Power Steering Belt keeps shredding every 2 weeks

Nightwish · Post by **Nightwish** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:15 pm

Hey guys,
Im pretty new to the FTO,
I picked up a 97 manual GPX about 6 weeks ago,
its got 100k km on the clock.

In those 6 weeks I have had to replace my power steering belt 3 times,
It keeps shredding on the side closest to the engine,
I've taken it back to the dealer, and had it looked at, and they replaced one of the pulleys, thinking that would solve it, but it kept happening.

They cant figure out what it is. Does anyone have any ideas?
Any help or advice would be greatly appreicated.

**Ive noticed that it may have something to do with high rpm 1st to 2nd shifts, because thats what i am doing when the belt finally snaps. but, i may be offbase**

Post by **Bennoz** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:23 pm

If the pulley has been replaced, it could be shot bearings in the end of either the power steering pump or the air con condensor pulley as they are both on that same belt circuit.

kid_dynamite · Post by **kid_dynamite** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:30 pm

'Tis a problem I've seen a bit on the UK forums.

What brand of belts are you using?

Possible causes:
- overtightening
- loose pulleys (check tensioners)

Nightwish · Post by **Nightwish** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:44 pm

I'm using standard Mitsi belts
The dealer replaced them under warranty everytime they went bang.
but, i have noticed that the one on there at the moment says, 1065, when my original one said 1070.

thanx for your replies,..
I will list down everything u guys say, and present them to the mechanic.

khunjeng · Post by **khunjeng** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 4:52 pm

Nightwish wrote:I'm using standard Mitsi belts
The dealer replaced them under warranty everytime they went bang.
but, i have noticed that the one on there at the moment says, 1065, when my original one said 1070.

thanx for your replies,..
I will list down everything u guys say, and present them to the mechanic.

I was just looking for P/S belt numbers and saw this.

There appear to be 2 of them, 1065 and 1070. It seems the 1070 is the GPX one and the 1065 is the GR one although I'm not sure.

I rang Mitsi and they only had the 1070 in stock...i assume its only 5mm longer..and will be fine.

Can some1 confirm??

Nightwish · Post by **Nightwish** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:14 pm

Not entirely sure myself.
I only know that when i got my GPX, it had a 1070 on it
and all the other 5 belts now, have been 1065's

In other news though, with regards to the problem ive been having,
they have replaced every pulley, every bearing, every working part around them, and have also replaced my air con and power steering pump, and a few other bits n pieces, in order to sort out what this invisible demon could possibly be.

AND IT STILL HAPPENS,....
damn Karma or something i swear it

Post by **Bennoz** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:12 pm

Wow... well Im all outta ideas. Please keep us posted thou!

I sincerely doubt a 5mm belt length change is going to cause that... the slack can be taken up by a minor pulley adjustment.

I've shredded a few belts in the past (exactly as you mention it) but I've just changed them & all has been well... at least for 6 months at a time anyway...

khunjeng · Post by **khunjeng** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:41 pm

yeah sounds wierd..dunno how it can be done unless they are making them too tight...

I agree 5mm shouldn't b a big deal...

I will have a 1070 tomorrow as I wanna fit the new belts tomorrow night...

not cheep the P/S belt from Mitsi...like $90 OEM...Alt belt was like 25...

lucky I dont care...

haha

Post by **Bennoz** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:06 pm

Yeah fully, I've been running el-cheapo belts for years now & had no major issues. Maybe an alignment issue, is one of the pulleys out of whack (ie looking vertically at the pulley line?)

Did they replace the entire air con compressor? (i doubt it cause its a $900 part) so perhaps the clutch in the compressor is failing & causing random engaging in the the pulley assembly & jerking the belt around?? Dunno... just typing my thoughts as they come atm.

Nightwish · Post by **Nightwish** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:54 am

I have told them to give me a detailed printout of all work and parts they have replaced, and whether the replacement parts were second hand from wreckers, and such.

I look straight down at the pulleys,.. and to me, they do look rather out of alighnment,.. looks like they sway around a very tiny bit as they run,.. but, according to them,. they tested it over and over, and everythings running straight.

I told them,. that as soon as the one rib on the belt snaps,.. the belt immediately shifts over a rib,..
according to my simple knowledge of basic physics,.. that indicated to me,.. misalignment,.. but they completely disagree with me. *shrugs*

I remeber at one point, I started the car and was greeting with a god-awful 30 second screech like a wailing banshee,.. didnt seem like the belt,..
it happened a few days after that (thats bout 3 weeks ago now), but nothing since...

All the pulleys have been checked again and again,...
So my next assumption was that somewhere something is siezing up, but they reckon if a pulley was siezing,.. that there would be a melted-style pattern on the inside of the belt,...

I am quite adamant that it only seems to happen on the 1st to second, 7500rpm shift, (almost always while turning around a large bend,..)
i have gotten my friends to drive along side me as i shift, one behind, and one along side,.. and they reckon they can both here some god-awful crunching sounds coming from under the hood (and according to the guy behind me,.. u can hear something in the exhaust note).

The sound I have noticed when i change 1st to 2nd, is very much the exact same sound that u hear when u start the car,. but keep the key in the 'start' position,.... that same sound crunching,.. from that side of the engine 2.

Is there some kind of 'thingi', on that could be buggering up, and siezing a pulley ?

Im all out of ideas.

I appreciate the advice, thanx

oldie · Post by **oldie** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:39 am

That it seems to be happening in the low gears suggests that the high torque output is moving the motor? what are the eng mounts like

Nightwish · Post by **Nightwish** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:43 am

interesting suggestion on the engine mounts,..
it had been a fleeting thought of mine,,
but now that its been suggsted by someone else, it may be worth checking out,..

as far as I am aware,.. they r the original pieces, now 103thousand k's old

Post by **Bennoz** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:08 pm

2 mounts under the motor are common ones to go....

SchumieFan · Post by **SchumieFan** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:02 pm

i doubt whether the engine mounts would cause a belt to be misaligned.... i (as ben suggested) would be thinking its the bearings in the steering pump...

saying that the thought just crossed my mind if they have replaced the pully on it and the driveshaft for the pump is bent then your back to square 1, the pully was bent on my new motor when it arrived (lucky i checked it!)

failing that....

erm.... are the pumps securely on the block? ie not bouncing around when the belt is in motion?
could be putting stress on the belt?.

i agree with your mechanic about it not being a seize though, i had one seize and believe me you would know (and yes the belt would show signs of melting)

ummmmmmmmm

ooooo i love tough questions like this...
what happens when the belt "goes" does it fray or just snap?

i think the only thing you can do at the mo is just get someone to rev the bastard and you look in the engine bay and see if anything rubs or what happens....

remember pics and if possible videos are the best way for us to try n analyse it.

good luck mate.

Nightwish · Post by **Nightwish** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:19 pm

bassically,. what happens, is i change gear, and u hear a loud snap,...
and the outer rib secion of the belt will just tear away and go scraping along under the car, (makes quite a bit of noise when it hits everything on the way out)

Every time the piece of the belt shredded and snapped, it was on the rib closest to the engine,...
the last one that snapped , was on the outside edge..

Im beat all out of ideas,..

Is there anyway to bypass the need for this belt,..
ie,.. electric pumps,.. if so,.. who makes and supplies them?

oldie · Post by **oldie** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:13 pm

Put the car on a chassis dyno and see if the engine is moving and the belts touching anything.

Post by **BorepYano** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 11:51 pm

SchumieFan wrote:i think the only thing you can do at the mo is just get someone to rev the bastard and you look in the engine bay and see if anything rubs or what happens....

remember pics and if possible videos are the best way for us to try n analyse it.

for god sakes wear safty goggles (sry to sound like a nagging mother lol)