Hey folks! Im new to the forum, looks like ya'll have a good bit of info here! I have a problem that I cant quite figure out. I have been working on a buddies 2000 dakota r/t. It chewed up a serp belt and was squeaking. Replaced the belt and idler, no more squeaking. The truck chewed up that belt and spit it off, so I replaced the belt and installed a new tensioner. All the parts came from napa, so I believe them to be of good quality.

I drove the truck about 200 miles with no problems. He was driving it today and said he heard a clacking noise, stopped to look and the front rib of the belt is chewed off.

All the accessories seem to be in good alignment, and nothing is locked up or unusually hard to turn.

Anyone got a clue what could cause this?

I have searched the forum, and couldn't really find anyone with the same problem.....any help would be greatly appreciated!

Sorry for the long post!

Rich

 

check all the pulleys (harmonic balancer,water pump, alt, ac compressor, power steering pump) might be one out of alignment. possible ac compressor clutch is on the way out.

 

if it were me id say it was something out of alignment. there is no reason for a belt to go unless it is. its wierd that the belt would go like that unless it was off line. im not as bold as some, id take it to a shop. i also dont know if maybe something may be spinning faster than something else....just a thought

 

Yeah something is not lined up, I have the same issue with the supercharger, if it's not PERFECT, it will slip a rib off and eat it up. Next time you put it on, rev it up real high in neutral, it will make the belt hop a little and if it's out of alignment, that's when it will pop off.

It's a pain in the ***.

 

Thanks guys. Thats what I thought too, I have actually used a straight edge to check alignment, and its all good. Ive been working on dodges for a long time, and Ive never had one stump me like this.

 

moe in wichita ks
check all the componets that the belt goes around for a spacer that is missing. happened to a friend once. he changed out a power steering pump he didnt see that a spacer fell out. the pump went out in about 2 weeks, as i was helping him i saw the spacer on the frame, no more pump trouble

 

Thanks Moe, Ill look for that. I just thought of something though......my buddy just bought the truck at auction, so I dont know the history. I'm gonna check alignment of the p/s pulley again tomorrow. If it has been pressed off, then back on, its possible that whoever did it didnt get it quite right.

Hope that solves it.

 

somthing is draging, be my first guess, that or did they give you the wrong idler pully?

 

I would check the drive pulley, my truck's pulley is off a bit due to laziness, not because it's not far enough in, but because it's not a 100% straight, you have to remove the pulley, and starter, than use a screwdriver in the starter, and put the pully in straight if it's angled that would cause this. Mine is running on half a belt, but never chewed one up completely...

 

I'd take a good look at the pulleys all the way around and see if one has a chunk out of it, or a crack or some sort of damage.