Serpentine Belt
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2001
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Serpentine Belt
>>I'm sure rubber belts expand more than usual.
>
>"Rubber" belts (esp serpentines) have fiberglass cords
>inside them (like cheap tires), so they DON'T expand enough
>to measure from heat, wear, tension, or anything else they
>might encounter under normal operation.
If they don't expand from heat or tension, why do cracks appear on the belts? What is the catalyst of this degradation?
>
>"Rubber" belts (esp serpentines) have fiberglass cords
>inside them (like cheap tires), so they DON'T expand enough
>to measure from heat, wear, tension, or anything else they
>might encounter under normal operation.
If they don't expand from heat or tension, why do cracks appear on the belts? What is the catalyst of this degradation?
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,017
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From: Southeast FLA
Serpentine Belt
The heat of friction and the engine, plus the exposure the the elements, allows the belt materials to break down over time, and with this breakdown comes less flexability, thus you get the cracks.
I'm not going to say that, for the most part, it is these cracks that lead to the lengthening of the belt, because I don't know for sure that steve83's claim that they don't stretch enough over time to be measureable (before they start cracking) is correct.
Best,
I'm not going to say that, for the most part, it is these cracks that lead to the lengthening of the belt, because I don't know for sure that steve83's claim that they don't stretch enough over time to be measureable (before they start cracking) is correct.
Best,
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