Changing belts trick

RF_Burns

RF_Burns

Super Moderator
Staff member
Sep 7, 2008
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Ontario Canada
The belts on The Murray go back to 2008 and before so I thought I'd change them since I had new ones on hand. I found the split in the metal ring at
the bottom of the horse collar made it very easy to slip the belt past the fan blades. I didn't need to remove the fan like other have written.

But doing it from underneath in the shop is far nicer than doing it on the road sometime. I was thinking if I could turn the metal ring so the split
was at the top I could do it from inside if I had a belt failure on the road. Has anyone done this already?... before I go to the trouble of
unbolting this thing and finding out I've overlooked something.

Thanks

--
Bruce Hislop
ON Canada
77PB, 455 Dick P. rebuilt, DynamicEFI EBL EFI & ESC.1 ton front end
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=29001
My Staff says I never listen to them, or something like that
 
Nope never done it but i usually just feed the belts onto a few blades up to the pulley and turn the fan which brings the belt away from the shroud.
You could turn it Bruce but if a notch is what you want why not just make one on the top as well and saves you from turn it...you know the rule....if
you turn it to the top, next time you will need it at the bottom...lol. :p
--
Rich Mondor,

Brockville, ON

77 Hughes 2600
 
Bruce- i was just messing with belts on mine. (Added belt to A/C compressor and tightened the 1 year old belts that settled in for alternator and
power steerimg)

4 nuts on the fan clutch to the water pump only took me a few
Moments. (After I spent about time inside and underneath
messing with horse collar trying to get a belt
Over a blade
Of my plastic
Fan)

So after
Sundays exercise,
My future process will be to take the fan off again, put belts in placw
And put the fan clutch back on.

I really need
To get
Myself a spare set of belts on board to assure I never need them.

My other lesson was I am glad my wheel well liners are still in the shed. I think
i would
Pull those
Too if trying to mess with belts on the road. That power steering bracket is a mess of bolts that I prefer
To go after
From side and bottom.

I also chop sawed off
A prybar that fits perfect
To tighten the power steering pully. Middle size craftsman prybar.
--
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
 
I got rid of that horse collar years ago. That was one of the best improvements I ever did to my coach.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
Ken,
I have read about others removing the horse collar and thought about it myself. Did you notice any change in cooling capabilities or fan noise? I
think it saves a fair bit of weight.

--
Bruce Hislop
ON Canada
77PB, 455 Dick P. rebuilt, DynamicEFI EBL EFI & ESC.1 ton front end
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=29001
My Staff says I never listen to them, or something like that
 
I used to have a problem, well two actually. This is only about the belts, other things aside.

There was no way to get a belt past the fan blades anywhere in this coach. If I was to loosen fasteners for the horse collar, I still could not do
it. My horse collar did not have the space that Bruce mentioned, but 73s are different. I even tried with the GatorBack belt hoping the notches
would allow it - Nope. So, you loosen the four on the waterpump drive and let the fan forward. I grew to hate the "ship-in-a-bottle" front dress.

Before I found out that the alternator could peak over 100amps (the Hp limit of a single V-belt) I had to change them so frequently that I looked tie
one in. (Lycoming people know about this.) But, I could never figure out how to do it without risk. As nearly as I can tell, this problem is only
chronic with a 100 amp alternator in a coach with the house bank in the front. After a day of dry camping, I would even idle the engine for too long
in the hope of by passing the high charge load.

Here is where I tell you that I don't have this problem these days (when I do get to take Chaumière somewhere). The biggest change was the MB fan
mod. With the cut away two piece fan shroud, there is lots of room to loop a belt over the fan. I also changed to a double sheave on the alternator
so, even at 100+amps for the short time it exists, the belt doesn't blow up.

Matt - Hunkered down and waiting for the storm to blow over

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
Okay, dumb request but still on the topic...I think. I just started my GMC
up after being winterized for 4 months. The belts squealed and then just
broke apart, all of them at once. Full disclosure, something was squealing
last year before winterizing.

So now I have no reference to the belt configuration. I realize it is
pretty straight forward but does anyone have a belt diagram or a what goes
where reference for a 1978 GMC Royale 26' 403...? Thanks

Best Regards,
Brent Hinrichs
1978 GMC Royale 26' 403
Tulalip, WA

On Tue, May 12, 2020 at 7:09 AM Matt Colie via Gmclist <

> I used to have a problem, well two actually. This is only about the
> belts, other things aside.
>
> There was no way to get a belt past the fan blades anywhere in this
> coach. If I was to loosen fasteners for the horse collar, I still could
> not do
> it. My horse collar did not have the space that Bruce mentioned, but 73s
> are different. I even tried with the GatorBack belt hoping the notches
> would allow it - Nope. So, you loosen the four on the waterpump drive and
> let the fan forward. I grew to hate the "ship-in-a-bottle" front dress.
>
> Before I found out that the alternator could peak over 100amps (the Hp
> limit of a single V-belt) I had to change them so frequently that I looked
> tie
> one in. (Lycoming people know about this.) But, I could never figure out
> how to do it without risk. As nearly as I can tell, this problem is only
> chronic with a 100 amp alternator in a coach with the house bank in the
> front. After a day of dry camping, I would even idle the engine for too
> long
> in the hope of by passing the high charge load.
>
> Here is where I tell you that I don't have this problem these days (when I
> do get to take Chaumière somewhere). The biggest change was the MB fan
> mod. With the cut away two piece fan shroud, there is lots of room to
> loop a belt over the fan. I also changed to a double sheave on the
> alternator
> so, even at 100+amps for the short time it exists, the belt doesn't blow
> up.
>
> Matt - Hunkered down and waiting for the storm to blow over
>
> Matt
> --
> Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
> Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
> OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
> SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
It is really pretty simple. 3 belts:
One goes over the crank, water pump, power steering, and alternator.
One goes over the crank, water pump, and power steering.
One goes over the crank, water pump, and AC compressor.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
I sure do pity all of you still running V-belts. Early on with the 455, I
installed the JR Slaten/Bobby Moore serpentine belt setup, with a couple of
my own mods. I never had another moment's trouble with belts for maybe 50K
miles (and still going after 82K). When I installed the Cad 500, I spent
hours sitting looking at the front of it before figuring out a simple
2-serpentine arrangement for it. A little adaptation of mostly Ford
pulleys got it working -- perfectly for the past 60-70K miles.

If I had access to an uninstalled 455/403, I'm still convinced that I could
figure out a simple serpentine system for them. The biggest problem used
to be the need for a reverse-flow water pump (Leigh Harrison designed and
prototyped a too-expensive one, for which I tried a couple of catastrophic
prototypes). But now we know about the diesel water pump which apparently
works well. That problem is why I use 2 belts on the Cad -- and would
seriously consider for the Olds because it opens so many other
possibilities and keeps the standard flow pump. Somebody should figure out
a $100 mod. :-)

JWID,

Ken H.

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 1:17 AM Ken Burton via Gmclist <

> It is really pretty simple. 3 belts:
> One goes over the crank, water pump, power steering, and alternator.
> One goes over the crank, water pump, and power steering.
> One goes over the crank, water pump, and AC compressor.
> --
> Ken Burton - N9KB
> 76 Palm Beach
> Hebron, Indiana
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
Just after sending the belts comments I got an ad from VBelt Supply
announcing a 30% off sale. If you need belts, that's an excellent source.
Use coupon code "MD30" at checkout.

Ken H.
 
You beat me to it.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwHNMZTbVpVwMBFklxrbKjqzHhL

On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 5:14 AM Ken Henderson via Gmclist <

> Just after sending the belts comments I got an ad from VBelt Supply
> announcing a 30% off sale. If you need belts, that's an excellent source.
> Use coupon code "MD30" at checkout.
>
> Ken H.
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Bruce Hart
1976 Palm Beach
Milliken, Co
GMC=Got More Class
 
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