www.iFourWinns.com

Someone help me trouble shoot this one. I'm replacing the alternator belt for the third time this season. I can't figure out why. This is not the first season with problems. The engine is a volvo penta 5.8. The belt goes around the crankshaft, cam shaft and alternator pulleys. The alternator has no forward backward adjustment so pulleys out of alignment is not a factor here. The belt that just broke has a section about 6 inches long missing the interior of the belt. Only an outside edge of the belt is still there. I just can't figure out why the belts keep breaking. When I put the new belts on I do not get the belt too tight or lose.

Has anyone else had this problem? I will say this however about the batteries on the boat. I replaced them last year with Lifeline batteries and they are great. I rewired the boat, completely seperating house from engine battery also when I put the new batteries in. I did notice the volt guage on the dash was down a few weeks ago and wondered why it was reading low. I didn't check the belts then. I ended up out on the boat two days playing the radio all day while anchored and cruised around for about 50 or more miles before I checked out the engine compartment. I only checked it then because I had to use the emergency battery switch to combine the batteries to start the boat after a brief stop while crusing. I still had about 15 miles to go before I would be back at the slip. After I got the boat started I switched back to normal setting on the battery switch which I was then back on engine only battery. These batteries overall preformed great without being charged for two days.

1996 Fourwinns 258 dlx
5.8 Volvo Penta

Thanks for any help.
Eric

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1996 258 Vista 5.8L Fi Cobra SX
2007 (NBS) 2500HD Ext Cab, Long Bed

What brand of belts? Have you checked the inner walls of all pulleys to make sure none are bent or have a rough spot, seam separating, etc.?

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Worn pulleys will do that. I would replace them.

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

check to see if they are rusty, if so wire brush em and paint with rustolium....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

My sister had a 95 225 sundowner with the 5.8 in it and she had a fair amount of belt problems, turns out the the alternator was cocked a little causing misalignment. I'm not sure what caused it, there wasn't alot of room to work in that engine compartment. She would always have a belt slip smell and rubber dust in the engine compartment.

She disclosed it when she sold it, the guy thought he could fix it.

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

Belt going around the camshaft pulley ? I don't know the 5.8 Ford based unit, but isn't the camshaft chain driven? Is it the (recirculation) water pump pulley you mean? That pump could be worn, or the pulley misaligned ( I bought a new one for my GM based 5.7, I had to use some spacers to get the pump pulley to line up with the others due to the pressed on pulley flange; only a few mm.

Graham

OK well I did sand down the pulleys at the beginning of the year and painted. There was only a small amount of rust on one pulley. I put an OEM belt on and that didn't last two trips. I put back on what I had been using which was a Gates brand belt. It is segmented on the back. I decided on an auto belt because it's thicker than the OEM. The OEM belt would be thrown off the pulleys a lot but broke also. OK as for going around the cam and crank shaft pulleys I ment to say the crank and water pump pulley. I might be wrong on that. Just trying to remember if it went around two pulleys or three. I know off the top of my head that one belt goes around all three pulleys. The three pulley setup might be the power steering pump, But as for the alternator yes it's the alternator belt that keeps breaking. I'll give it a lot closer look for wear on the pulley and take some spray paint along my next trip up to the boat. Thought I'd be going this past weekend but plans changed.

Does someone know if there is a conversion kit available for a serpentine belt?

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1996 258 Vista 5.8L Fi Cobra SX
2007 (NBS) 2500HD Ext Cab, Long Bed

belts break for the following reasons...incorrect belts, rusted pulleys or severe misalignment or one of your accessories is working to hard. If your alternator is charging too much you could actually break belts.

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Brian Borchik
The Winds of Cold Springs Harbor Marina
Baldwinsville, NY

I have the same problem with my belt and I see other postings of the same problem. I talked to my local Marine mechanic and he said that they were experiencing the same problems on boats they worked on. It may be possible that alternator could be overcharging, but has anyone actually solved this problem by changing the alternator?

Also check the bearings of the p/s pump, alt and water pump. When they wear it takes much more force to turn them.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II