Normal belt wear

[racerjim]

All,
Just a question regarding belt wear. I recently installed a blower on my 4.6, and I'm wondering what (if any) signs I should look for of improper belt wear, either on the belt itself or the pullies. I only ask because I had the factory belt on for approx. 42k and it looks brand-new, and after a month with the supercharger, the new belt's logos (the printing on the "back" of the belt) are already wearing off. No squeaks, nothing like that.
Any thoughts? Need pictures?
Thanks,
Jim

[Stich496]

you added a high strain to the belt when you added the s/c
I'd get a 2nd belt and have it with you in the car..

[squirrel]

Depends what kind of belt it is, etc. I'm guessing it has a tensioner that runs on the back side of the belt?

Look for black dust that indicates the belt is wearing away.....if so, like he says, keep a spare. Also keep a spare belt(s) for the rest of the engine, if a belt breaks it can cause problems with other belts.

If there is excessive wear on the "front" side of the belt, look for and correct any misalignment, and make sure the tension is correct.

[Stich496]

Depends what kind of belt it is, etc. I'm guessing it has a tensioner that runs on the back side of the belt?

Look for black dust that indicates the belt is wearing away.....if so, like he says, keep a spare. Also keep a spare belt(s) for the rest of the engine, if a belt breaks it can cause problems with other belts.

If there is excessive wear on the "front" side of the belt, look for and correct any misalignment, and make sure the tension is correct.

I think his set up is one belt for everything

[racerjim]

Guys, thanks. Yeah, its a 1-piece serpentine system. Not seeing any black dust, but I'll take pictures today and let you guys see what I'm wondering about.
-Jim

[racerjim]

Ok, so here's a few photos of the belt, and a couple of the pulleys. Just trying to verify that all appears to be well. Not really sure if there are any obvious signs of wear- its only been about 1k miles with the blower on. The top photo is of the tensioner pulley bracket- not really sure how to read the wear indicator on it, even if it has one! Dont have any squeaks, either. Thanks!

[racerjim]

The more I look at my pictures, the more I wonder if the tensioner pulley isn't shot... I don't know which side of the tic mark on the fixed portion the arm should be on, though. The arm does jostle and bounce at idle, but the engine does have a set of cams in it- though this shouldn't make a difference, should it?

[Stich496]

I'd say there is nothing wrong, it's just the blower putting more tension on the belt... I'd just replace it. and take your old belt and put it in the car as a spare, if you have a spare you'll never need it..

[racerjim]

Stitch,
Good deal. I'll have to order the belt thru whipple (its a gates belt, but they don't sell that particular one direct (!?!?).
-Jim