Hood liner destroyed serp belt

[jerry598]

Lost a perfectly good serpentine belt yesterday, I think because of a deteriorating hoodliner. The belt started fraying on the edge and I heard it rapping the frayed edge on the underside of the hood as it went around. Parked the truck and did an inspection. Could find nothing wrong that would have caused the problem at first. All pulleys were lined up well and the idler moved easily.

Bought a new belt and put it on today. Fired it up and again all looked well. The new belt was following its path just fine. Drove 10 miles and the new belt came apart. $40 bucks down the drain. Put the old belt back on and made it home OK (only a mile). The old belt was tracking just as good as the new one ( I cut off the frayed edge ). Then I noticed what looked like freshly deposited carbon right next to the pully on the upper edge of the A/C compressor. Upon close examination I think it was ground up dust like material that came from the hoodliner which has torn edges hanging down immediately above the A/C pully.

I'm thinking that torn edge of the hoodliner got drawn into the pulley with the belt and destroyed it. Hope I'm right cause I can't afford to go through a couple dozen belts trying to find another cause. Has anybody had this problem before? Does anybody know a source for replacement hoodliners other than the stealership?

[6.5TD Burb]

Have you checked the tensioner? I had a bad tensioner on my F150 a while ago and by eye sight everything checked out. Put the new belt on and it threw the belt again. Had a quarter inch of play or so in the tensioner away from the motor towards the radiator.

[DennisG01]

Does anybody know a source for replacement hoodliners other than the stealership?

Maybe LMC truck?

[Hubert]

Maybe a good bit of hood liner would destroy a belt if caught at one time but would think it might take a little while for dust or some fibers to wear the belt. I would think the belt/pulleys would chew up a little soft contamination.

I had the OE belt shred and took out some hoodliner. But I think what really hurts is the cords in the belt itself are much tougher than the hoodliner. Once they start to go they pull the belt apart or tear up other stuff like a string trimmer under the hood.

I have heard all kind of issues with inferior belts stretching but not necessarily coming apart. Did you get any squeaking or squeal just before?

The serp belt is just one of those items you really have to pay close attention to quality. Name brands and AC Delco are even suspect these days so look and compare for yourself.

[SmithvilleD]

Here's a link to how Gates suggests the latest EPDM formulation belts should be inspected for wear. Good to know as new/different materials are being used in many serpentine belts.

http://www.gatesprograms.com/beltwear/inspection

There's a icon on the left of the page where you can sign up to get their wear gauge for free.

[DmaxMaverick]

In all likelihood, the belt shredded the liner. I've seen it many times, and it can be quite catastrophic to the hood liner and other items in its path. They can also rip radiator, A/C, and heater hoses to shreds. Even aluminum tubing (oil cooler, A/C, tranny line). It is extremely unlikely the hood liner would have much, if any, effect on the belt. Even if a large chunk somehow got stuck in a pulley. The stuff is just not that stout. The belt is. When belts fail, they can be, like said above, like a string trimmer. The belt cords are as strong as any material of that size, including steel. The belt, or something else failed. If the belt was well within its expected lifespan, I suggest you look for another cause. Check the tensioner, pulleys and accessories very closely. Also, make sure the belt path is clear of any other interference, like a heat shield or something.

[jerry598]

Thanks for the replys, guys. I'm suspicious now that maybe the hoodliner did not cause the problem. There is no for or aft, front to rear play in the idler arm, but, with the engine idling the arm shows no movement side to side. I read somewhere that you should be able to see some slight side to side sway, but should that be at idle or when the engine is revved up? The only place I can find any sign of a problem is maybe the water pump pulley. The belt seems to be riding the pulley OK, but it is slightly off center in the track with the edge of the belt against the outer raised edge of the pulley. Funny thing is that the new belt failed after I had pulled off the highway and the truck was idling in a driveway.

I see on the net that Advance Auto parts sells a "Drive-rite" brand belt for only $18. Lots better than the $40-45 at my local store. I suppose you get what you pay for though and I'll probably go ahead and spring for the higher priced one.

[jerry598]

Hood liner did not cause problem. Original belt probably died of natural causes. Turns out that The $40 dollar replacement belt that fell apart after just 10 miles was the wrong size. 11mm to long. It was packaged in a sleeve with the correct number on it for my truck, but we did not look to see if the number on the belt matched the number on the sleeve. It did not. The Carquest dealer caught the problem and was really great about making it right. He even inspected my truck to see if there were any issues with pulley alignment, etc., before cross-checking the number on the ruined belt and finding out it was the wrong size.