debating whether to replace my old alternator belts. A few cracks but people tell me there is still some life left. They are Goodyear Matchmaker 13661 belts and my understanding is they have to be replaced as a matched pair. Is that right? Cause Ebay has ONE for sale for $7.89 but I don't know how old it is and I don't think I should replace just one. Goodyear says they stopped making V belts years ago. Cross matched Gates belt is $42 for one (not a matched pair). Should I try NAPA? Any other ideas? Or should I run the belts till one of them breaks? Paul
Question on V belts
- Thread starter spstan
- Start date
I don't think you'll find any jobbers pushing matched pairs anymore. If I were in your shoes, I'd repace them. However, I would buy two. put them on and run them for a short time and then check them for a match with a Browning belt tension checker.....if they are both within spec, and nothing is too tight (most importantly), I'd run them and forget about it. Just note the tension setting in your logbook for future reference.
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bronze turbine
Active Member
This is what I would do: Go to NAPA and get 2 belts. They will be brand new and will last. You can tell them you need a matched set but they will probably tell you that type of thing no longer exists. For piece of mind this is the best option, not NOS belts or waiting for breakage.
No more matched sets. Does your AC function? That is the big load needing 2 belts. If not then just run your belts.
Yes buy new from the store when the time comes. But they won't be the same tension, they really are different. I have many cars with 2 belts, and they have a tight one and a loose one.
Yes buy new from the store when the time comes. But they won't be the same tension, they really are different. I have many cars with 2 belts, and they have a tight one and a loose one.
Justin Plant
Well-Known Member
Way back when belts were machine measured and not quite accurate. So, the manufactures would measure by hand certain part numbers and when they had two the same size they would "match" the set. Now belts are laser cut. Way more accurate. So the whole matched set thing is basically null and void.
413; AC does not work and mechanic refuses to recharge it Says its too old and there would be too many leaks. I was actually thinking about leaving the air conditioner off when I put everything back together.
I sprayed the old V belts with belt conditioner so I'll guess I'll get all the life I can out of them. What could happen if they break while I'm driving? I'll probably make it home, right? Paul
Just Carbs
Well-Known Member
I get them from RockAuto in batches of a dozen or so for about $3 each for all the cars I have.
Same with wipers, oil filters, air filters, spark plugs. And any other maintenance items that show up on closeout.
Bundle everything you can. Buy once, pay shipping once, $10.
Change the belts.
And no, they ain't matched, but they will be.
Same with wipers, oil filters, air filters, spark plugs. And any other maintenance items that show up on closeout.
Bundle everything you can. Buy once, pay shipping once, $10.
Change the belts.
And no, they ain't matched, but they will be.
cbarge
World Famous Barge in a Budget
WHat used to be Goodyear gatorback belts are now Continental belts.
Thry fit into the pulley grove by far better than other brands.
I recommend getting a matched pair.
Thry fit into the pulley grove by far better than other brands.
I recommend getting a matched pair.
The belts have production codes/batch codes cast into them when made. Some might be silk screened on, but there is notation of which "batch" they came from. So "matching" can still happen at the store level, IF they have enough of the needed belts in stock to do that.
I concur that modern belts are made more accurately, so matching as it used to be, might not be as necessary as back then.
Your mechanic might perceive he has your best financial interests at heart, but it can also be that he does not have a R-12 recovery machine any more. To use his existing R-134a machine would contaminate it, so best to not get anywhere near anything with R-12 in it. Unless you might want to buy a refurbished R-134a recovery machine for him.
It would be FAR easier to just leave the a/c compressor installed and unplugged electrically than to try to remove it from the existing set-up. Which does not address the different pulley ratios of the factory a/c vs non-a/c belt drives.
In the world of v-belts, most OEMs used two different widths of belts. .380" and .440" wide. The .380" belts sit lower in the pulley grooves, as they are narrower, while the .440" belts are wider and sit higher in the same grooves, which also means then need to be about an inch longer in length compared to the narrower .380" belts. This is not "brand specific", though.
CBODY67
I concur that modern belts are made more accurately, so matching as it used to be, might not be as necessary as back then.
Your mechanic might perceive he has your best financial interests at heart, but it can also be that he does not have a R-12 recovery machine any more. To use his existing R-134a machine would contaminate it, so best to not get anywhere near anything with R-12 in it. Unless you might want to buy a refurbished R-134a recovery machine for him.
It would be FAR easier to just leave the a/c compressor installed and unplugged electrically than to try to remove it from the existing set-up. Which does not address the different pulley ratios of the factory a/c vs non-a/c belt drives.
In the world of v-belts, most OEMs used two different widths of belts. .380" and .440" wide. The .380" belts sit lower in the pulley grooves, as they are narrower, while the .440" belts are wider and sit higher in the same grooves, which also means then need to be about an inch longer in length compared to the narrower .380" belts. This is not "brand specific", though.
CBODY67
volksworld
Well-Known Member
I wasn't sure about the belts but I knew that Continental had taken over Goodyear's hose operation....wound up going through at least a half dozen Gates belts from NAPA till finally found 2 who's sequence numbers were close enough and then returned the others...when belts are made they are made in a tube then are sliced off one by one...and the diameter of the tube can vary from one end to the other...there are numbers on that roll and ideally you'd want them to be one number off....when I hit the shop tomorrow I'll post a pic of where that number is located...on my 440 the double belt only runs the a/c and alternator...when the a/c idler bearing seized made the hour drive home on the battery with no problems ...as long as the lights are off it takes very little juice to run the car...water pump and power steering had their own belts
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volksworld
Well-Known Member
The 135 136 137 are the sequence...so as close to the previous 3 or the next 3 as you can get
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