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Two belts, one day

in_motion

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Indianapolis
96, 4.0, aw4, 2wd

Serpentine belt somehow slipped off and wrapped itself around the fan on my way in to work today. Spent time at lunch putting on a spare that snapped immediately on startup.

While the belt was off, I spun all the accessories to be sure they weren't seized and they all spin freely with no noise. I did notice coolant coming out of the area of the water pump, but it was still spinning freely, so I can't imagine that was the cause? (But yet another issue to address...)

What is making my Jeep eat belts? The only other thing I can think of is the power steering pump has been leaking, but I keep it filled.
 
Things that are worn out, leaking, or broken eat fan belts. Fix all known or suspected maintenance issues and see what happens after that.
 
check to make sure your harmonic balancer is not separating. take a look at it with the belt off to make sure it is inline with all other pulleys. it should be almost touching the timing chain cover.
 
I would definitely look at that water pump, failing seals are a indicator of failing bearings which could cause "belt walk".
 
I would definitely look at that water pump, failing seals are a indicator of failing bearings which could cause "belt walk".

Many of the newer water pumps are a redesign, a redesign that actually works. The last one that went out on me was a replacement, it barely leaked but the bearings were seriously shot. I mean seriously shot, there was nearly a half inch of slop in the shaft, but the pump was mostly still sealing.

Just something to look at.
 
Got her towed home tonight. Pulled into the driveway, popped the hood and shined a light on the balancer and there's definitely a miniscule wobble. Looks like my weekend just got booked.

Thanks for all the replies and help!
 
If you've never done a HB, I can offer a little bit of advice. The puller you rent or borrow is usually too long and the bolt will hit the radiator. If you can grab a bolt of the same thread but shorter, you can make it work. Also get a longer bolt and nut that matches the thread of the center bolt that holds the HB on. When putting the HB back on run the bolt all the way in and use the nut & washer to push the HB back on. Do not use the original HB bolt as it will only engage a few threads at first and tends to rip those thread out.
 
If you've never done a HB, I can offer a little bit of advice. The puller you rent or borrow is usually too long and the bolt will hit the radiator. If you can grab a bolt of the same thread but shorter, you can make it work. Also get a longer bolt and nut that matches the thread of the center bolt that holds the HB on. When putting the HB back on run the bolt all the way in and use the nut & washer to push the HB back on. Do not use the original HB bolt as it will only engage a few threads at first and tends to rip those thread out.

Excellent advice! Yeah, the bolts in the harbor freight kit for my application were just short enough to fit between the HB and radiator support.

The outer ring had walked a full 1/4" puff of the wheel. Culprit found.
 
Installation question: how tight should the bolt be in the crankshaft? Haynes says 20ft/lbs, I've seen other sources as high as 80? I'm more inclined to believe Haynes, but figured I'd ask the real experts :)
 
Be VERY careful. I replaced with a Chinesium™ off brand during a re-build. Turned out the timing mark was about 45 degrees off. Caused a lot of cursing trying to diagnose that no start.
 
Verify all the pulleys are aligned. A loose or bent alternator bracket, or power steering pump bracket will cause the belt to exit for parts unknown.
 
Everything is back together, save the lower radiator hose. It's being a PITA to connect to the water pump. I checked with a straight edge along the belt and it is as straight as I can tell. I'll fill it up and run it after work.
 
Be VERY careful. I replaced with a Chinesium™ off brand during a re-build. Turned out the timing mark was about 45 degrees off. Caused a lot of cursing trying to diagnose that no start.

I don't think mine even had a timing mark LOL. Found that out 10 years after I installed it.
 
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