The major advantage of the poly-vee design on the serpentine system is that
it will drive more torque...important if you're running a constant 50 to 85
amp load on your alternator. Also, they last longer and are much easier to
change when you do change 'em.
As to Heinz's problem...if worse comes to worse, he can solve it once and
for all with a keyway in the shaft and pulley. If it were me, I'd have a
woodruff key cut into the shaft and the pulley broached and be done with it.
The original alternator design had a wave washer and was designed to slip at
some point...doubt that they were designing for the electrical loads that
Heinz says he is supplying.
My original suggestion was loctite, but I gather he's still having trouble.
I kinda doubt it's running out of threads...you're just asking a lot of it
in this application.
Travis
- -----Original Message-----
From: heinz
To: gmcmotorhome
Date: Wednesday, April 14, 1999 7:22 AM
Subject: Re: GMC: Hienz
> >Whats the advantage of the serpentine belt system? Will it make the
coach
> >function any better or more reliably? Belt system on the original GMC
works
> >fine lasts a long time. Can sure buy a lot of belts for the price of
the
> >serpentine system. If it works don't fix it.
> >
>
>Then one must wonder why V-belts are no longer used, or at least not as
widespread. In my (and only my) opinion, this is one of those areas where
"had serpentines existed in '73, they'd probably be on our coaches from day
one". I could be wrong, but don't think the existed or certainly were not
in widespread use.
>
>it's an example to upgrade an area of the coach to the 21st century
>
>Now for the practical side... with V-belts I (again my very own I) had lots
of difficulty with the V-belt stretching and needing lots of readjusting and
if the readjusting didn't get done in time, one fried and hard V-belt... and
it was not fun changing and alternator belt.
>
>Granted, changing the old belts with the split shroud I now have would make
evven that easier.
>
>I'm certainly not out of the woods yet... but getting there.
>
>Just my 2 cents worth
>
>Heinz
>
> >
> >
> >>Arch, While I've got the front end off this coach, I was thinking of
going
> >>to the serp belt myself (assuming I got some positive feed-back on
it). Do
> >>you know of anyone who has the part numbers, specs, whatever for the
new
> >>sheaves, idlers, etc. to make the switch?
> >>Thanks
> >>Dick 75 PB in Atlanta
> >>PS: If I'm asking some of the dumber questions in here, I just sent
off my
> >>membership to GMC Int. and don't yet have access to their back issues
which
> >>may contain some of this info. Maybe I should just wait until I do to
save
> >>you kind folk some typing and valuable time.
> >>
> >>>Richard
> >>>
> >>>I changed the one on my van at 78,000 when It could not take
> >>>both AC running at the same time. My son lost the one on his
> >>>pickup last week when a bearing froze up he had 95,000 on it.
> >>>Thats what I know.
> >>>
> >>>Take Care
> >>>Arch
> >>>
> >>>In a message dated 4/13/99 4:34:00 PM Central Daylight Time,
> >>>
> >>>> Gang, Boy, that serpentine belt sounds like more trouble than it
might be
> >>>> worth. Unless, of course, the dern thing lasts 2 or 3 X a
conventional
> >>>> belt. Anyone got any stats on that?
> >>>> Dick 75 PB (in more and more pieces on the garage floor) in
Atlanta
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >Tom & Marg Warner
> >Vernon Center NY
> >1976 palmbeach
> >
> >
> >
>
>
