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Goodyear Gatorback Belt... :(

Yeah had the tensioner pulley go while headed down a 4,500' grade in Eastern Oregon towards Rome, OR. 100 F ambient heat. Suddenly my voltmeter goes from 13.5 to under 12, no AC, no power steering. Brain is on overdrive trying to rapidly process this. No place to turn off as there is mountain on both sides of the road. Coasting and the coolant temp rockets to 260! Yikes! Finally, at the bottom of the grade I see a small place to turn out at a gate in the barbed wire fencing. As I turn for that, I see a much larger turn out on the left with a sign marking the historical significance. I shut down and pop the hood. Belt is completely wrapped up in the fan. Tensioner pulley is askew and basically frozen, bearing having given it up. 100 degrees out in the middle of Bum Flock Oregon, wife and two engergetic English Springers. Wife grabs a roll and goes to do her thing out in the brush. I'm reading the historical sign denoting the crossing of the Oregon Trail. I finally see a highway partol zoom by and I waive him down. He was going so fast he blew by me for at least a quarter mile before turning around. We arrange a tow and the officer gives me some background on the spot "see that rock just beyond the barbed wire gate across the road. That's where they buried one of the wagon train leaders who was killed by Indians." Great! I pondered my fate as a hawk slowly circled overhead in the 100 F heat.

Check that pulley. It's an $18 part at RockAuto. Sure beats changing out $40 belts.
 
Got a bad experience with new Gatorback from AZ for bro's nissan. It was squeeling as soon as installed. Put the old Gatorback in there and squeeling stops. So the quality seems rather erratic.

No problem with Gates so far on the burb or camry. I bought it from RockAuto. I think Napa and OReilly sells those.
 
Goodyear is out of Akron witch it 20 some miles from me. Thats all I have ran and they always outlast the truck, I have never had any problems with my Goodyear anything. They also make the best damn garden hose money can buy. Leave that thing out all winter let it freeze still wont leak or kink :D
 
DEERE3594 said:
Goodyear is out of Akron witch it 20 some miles from me. Thats all I have ran and they always outlast the truck, I have never had any problems with my Goodyear anything. They also make the best damn garden hose money can buy. Leave that thing out all winter let it freeze still wont leak or kink :D
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Agreed on the goodyear hoses. I've got a Goodyear air hose and it can be 0*F in the shop and that air hose is still flexible. Best $10 i've ever spent.

Come to think of it we do have a garden hose that's been out in the yard so long the grass grew up around it and buried it in the ground 4 or 5 years ago. I remember seeing "goodyear" on it a long time ago and it doesn't leak at all. Never has.
 
THEFERMANATOR said:
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.
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What's the best place to buy a Gates Premium belt?

-Rob :)
 
Matt Bachand said:
Where is your tensioner mark at?

When I swap over to my gates belt, I'll check all pulleys for shaft play and wobble...
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I'm going by memory but the last I looked it was just off the center mark where it's been since the belt first wore in.
 
Does NAPA carry the belt with a lifetime warranty? I think my P/S pulley needs to be pressed on more, but it got tight and I was afraid of it cracking... Its about 1/16ths off... I'll have to look at things closer when I put on a new one.
 
NAPA didn't say they had the lifetime warranty on the GATES, but I know that CARQUEST does have it and will honor it.
 
We use the green stripe belts from NAPA with good luck, we used to use only Goodyear gatorbacks but I was told that Goodyear sold that division off over a year ago and they are now being made offshore somewhere.
 
jumping in a little late.
If these snake belts dont run true,they will fail sooner or later no matter what brand, same as V belts.Altough the latter are more forgiving.
The more flexible ones will prob last the longest.
a misaligned corner pulley like alt or PS pump will prob do the most harm as the belt might have tension on either outside rib or 2 only when rounding the corner.
By my rough calculation a belt zips around at 3/4 ml a min at 2000 RPM,thats 45 ml/hr.
IMO,Its amazing enough they last as they do.
 
Well, the powersteering pulley being off a 1/16's is making the waterpump ride a tad towards the fan, perhaps the round radius effected the vbelt more than the cheapy.

Either way I bought a gates from carquest warrantied and it was only 30bux.. What a quality looking belt. Its the 'green stripe' one...

I asked for the 95 inch, but part number # ended in 990 and it was super tight fit, barely slid over the tensioner, and I usually load/unload off the alt.

Ususally part ending in 990 would be a 99 inch.

Either way, nice quality belt, and now I have a few spares..... If I shred another soon I'll tinker with the p/s pump... Like I said it was really really tight pressing it on, perhaps thats normal. I didn't want to split it.

Just remembered my belt tensioner pulley & bearing are only a year or 2 old, and all pulleys felt good.

Time will tell.
 
Matt Bachand said:
Well, the powersteering pulley being off a 1/16's is making the waterpump ride a tad towards the fan, perhaps the round radius effected the vbelt more than the cheapy.

Either way I bought a gates from carquest warrantied and it was only 30bux.. What a quality looking belt. Its the 'green stripe' one...

I asked for the 95 inch, but part number # ended in 990 and it was super tight fit, barely slid over the tensioner, and I usually load/unload off the alt.

Ususally part ending in 990 would be a 99 inch.

Either way, nice quality belt, and now I have a few spares..... If I shred another soon I'll tinker with the p/s pump... Like I said it was really really tight pressing it on, perhaps thats normal. I didn't want to split it.

Just remembered my belt tensioner pulley & bearing are only a year or 2 old, and all pulleys felt good.

Time will tell.
Click to expand...

That belt would be a 99" belt if it ended with 990. That should be the right length.
 
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