Install the dual alt hose (~$20) whether you do the alt belt or not.

On second thought, since the GF sprung for the belt to keep you off the side of the road, go get the hose and change them both at the safety and comfort of your home.
Toss the old belt behind the seat. You just never know.

 

Yeah, I think I want to do this i.e. install dual alternator upper radiator hose, install new serp belt & throw still good current serp belt in the back in my spares box, so I am better equipped in the event of a serp belt issue when on longer trips away from home / out of the country.

 

The new hose is well worth it. I carry a spare belt and don't stress about changing it on the side of the road.

 

Don't forget a breaker bar with a 1/2" square drive (I think it is 1/2", it has been a while)...that belt will be hard to change without it .

 

Yup - 1/2" socket ratchet in the truck.

 

The comical part, is that for what it costs, we should all be changing them a lot more often without waiting till they rip to shreds lol.

 

No sense of adventure, eh? How are we supposed to come back from road trips with stories if everything just works? " I remember this time I drove across country in my big, honkin' diesel truck."

"Oh yeah!? What happened!?"

"We got there and back."

 

[quote=Tugly;11709444]No sense of adventure, eh? How are we supposed to come back from road trips with stories if everything just works? " [/quote]

Buy a dodge, i've been hearing lots of stories from those trucks lately, lol.

 

If a belt go's My big fear is stopping. I have popped a power line before. She was with me. So i know how hard it is to stop a 6500 lb truck with no brake assist or power steering..

Both feet on the peddle and pulling on the wheel while tiring to turn the truck to miss stopped traffic. missed the last car in line by about 6 inches and Lucky for me there was an open field at the corner.. My arms were sore for two days
With That instant adrenaline rush, I pulled with all i had to push the peddle down.
Im surprised the steering wheel is not bent up.

You can not stop or steer these damn things with out power, so im sure with out a belt it will have the same affect...

 

I didn't like the AZ belt on my truck. It squealed somewhat when you hit the steering stops and the belt had a bad vibration between the p/s pump and alt that you could see. There's a gatorback belt on there now and I love it. Nice and quiet, and no vibration.

 

Don't underthink the tensioner.

I keep seing people put new belts on without replacing the tensioner, and then issues keep on occurring.

 

I was doing some research on serp belts earlier this afternoon. It seems there are 2 different serp belts for the 7.3L PSD with single alternator: 1 that is 122.3" long (for vehicles without the cold weather package), and 1 that is 122.7" long (for vehicles with the cold weather package). Speculation seems to be that the 0.4" length difference might be due to a different diameter alternator pulley. Anyway, I noticed 'woodnthings' & a few other users who reported the same vibration as you did later discovered that they had been supplied the incorrect longer belt (as likely happened to you as well). So the lack of vibration is likely more to do with now having the correct belt length (i.e. 122.3" vs 122.7"), rather than the specific brand.

Incidentally I ordered a spare Motorcraft serp belt about 6 months ago, and later noticed it was the incorrect belt (the supplied belt has only 6 ribs vs. the expected 8 ribs). Well today I found my spare serp belt & looked the part number up, and the part number on the packaging is correct (i.e. Motorcraft JK81223AA) [incidentally, I reckon the 8 in the part number is supposed to signify the number of ribs, while the 1223 in the part number indicates the 122.3" length], but the included belt is not as it only has 6 ribs i.e. they supplied the wrong belt in the packaging with the right part number. Thankfully the belt isn't that expensive to replace, but I am going to try and swap the wrong belt for the correct one at the dealership, since that's where I bought it.

 

That was a lot of work to sort that mess out. Thanks for the info! I'm getting ready to buy one and this will help me make sure I get the right one.

 

I think going with 122.3" instead of 122.7" also reduces the need for replacing the tensioner (unless it IS too weak/worn out).

A side thought, putting a 122.7 where a 122.3 is required would make the tensioner respond as though it were worn (the illusion of a bad part).

 

A neat trick one of the guys pointed out is the tensioner has a little latch that will hold it in the released position. If you feel down below the pivot, there's a metal tab. Push it up when you pull the belt loose and it'll lock in. Makes slipping the new belt on easier.