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Tossed a NAPA Premium XL Alt Belt... 6.2

uglytruk

uglytruk

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IN A JUNKYARD, UNDER A TRUCK*N E Rust Belt
Why would a belt die in less than 2 years, 10k?

Aside from stupid 4.10 gears and TH400, meaning hi revs, this belt shoulda' been good for 5+ years. It just tossed. I'm very fussy about belt tension, and this is stock, new harmonic pulley, new water pump. NOT remans.

Pulleys are aligned, I believe...

Is there a better quality belt than Prem XL? It cost $14 garage price. I bought a $9 one from Auto Zone to replace it. 10k on a top-of-the-line belt... why bother?

11 07 07 Tossed Belt WallyW Cups Jaquoff 005 (Small).jpg
 
Could be a fluke thing. Maybe something got caught between the belt and pulley.

The Goodyear Gatorbacks are the best IMO, but the NAPA ones are good and should last a lot longer than 10K
 
To me things like that are just something you deal with. Theres too many things that can happen to a belt to wonder why it only lasted 10k miles.

Balzer
 
The Goodyear belts, prior to the Gatorback introduction were the best. Unfortunately, their quality decreased when they went Gatorback--more so when the Gatorback manufacturing facility went to Mexico. Your NAPA XL belts are Gates with the NAPA name on them. I don't particularly care for Gates anymore. About 15-17 years ago they combined 7/16" and 3/8" width into just 3/8". When they did that, their quality went down the tubes. They came up with a different composition or something and belts started coming back like crazy. They haven't been the same since. Dayco seems to still make a pretty good belt. I have some on my 6.2L and they seem to hold up ok--so far. The best belt money can buy comes from a GM dealership. Back in the day, when the family used to buy new cars/trucks, I wondered why the oe belts and hoses lasted 5-6 years (even here in AZ) and when we would replace them the aftermarket replacements would last 2 maybe 3 years. It wasn't until I got into the parts business that I learned the difference in quality. GM belts from the dealership are manufactured by Gates, Dayco and Goodyear, BUT, they are manufactured to GM specs. The same manufacturing company's aftermarket belts/hose are manufactured to their own specs usually with cost as the main factor in determining how much of the good stuff goes into the rubber. When the three companies manufacture for GM, they are required to use this much of this and that much of that in their product. That being the case, a GM belt (regardless of the manufacturer's name on it) is the best belt/hose money can buy.
While they are more expensive, they typically last longer. When that is figured into the equation, a belt that costs say, twice as much as an aftermarket belt, but lasts three times as long, is a better value (obviously) and the best part is you don't have to work on it as much.
 
MosesBurb, you're RIGHT! I was a small shop, and the aftermarket stuff was JUNK! Didn't matter where it was made. England, Argentina, China, Canada, etc... Price is the/my prob! But why charge $14 for 2nd or 3rd quality?
I shoulda' checked the dealer. Luckily, I had the old/good one under the hood. My helper found it as I was calling for help. But I wasn't going far. I coulda' driven there and back, no prob, just stupid cheap me...
Dealer, Dealer , Dealer...
 
Can You say "anal"???? That's me!

The funny thing is, I had just returned from a 10 day trip to California where I bought a similar 4x4 Sub. I hopped in and drove it nearly 1000 miles without doing anything but putting in $3.75/gal diesel...

original balzer said:
To me things like that are just something you deal with. Theres too many things that can happen to a belt to wonder why it only lasted 10k miles.

Balzer
Click to expand...
 
My 6.2 ate some v-belts at low miles also (compared to gasser belts).

If you ever watch them idle, that inherent diesel spike slaps the belts pretty hard (and no, my balancer is not worn out). The gassers don't do that. I suspect when I actually get around to shelling out $$$ for my Fluidampr the spike will be less prominent and belts will last longer.
 
So I called my local Chev parts depot, and was told GM uses a new kind of cataloging system (?), and no belt listing could be found for my '88 6.2.
This clerk is usually helpful, so he wasn't trying to get rid of me...

What gives? Do I have to give 'em a NAPA # to cross???
 
You won't get very far trying that as GM has no cross reference to aftermarket parts--except AC Delco. You might try getting some AC Delco belt numbers and go that route. Try looking them up here and see what you get. There is a way to go backwards with an aftermarket cross reference guide, but it is VERY time consuming. If you strike out, let me know and I can try one of my x-ref guides here.
 
GM may not even carry 'V' belts anymore as they went Serpentine well over 15 years ago. I'm pretty sure they are not required to carry parts for enything over 15 years old...

I've gone to the dealer for a few things over the last couple of years, and I am having less and less luck with anything for a 6.2.

Rene
 
Hi MOSESBURB, So I found the link, got short, (for GM) part no's, and couldn't find a store using their "locator". Tried the diff options. Hmmm, where's the 7-8-9 character GM number? I'll try the ones I found at the local Chev dealer Friday.
Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving to all! Uglytruk...

auto_parts_list.gif
To add to the Shopping List, please select the Quantity of the desired Parts for your vehicle.
Click on the underlined part number to view part images. Please note that not all images are available yet. 1987 CHEVROLET V20 SUBURBAN V8 6.2L 379cid DIESEL FI N Engine VIN = J Qty Req Qty ACDelco Part# Description BELT DRIVE SYSTEM / BELT-ACCESSORY DRIVE 01 15448 BELT,V ALL MAKES FAN & P.S. HIGH CAPACITY V-BELT (STANDARD) 01 15480 BELT,V ALL MAKES FAN & ALT. HIGH CAPACITY V-BELT (STANDARD) OPTIONAL BELT 01 15612 BELT,V ALL MAKES FAN, A.C. & P.S. HIGH CAPACITY V-BELT (STANDARD) 01 5725 BELT,V ALL MAKES
 
uglytruk said:
Hi MOSESBURB, So I found the link, got short, (for GM) part no's, and couldn't find a store using their "locator". Tried the diff options. Hmmm, where's the 7-8-9 character GM number?
Click to expand...

You're right, there is no GM long number on that site, but you can take those numbers to your GM store and they might be able to cross ref those. That's the only *easy* way that I can think of getting the numbers you need short of having a vendor to GM number book or an original parts book for your truck.

Might be worth a shot.
 
What belt in the system needs to be 1/2"?? All of mine are 7/16. 1/2" is not a typical GM belt width, but occasionally they show up usually with an atermarket a/c system etc.
 
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