Now it EATS belts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AllisMitchChalmers · Post by **AllisMitchChalmers** » April 23rd, 2005, 9:13 am

I swear when I get the chance I am going to sell this car. Any offers?
I just replaced the alt 2 weeks ago. I got all new belts and everything. Just when I thought everything was fine I smell something burning then I see a black shredded up object in the road behind me and I said...I think that was my belt. Now my car is starting to run hot so I try to get back to the house. Let it cool down, and I take my oh so favorite Nissan to go see what it was, it was a belt. I got back and looked under the hood of the Mazda, water pump/alt belt is missing. I checked to make sure everything turned fine, nothing locked up or anything. This is the point where I am totally confused on whats doing this. So whats eating up my belt? Like I said, everything turns PERFECT and I dont see anything that could eat my belt up. And most of us know that serpentine belts cost about around 15 bucks. I cant afford to throw belts to this thing just so it can eat it up. Help is much appreciated!

jimishadow · Post by **jimishadow** » April 23rd, 2005, 9:38 am

new belts stretch after a week or sometimes less so you must retighten.

neutral · Post by **neutral** » April 23rd, 2005, 9:38 am

Sounds like maybe a misaligned pulley? Also, what brand of replacement didja install? Dunno, I once had probs like this shortly after buying my MX-3. The old alt belt couldn't be stopped from squealing and shredded. Same problem with a replacement. Then I stopped buying the cheapass brand and bought a Gates replacement. No prob after that. Did have to adjust the tension one time after 2-3 days but that's normal for a new belt break-in period. Tension deflection spec is pretty narrow for the MX. On a cold engine it's something like 5-7mm for a new belt and no more than 8mm for an old belt.

mamoo · Post by **mamoo** » April 23rd, 2005, 12:17 pm

Exact same thing happened to me -- and again it turned out to be a cheapass belt. I bought the best one I could find, and haven't had a problem since.

Are you using any belt squealing spray, or spray of any kind? If you're using too much, that might be causing problems -- it basically softens the belt to make it fit better.

You should also be extremely careful to make sure the belt is exactly the right sort. Even tiny differences can cause problems.

It could also be too tight or too lose.

And check to see if the alternator was installed correctly. Even a small misalignment could cause problems.

Don't give up on a car just because of a belt -- it's a minor problem that should be easy to fix!

AllisMitchChalmers · Post by **AllisMitchChalmers** » April 23rd, 2005, 1:04 pm

Well I am going to get the best belt I can find. And if it eats another belt, I will just park it somewhere. And the reason why I am giving up on it is because I cant get the stupid thing to get the right gas mileage and its very slow. I have had it with workin on things associated with Ford!!!

jimishadow · Post by **jimishadow** » April 23rd, 2005, 2:40 pm

any car ten years old will have to be repaired and belts are maintnance so cool off and find the problem,i drove a 93 mx with 170plus on it for 4 winter months last year everyday 100 plus miles and had no trouble with belts,sold it to my neybor who drives it all over to date no belt issues,,point is when you get it rite it will work just fine,over tight is no good either,clean pulleys with wire brush to get off old rubber from last belt.you dont need any spray.like he other guys said get a good one,chec alignment and your good.

mamoo · Post by **mamoo** » April 23rd, 2005, 2:48 pm

Well, it sounds like there's more wrong with the car than just the belt(s).

However, it still might not be anything major (O2 sensors, for example, can screw up milage and power, clogged fuel injectors can mess things up).

But it's your call. Maybe someone here might take it off your hands and get it running sweet in no time.

JWMotorsports · Post by **JWMotorsports** » April 24th, 2005, 9:15 am

Did it do this before you replaced the alternator? The replacement alternator could have a different style pulley on it. Also stand infront of the car and line your self up with the pullies. You can use a yard stick or other straight object as a referance to alignment. And as mentioned above there should be very little deflection (belt flex) in the middle of the belt between the pullies. Also check your pullies for nicks or burs where the belt rides.

AllisMitchChalmers · Post by **AllisMitchChalmers** » May 1st, 2005, 11:51 am

I went to buy a gates belt...maybe this will work. The alt is the original, I had a guy rebuild it. Right now, I am thinking about slamming in a V6, so this thing will haul balls. I REALLY like the way this car handles, I can go around a sharp dog leg doin about 45 and wont even phase it. How hard is it to convert this thing into a stick? I can get a tranny for about around 200 bucks. This slow a-- automatic just aint cuttin it. For 110 hp, this thing should get up and go a little bit better.

About the O2 thing...can I just clean it up or should I get a universal O2 sensor? I dont want to pay 70 bones for it from Advance Auto.

ryanlindenberg · Post by **ryanlindenberg** » May 1st, 2005, 1:09 pm

the V6 is hard to swap into a 4 cyl. you could go BPT but if you are worried about $70 for an o2 sensor then you won't like the price tag for any motor swap.

wytbishop · Post by **wytbishop** » May 2nd, 2005, 12:22 am

Have had the same problem with the belts in my 95 RS. The old belt, which was veryold by the look, began to slip so bad that the battery would no longer charge and caused one of the cells int he battery to separate. I replaced the battery and the belts with the cheap Torque brand and it lasted exactly 33 days. The problem with the cheap belts is that they are produced in 1/2 inch increments and then the manufacturer says that this one or that one fits this car or that car. The one they say fits our car is slightly too small and never really relaxes so gets eaten up quickly. Goodyear on the other hand makes them in 0.1 inch increments and with much higher quality and the one they recommend for the 1.6 actually fits and after about 250 km will have stretched to its final size. Very predictable and stable. No squealing. No snapping. And only $23CAD. Goodyear Gatorback. NICE.

wytbishop · Post by **wytbishop** » May 2nd, 2005, 1:10 am

Also saw your oops post and thought I would say...

The alternator is just a magnet spinning in a big coil of wire. The magnets are not in contact with the coil of wire. Increasing the load on the electrical system will not make it more difficult to spin the alt, it just makes it harder for the alt to keep the charge on the battery. Relative load will not cause damage to your belts. The fact that they are Delco belts (a reliable brand) leads me to think there is likely an alignment problem or the belts are not correct somehow for this application.