After my airpump seized about 3 months ago I took it out and ran a smaller belt just to the alternator.

After about a month the new belt snapped, so then I went to get another belt and they only had the 3 groove in at the time in the size I needed 29.5-30, a week later it snapped, so they ordered me a 4 groove and after a week it snapped.

I have tried making them tighter, looser, any other ideas why this would keep happening? I would really like to avoid having to put a dummy pulley in.

 

There are several reasons they might snap:

1. You are buying cheap belts
2. Your pulleys are not lined up right
3. They are too tight
4 Improper installation
5. All of the above

 

try some gatorbacks. you will probably only find 4 rib.

 

There's definatley something wrong there. You should'nt be busting this many belts in such short time. Expecially the 4-ribbed belt. What do the belts look like after they go? Do they look like they were worn out, rubbed through, or just snapped off clean? Any indication of burn scores on it?

 

i was actually snapping belts a while ago. i realized i lost the spacer for the idler pulley so i actually took a spare lug i had lieing around and a grinder and ground down the flat side till i had the correct spacing (it took like 5 min) and used it as a spacer it worked out great cause the bearing is perfectly centered on the flange from the lug. weird rig that worked out great.

 

I caught the last one before it snapped and it was burnt on the outter center of the belt towards the side of the belt that is closer to the front of the car. Far to the otuside though just not quite to the edge.

How hard would it be to take the dummy pulley out? Don't see anything it is good for.

Otherwise what is the best strongest belt you guys know of.

-Chris

 

Yep sounds like something is not spinning, idler or alternator, as the water pump if locked up couldn't put enough force against the belt to wear it or snap it. With belt off check to see if the water pump, alternator, or idler pulley are locked up/not spinning freely.

 

Can'tGoStraight:

Will do, however as far as I can tell it is only the alternator running off this belt, no waterpump.

The idler pulley is that just the kind of dummy pulley used to get the belt to where the air pump was?

-Chris

 

Chris,
The alternator belt should run from the atlernator, underneath the water pump, over the air pump (which you removed) around the main crank pulley and back up to the alternator. The ider I mentioned is used for the power steering/AC so the alternator and air pump were the only means of tighting that belt up, if the belt is burning up on the top side (smooth side) then your water pump has got to be the culprit, although I find it hard to belive if you eliminated the air pump that it's making enough contact to burn it up, any way check your alternator and water pump to make sure there easy to turn.

 

What he said.