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General Tech Fan Belt Deterioration

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KVH

KVH

Obi Wan
Silver
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This belt is only 3 years old, and has less than 5000 miles on it. Am I misaligned, or is this just a bad belt?
 

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If that belt is only three years old, and wasn't used on a Sherman tank ...

yep - it's a bad belt!
 
Makes me wonder what quality is out there. I’m going to try a new Bando belt, a clogged one, if I can find one. Moss owns Rimmer? Got to wonder if all the changes mean more quality.
 
Well, it has been hot where you live. Is it possible the extreme heat has dried the belt?
 
I would check out what Roadster Factory is offering. Historically they have been less likely to sell junk. Is that a stock thick belt or one for a thin belt conversion? Hard to tell from the pictures.
 
It’s the stock wide belt. I just pulled it back from the garbage and noted I can bend and crack it anywhere. It’s just all brittle junk.

I wish it would cool down where I am in Arizona. I love driving these cars, but to others on the road with their windows up and their air-conditioning blasting, they must think old guys like me have lost their minds.

(I say that after having spent two hours last night, chocking my wheels and tires, loosening the engine mounts, loosening the radiator hold- down nuts and bolts, sliding a jack under the front of the oil pan, jacking the car up several inches (the spring relief takes a couple) just to create enough space between the damper extension and the steering rack, so that I could slide a new fan belt through and go for a drive in 110 degree heat)

PS I had a spare belt, but I’m still ordering a new one. I’ll probably look for a Bando.
 
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Can you show it to guys where you bought the belt, and get their take?

I wonder if your belt came from a bad batch ... or maybe wasn't as "new" as it was described at the store.

Tom M.
 
NutmegCT said:
Can you show it to guys where you bought the belt, and get their take?

I wonder if your belt came from a bad batch ... or maybe wasn't as "new" as it was described at the store.

Tom M.
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I really don’t know which of the few remaining suppliers (at the time) sold it to me. I’m reluctant to guess, of course. I try to patronize all the suppliers, and will spread my orders around more since learning Moss closed Goleta. YouTube has some interesting videos of really cheap counterfeit fan belts being sold in the marketplace. Anyway, I feel lucky it’s not a bigger issue..
 
Wondering - when did you buy the belt that failed? and what's the manufacturer of the belt?
 
tr6nitjulius said:
Agree with poolboy due to 65 amp alt needed larger belt than oem instead of guessing/measuring took old belt to napa for on the countertop visual size/width match gates belt
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So, what if I put an alternator on my TR4A—my understanding is that the Moss kits call for using the pulley from the old generator, and that makes me think the stock belts would be fine, meaning length and width. No need to switch to a thin belt. I’m not sure I’m ready to do the switchover, but after recently draining my battery stone cold dead from my auxiliary fan running in traffic, I’m considering it.
 
I converted to a Chevy alternator years ago (before there were kits to do such things). I used the old early internally regulated alternator, same as my old Chevy truck, so I would only need one spare on the shelf…cheap and available anywhere. As I remember, all I had to do was drill out an original TR pulley to fit the alternators shaft. I run a stock thick style Goodyear brand cogged belt, but it might be a little longer than factory. Was easily obtainable from my local “real” parts store. I’ve always got name brand belts locally or from TRF and they seem to last forever. Never broken or worn one out.
 
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I would suggest that there are so few of our cars using the wide belts that any retailer will be selling what would be classed as new old stock. Been on the shelf for years. And any old rubber won’t last.
And with the move to modern Serpentine Belts even the variety of sizes in the “narrow” belt will become the same in time.
And we will be back to the emergency pair of tights
 
IMHO converting to an alternator is a really good move.
However depending on your skill level swapping one for a generator may try your patience.
I was fortunate to have access to a very good electric motor repairman. Who checked out the alternator and instructed me in hooking it up. He also recommended swapping the pulley for a slightly smaller one. This gives you more power generation at slow engine speeds. Additionally a friend was also in the process of mounting an alternator and showed me a clever way to use the original mount with the alternator. And because I had scoped this change out way ahead of time another friend gave me instructions on how to wire the alternator to eliminate the stock voltage regulator.
And I did find that the length of the belt changed from the stock setup.

Today much of that is available in a kit.
Charley
 
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