Flipping belts

[charles messler]

i went to check the power steering fluid in the 68 and noticed the power steering belt was half turned over on the crankshaft pulley. I put the belt back on right but it turned almost by the time I made it home. How could it turn? I just replaced the belts in July with gates belts.

 

[Davea Lux]

Usually flipping belts are the result of misaligned or damaged pulleys, belts can sometimes also do strange things if they are run too loose. As you have a rigid PS mount, I doubt that you have an alignment issue. Once a belt has turned over, the cord inside usually breaks so that the belt will no longer run as it should. Replace the belt as it is now damaged and see what happens. Check the pulleys for dings or other damage.

Dave

 

[Big_John]

Maybe it's an optical illusion, but I think that belt is in the wrong groove on the crank pulley.

 

[mr. fix it]

Maybe it's an optical illusion, but I think that belt is in the wrong groove on the crank pulley.

It's worth checking out. good suggestion!

 

[livininharrow]

looking at that it doesn't look like its in any groove

 

[CBODY67]

If that's a Gates belt, it's doing an impersonation of a Goodyear "Top Cog" belt.

Key thing might be WHICH line of Gates Belt you have? The old "Green Stripe" series belts were the best, but in later years, their "Charter" line got the Gates name on a $3.00 (selling price, back then) belt.

By comparison, Goodyear owned Kelly-Springfield tires. That didn't mean that the Kelly-Springfield "Super Charger" tires had the same rubber compound as the Goodyear Eagle GT. "Value pricing" is one thing, less expensive lines playing off of a "name brand" are another.

From what I've seen, you can have about 1/2 groove mis-alignment and not have any belt longevity issues, as long as the tension is normal.

Back in the later '80s, one of those big-box auto supplies came to town. They had a "house brand" belt that was cheaper than the normal Gates belt an older auto supply carried. Their sales of belts plummeted . . . until about 3 months later when the "house brand" belts had stretched and flown off. Then the older auto supply started selling their known-good Gates Green Stripe belts again.

CBODY67

 

[commando1]

Big John nailed it. It's in the wrong groove on the crank pulley.
Nothing else.

 

[CBODY67]

So, what made it "jump ship"? Still probably needs a new one, for good measure.

CBODY67

 

[commando1]

If this

So, what made it "jump ship"

Then that.

I just replaced the belts in July with gates belts.

He had one job.

 

[68PK21 440.6bbl]

Ho Li Fuk Sum Ting Wong

Plus pulleys are painted wrong color... fan too...

 

[lemondana]

Any brand of V belt can do that. The only reason-it is an end belt from the tube or slab it was cut from. I bet if you cut the belt all the way thru, you will see that it does not have cord all the way thru the belt, it should have. Also if you hold the belt cog side up, inside out up you can see a taper. That belt should never have been shipped. Get a new belt

 

[GJS]

That's the wrong groove, that much is for sure.

 

[charles messler]

I just got a replacement belt for the other one. It's the right groove, I have the three groove crank pulley hoping eventually to get the a.c. Working. The pump is a little out of alignment with the crank pulley but this setup has worked for three years and 8,000 or 9,000 miles. Yes the colors are wrong but why stay stock when I no longer have number matching engine, core support,etc...