โJan-15-2014 01:43 PM
โJan-17-2014 08:36 AM
rgatijnet1 wrote:
I look at the belts this way.....they are NOT expensive, and it can be a big problem if one breaks. For that reason, I change them out at 30,000 miles, which for me is about every two years. This way I can change the belt in the comfort of my own shop and not on the side of the road somewhere.
In most vehicles when the belt breaks you lose power steering, the water pump for cooling, alternator, etc. This means that you can only go a very limited distance after it breaks and your coach will be next to impossible to steer. Then think about where you travel and Murphy's law, which means problems will happen at the worst possible time. Do you want to be stuck at the side of the road, or at a location where you can't even get off of the road? Sure you have a spare, but will it break at a location that you can replace it yourself?
Belts are just one of of those things that are too cheap to ignore and too important for your safety to extend their replacement until they fail.
I also use Gates belts after one of my Dayco belts failed at 15,000 miles.
โJan-17-2014 05:25 AM
RayChez wrote:
I never have had a fan belt failure that I can remember. But I do make inspection of the belts every so often. Once the rubber starts to show signs of cracking or flaking off, I would definitely change it. But belts now days are made a lot better then years ago. I have Cadillac Deville that has 69K miles on it now and the belt still looks in good shape. My coach has 59K and the belts still look very good.
But if the belt went out on rgatijnet1 at 10K, there has to be another problem, not the belt. It sounds to me like pulley alignment might have been off, or the idler pulley bearing going out. Ten thousand miles is nothing for a belt to go out.
โJan-17-2014 05:03 AM
โJan-17-2014 04:00 AM
โJan-17-2014 03:49 AM
rgatijnet1 wrote:OhhWell wrote:rgatijnet1 wrote:kaz442 wrote:
I have put 300-400 thousand miles on OEM belts. This was on several trucks. Only time I would replace them was when an alternated idler or tensioner failed. When was the last time you saw a broken belt laying on the highway?
JKaz
When one of my belts shredded at 15,000 miles it left pieces of it all over the engine. No pieces were big enough to be recognizable on the road. :B
That doesn't sound like it was the belt's fault or at best was just a defective one from the factory. Surely we are not going to change our belts at 10,000 miles now?
I never said that you should. Previously I said that it was a Dayco belt and I replaced it with a Gates belt which I will change again at 30,000 miles. At about $35 to change the belt, and after experiencing how tough it is to get the coach off the road after the belt breaks without power steering or cooling, I figure it is money well spent and $35 is not going to break me. Changing the belt at my convenience is a lot easier than changing one at the side of I80 in Iowa.
โJan-17-2014 03:25 AM
OhhWell wrote:rgatijnet1 wrote:kaz442 wrote:
I have put 300-400 thousand miles on OEM belts. This was on several trucks. Only time I would replace them was when an alternated idler or tensioner failed. When was the last time you saw a broken belt laying on the highway?
JKaz
When one of my belts shredded at 15,000 miles it left pieces of it all over the engine. No pieces were big enough to be recognizable on the road. :B
That doesn't sound like it was the belt's fault or at best was just a defective one from the factory. Surely we are not going to change our belts at 10,000 miles now?
โJan-17-2014 02:50 AM
rgatijnet1 wrote:kaz442 wrote:
I have put 300-400 thousand miles on OEM belts. This was on several trucks. Only time I would replace them was when an alternated idler or tensioner failed. When was the last time you saw a broken belt laying on the highway?
JKaz
When one of my belts shredded at 15,000 miles it left pieces of it all over the engine. No pieces were big enough to be recognizable on the road. :B
โJan-17-2014 02:39 AM
allbrandauto wrote:
being that the belt is rubber its as much time as miles I would say 5 years 50000 miles cheap fix for peace of mind
โJan-17-2014 02:33 AM
kaz442 wrote:
I have put 300-400 thousand miles on OEM belts. This was on several trucks. Only time I would replace them was when an alternated idler or tensioner failed. When was the last time you saw a broken belt laying on the highway?
JKaz
โJan-16-2014 08:04 PM
โJan-16-2014 06:55 PM
โJan-16-2014 03:46 PM
โJan-16-2014 10:30 AM
univmd wrote:You can't blame that on the belt!
Our alternator seized and the belt snapped at 50,000 miles.
โJan-16-2014 10:26 AM
bass n bob wrote:
I have the Ford F53 Chassis with 30,000 miles. At what point should I think about getting the fan belt replaced? I can find no reference to it in the owner's manual. THX