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Power Steering Belt Flying Off!

Dibbons

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Re: my stock 318 Satellite Sebring Plus (1972) with power steering--Some time ago my power steering belt came off for no apparent reason. I recovered it and found it was turned inside out. I put the same belt back on, but within 5 minutes it flies off again twice now. Is there a problem with a belt twisting or stretching that makes it no longer serviceable? Thank you.
 
How long was it OK before it came off the first time?
 
It was probably and old belt to begin with. I purchased a new belt which does not even compare to the old one. The new one is super stiff and the old one I can turn inside out with very little effort using only two fingers. The pulley alignment is not perfect, but has been like that for five years now without any previous problems. Dumb me thought by tightening an old "limp" belt was enough to keep it on the pulley. It's kinda like the old belt has what men know as "E.D".
 
But you just mentioned the true problem. You need to get the pulleys in alignment.
You are also putting excess pressure on the p/s pump bearings by being mis aligned.
 
Agreed, that pulley mis-alignment isn't helping matters. I always have to wonder how and why these things frequently get to be less than perfect?
 
Are all the pulleys (and brackets, and spacers, and water pump) original to the car?

I wish I had a dollar for every time I've seen "pulley hell" on a Mopar because the aforementioned items were sourced from different year cars and AC/non-AC cars.
 
Are all the pulleys (and brackets, and spacers, and water pump) original to the car?

I wish I had a dollar for every time I've seen "pulley hell" on a Mopar because the aforementioned items were sourced from different year cars and AC/non-AC cars.
Oh, yeah ! add "hose hell" to that ! generic/flex rad hoses, red heater hoses, other hoses snaked worse than medusa, etc.
 
I know the answer: The belt you describe is an end belt. Belts are built on a steel or aluminum mandrel whatever size the belt is. They are plied up with the rubber coated fabric, layers of rubber and a layer of cord that is wound around the mandrel. After built, it is cured in a big pressure cooker. Once pulled out of the heater it is put in a cooling tank, and then pulled off of the mandrel. Both ends are usually tapered in and do not have cord wound all the way to the end. When cut, many of those end belts will find there way to the customer. They will usually turn over in the pulley eventually. Cut that bad belt, so you can see the cross section and see if there's cord all of the way across.
 
That shows the fabric covered belts. There aren't any automotive belts made that way anymore, except for the Quanta restoration belts. All of the belts we use today are ground and cut on a mandrel, called cut-edge belts.
 
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