suspected noise culprit" acts like a stethoscope ya know) and it sounded like the idler was chirping. Now that you mentioned it I think I'll change out the belt and see what happens. I don't have an extra one and I should carry one especially when most of our trips end up in the middle of nowhere (by choice).

You can learn a lot about belts reading this webpage:
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/dayco-qa/

Jay Swope, Principle Engineer of Belt Development wrote:

What causes belt noise?

There are two main causes of belt noise: pulley misalignment causing an intermittent belt noise called “chirp” and low belt tension causing a continuous belt noise called “squeal”. For a much more thorough explanation of belt noises, their causes and solutions, please go to Dayco Drive Belt Training PDF.