on my truck '03 Dodge 1500QC 2wd w/ 4.7L .... in the past everytime i drove through puddles i would lose power steering momentarily ... well it hadn't rained in quite sometime enough for me to test this ... today it poured so i drove through a street that was mostly flooded ... and listened as i lost power steering for quite a bit of time ... after i was out of the water i listened and just before i got my power steering back i heard a squeak that i had never heard before ....


my question is ... is it possible the belt is loose or old and needs to be replaced because when it gets wet it slips over the pulley? and if so, what's a good belt to go with to avoid slipping?

 

Yes, the belt slips when wet, since they are serpentine belts there is little you can do. If by some chance it is not serpentine then adjust it tighter. One belt is as good as another exept for minor length differences.

 

A good belt is the Goodyear Gatorback series. I usually run Dayco as that is what is normally in stock. I'm running with the factory one now.

Also, don't fool with "belt dressings". It is a temporary fix and is extremely messy.

 

just doesn't seem right there's nothing i can do about it ... i mean how safe is that ... i'm completely losing power steering ... what if i'm in the middle of a turn when that happens ... what size belt is it supposed to have and can i get it say half or even 1 inch short to make it really tight?

 

No, No, No!!!! Not tighter, that's what the tensioner pulley is for. Start by getting a new serpentine belt. Clean the pulleys real good with some mineral spirits and scotchbrite pads, then spray down again with brake cleaner. Put the new belt on. Start there. If you tighten it up beyond the recommended design, you are asking for some sort of bearing failure on any one of the driven components!!!!!----like the several hundred dollar alternator, or the water pump, or the.......

 

ok ... i'll start there ... guess i'll be getting a gatorback then ... since that was what was reccommended ... so clean the pulleys and install new belt is all it should need?

 

How many miles did you say were on your truck? If the new belt doesn't help, the next thing is a new tensioner. Perhaps you got a bum one to start with?

 

48k ... under warrantly till 80k ... think it's covered?

 

Depending on what your deductible is, it may be cheaper to buy the adjuster pulley and the belt. Didn't they already tell you that they couldn't find anything wrong with the truck? I know this has been an on going problem. I'd start with a new belt and go from there. I like to change my belts out at 50K miles anyway. You'll be amazed how much they stretch/crack/etc when you take it off and actually inspect it.

 

well that's the plan but i have a sneak suspicion that it's the tensioner ... the other night a friend and i were looking at it and we were able to easily move the belt (there was a lot of slack) but as we moved it the tensioner would be rather easily ... i was thinking that it was moving too easy ... how hard is it to change the pulley?