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Goodyear Gatorback Belt... :(

Matt Bachand

Matt Bachand

Depends on the 6.5
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Location
Worcester, MA
Well, I replaced my cheapo belt I had on for 6 months with a new Goodyear Gatroback... best AZ carries...

Once again, burned by preventive maint.... One of its ribs shredded off and wrapped itself around my fan clutch.... Of course I had my old as a spare, so I pulled over, figured out what the odd noise was, and put my spare on, and off to the job I went...

2 lessons here.

1. Goodyear Gatorbacks are not good In my book. They have some cross V for cooling... weakness

2. ALWAYS carry a spare belt and necessary tools (3/8th ratchet or prybar) to change it.

I'll see if AZ will give me a new one, else I'll go to napa and get a premium smooth 6 rib.

This belt was almost 40 bux too... junker.

I have NO FAITH in replacement parts anymore............none.

On a side note, it did seem to not stretch as much as the valuecraft cheapy cheaperoo one...

Winner : Cheapy, cheaperoo.
 
Might not hurt to check you tensioner for wear. On my cummins bt4 it would do the same thing till I replaced the tensioner.
 
Goodyear Gatorback are the best they make. They don't crack in the ribs as much. But you have a bad pulley bearing to shred a belt like that. That or as above the tensioner is weak and allowed the belt to jump off and run on the rim of a pulley.

In fact last Gatorback I seen shredded was on a 1988 454 when the idler pulley below the AC compressor locked up.
 
My first Goodyear gatorback belt lasted a good while but i changed it when i finally removed my vac pump. The second belt, less than 3 months and the tensioner was at the "replace" notch. That belt's still on there almost a year after it's been installed and still at the "replace" mark.

I"ll be getting a Gates belt next time. My buddy has had one on his car for about 200,000 miles and it's still not stretched out or falling apart.
 
Ever since I changed the P/S pump out my belt never sat perfect, it does ride on the outside of one of the pulleys. It just seemed the other belt didn't mind, but the gatorback couldn't take the outside strain.

Good to hear positive reviews though... I'm going with a gates, and just always keep a spare with me. If I shred another belt soon, i'll have to really look deep into whats going on.

FWIW, the belt was still on the pulleys, just one less rib, which was all entangled around my clutch... tough steel belt for sure. Just seems a weakness connecting the ribs, but my pulleys are obviously putting abnormal wear in abnormal spots.
 
iamdave0887 said:
My first Goodyear gatorback belt lasted a good while but i changed it when i finally removed my vac pump. The second belt, less than 3 months and the tensioner was at the "replace" notch. That belt's still on there almost a year after it's been installed and still at the "replace" mark.

I"ll be getting a Gates belt next time. My buddy has had one on his car for about 200,000 miles and it's still not stretched out or falling apart.
Click to expand...

I'm beginning to think that by removing the v-pump, we are somehow disrupting the engineering concept of the system, thus stretching belts. I've never heard of belts stretching in my life this fast, and now all of a sudden everyone who drops their v-pump are getting their belts maxed out within months.
 
I like dayco from Advance auto. i have about 70,000 on mine and its just starting to squeak at idle while cold. for about a minute. i also keep a spare in the truck.
 
It wasn't the tension part of my pulley that went bad it was the bearing. It was just loose enough to let the pulley droop a little.
 
Matt Bachand said:
I'm beginning to think that by removing the v-pump, we are somehow disrupting the engineering concept of the system, thus stretching belts. I've never heard of belts stretching in my life this fast, and now all of a sudden everyone who drops their v-pump are getting their belts maxed out within months.
Click to expand...

Could be. I figured that the gatorback's are now made in China, like everything else so the quality has gone down the crapper just so the company can save a buck. :mad:
 
blowinsmoke99stroke said:
I like dayco from Advance auto. i have about 70,000 on mine and its just starting to squeak at idle while cold. for about a minute. i also keep a spare in the truck.
Click to expand...

Dayco times two. That's my preferred brand and Ohio proud too. (Dayton I think) Had a Gatorback on the 'maro for a while, couldn't stand the whine and it eventually split into two seperate belts. Switched to Dayco.
 
Matt Bachand said:
I'm beginning to think that by removing the v-pump, we are somehow disrupting the engineering concept of the system, thus stretching belts. I've never heard of belts stretching in my life this fast, and now all of a sudden everyone who drops their v-pump are getting their belts maxed out within months.
Click to expand...
Doubt it. belts will stretch a little while after they are installed. Those who put on a smaller belt after removing vac pump might have put to big of a belt on? or the quality of belt was low. My belt has been on the truck for probably a year now and is fine for now, its a dayco. My P/S pump pulley also "wobbles" a little bit, but doesn't seem to effect my belts much as they don't prematurely wear.

ak diesel driver said:
It wasn't the tension part of my pulley that went bad it was the bearing. It was just loose enough to let the pulley droop a little.
Click to expand...
It sucks when that bearing completely goes lol. Had that happen on a 3.8 in a Grand Prix :mad2:

3500GMC said:
Dayco times two. That's my preferred brand and Ohio proud too. (Dayton I think) Had a Gatorback on the 'maro for a while, couldn't stand the whine and it eventually split into two seperate belts. Switched to Dayco.
Click to expand...
Gotta support this crappy state called Ohio :thumbsup: lol.
 
I'm sold on napa belts. I had the alt. lock up on my 91 6.2 and I drove it home over 20 miles and it didn't brake. It did stretch it some. It broke about 3 months later. I also carry a spare now.
 
The 6.2/6.5 diesel harmonics wear the belt a lot more than gasser engines. And one of the reasons why the main pulley has to be rubber hubbed. It going bad can cause extra stress.

You definately have to compare parts today more than ever. I liked the Carquest Gold belt best of the ones I saw. It was thicker and grippier on the backside than others. I don't know who it was made by.
 
NAPA Belts IIRC are GAtes. I know the numers used to be almost identical. The quality of belts in general has gone was down the crapper. Just ask anyone who owns a 6.2 how many alt belts they have gone though since Gates discontinued 8 series belts 10+ yrs ago cause they were too damn good. They would usually outlast the truck. Everything is pretty much made in China or Mexico and is low grade crap however Matt if you belt is not riding true you need to figure out why. No belt no matter what quality will stay on long if not true. I always carry spare belts in everything as well. ON a 6.2 I could change a belt in about 10 mins. Lots of practice. even the Hi per 5725 only last about 6 months on average.
 
Pay the money and buy a GATES PREMIUM belt with a lifetime warranty. Pay once and get a new one whenever you need it. I tried a gatorback on my JEEP before and within a month it was squeeling like you wouldn't believe. Swapped in a cheapo one from AZ and it ran quiet for another 60K miles. Most all of the store brand belts anymore though are junk. My current belt is from CARQUEST and cost a pretty penny, but I got anti-freeze on it and the power steering pump pulley wasn't aligned and it broke internally, they replaced it no questions asked. NAPA can also get you a GATES belt, but you have to ask for the better ones as there cheap ones are junk.
 
Misalignment took out a couple belts on mine,no problems since carefully aligning pulleys. Iirc it was the power steering pulley that was the culprit. It was a pressed fit & therefore adjustable. It was pushing the belts onto the fairly sharp shoulder of one of the other pulleys.
 
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