Serpentine belt rpm limit?
#41
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 6,673
Likes: 3,773
From: Dawsonville Ga.
I use a local independent parts house (amazing that they are still standing with the big 3 in town) for lots of different stuff, and I went in yesterday to get him to order me a Gates RPM belt, since they carry Gates. He asked me what belt shredded and when I told him the belt name, he laughed. I’ve never seen him laugh in 20 years. I told him the belt came my Holley accessories, and he told me I knew better. He was right!
#44
I use a local independent parts house (amazing that they are still standing with the big 3 in town) for lots of different stuff, and I went in yesterday to get him to order me a Gates RPM belt, since they carry Gates. He asked me what belt shredded and when I told him the belt name, he laughed. I’ve never seen him laugh in 20 years. I told him the belt came my Holley accessories, and he told me I knew better. He was right!
Haha that's pretty funny. I have one of those guys at the local parts house. Older man if he cracked a smile it would crack his face. Saw him driving a couple of days ago, with a parrot on his shoulder.. Not sure how that's relevant but it was interesting.
Kinda crappy to pay all that money for the holley accessories and get a crapo belt. They were probably trying to keep cost down, but it was likely only about $10, certainly not worth the destruction and mess. I'd be pretty aggravated.
#45
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 6,673
Likes: 3,773
From: Dawsonville Ga.
Thought I’d update this thread. So I purchased the Katech tensioner for the Chevelle...and...I bought a Gates RPM belt, well bought two actually, one for the trunk in case I lost a belt again while out somewhere. Car no longer has belt issues. It’s been to rev-limiter quite a few times this past summer and fall without issue. Having changed to the Katech tensioner and a high quality belt simultaneously ruled out me figuring out the exact fix, but I’m 99% sure the tensioner cured the issues. I say that because I figured out that my engine revving quickly, just sitting in the shop, would cause the belt to jump a few grooves forward, over on the A/C side of the setup, where the tensioner is. So what I believe was happening was the tensioner did not have enough tension to hold the belt in place during rapid acceleration. Car revs very fast with 720+ hp at the crank, and the Oem tensioner just couldn’t hold the belt on...
So the Katech tensioner is highly recommend and the uber expensive Gates RPM belts @ $80 each seem to be doing their job as well. Bottom line is I don’t have belt issues anymore. Hope this helps someone out there in cyber land searching around for a fix to an issue similiar to mine.
So the Katech tensioner is highly recommend and the uber expensive Gates RPM belts @ $80 each seem to be doing their job as well. Bottom line is I don’t have belt issues anymore. Hope this helps someone out there in cyber land searching around for a fix to an issue similiar to mine.
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Project GatTagO (12-07-2019)
#48
Thought I’d update this thread. So I purchased the Katech tensioner for the Chevelle...and...I bought a Gates RPM belt, well bought two actually, one for the trunk in case I lost a belt again while out somewhere. Car no longer has belt issues. It’s been to rev-limiter quite a few times this past summer and fall without issue. Having changed to the Katech tensioner and a high quality belt simultaneously ruled out me figuring out the exact fix, but I’m 99% sure the tensioner cured the issues. I say that because I figured out that my engine revving quickly, just sitting in the shop, would cause the belt to jump a few grooves forward, over on the A/C side of the setup, where the tensioner is. So what I believe was happening was the tensioner did not have enough tension to hold the belt in place during rapid acceleration. Car revs very fast with 720+ hp at the crank, and the Oem tensioner just couldn’t hold the belt on...
So the Katech tensioner is highly recommend and the uber expensive Gates RPM belts @ $80 each seem to be doing their job as well. Bottom line is I don’t have belt issues anymore. Hope this helps someone out there in cyber land searching around for a fix to an issue similiar to mine.
So the Katech tensioner is highly recommend and the uber expensive Gates RPM belts @ $80 each seem to be doing their job as well. Bottom line is I don’t have belt issues anymore. Hope this helps someone out there in cyber land searching around for a fix to an issue similiar to mine.
These belts can literally last for 20 years......I too have a second belt that I bought back in 2002 and \kept it ion the back of my car, its still there too....LOL A belt that uses a tensioner that can bounce around like factory ones......thats what destroys and stretches belts. When a fixed tensioner is used it doesn't allow a belt to stretch at all, because it does not bounce and get yanked all over the place.
What even more stupid.....GM can design a fixed tensioner for less money and make more profit.......but instead they produce that piece pf garbage spring loaded tensioner....strange....
I'm waiting for my 17 year old belt to break.....
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Che70velle (12-08-2019)
#49
One thing I didn't see mentioned is that if you have belt slip from the tensioner not keeping the belt tight you're going to have a lot of slip and heat. That is probably what killed it.
Along with being a lower quality belt.
Along with being a lower quality belt.
#50
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 6,673
Likes: 3,773
From: Dawsonville Ga.
Agreed. Had a good bit of belt slip due to tensioner. Alternator face was covered in black belt rubber dust as was the front of the ATI damper.
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00pooterSS (12-10-2019)
#51
Went through this problem on my 427 build as well - any time I went WOT at a lower gear, the belt would get tossed. (It's the RPM delta that throws belts, not necessarily just the RPM itself)
Manual tensioner fixed the problem here as well.
I do wanna say though that, with the new build being revved higher than factory (up to 7,000 rpm) I threw belts far below that, around 6500.
Manual tensioner fixed the problem here as well.
I do wanna say though that, with the new build being revved higher than factory (up to 7,000 rpm) I threw belts far below that, around 6500.
Last edited by AndyTA; 12-16-2019 at 10:16 AM.