Get a Spare Belt NOW!!!

[Jackm]

We were heading North on I-95 in Jacksonville, FL yesterday when we heard a fluttering sound from the doghouse. Then, every idiot light in the book came on and I instantly lost most of the braking and steering. As it turned out, the belt on our 2004 8.1 L engine self-destructed into tiny ribbons.

We have Emergency Roadside Service but we sat on the highway in 96 degree heat (with a one year old) for 6 hours because the technician had trouble locating the right (serpentine) belt on a Sunday afternoon. We used the generator to run the air conditioners but they struggled as a result of the heat. In addition, every time a truck or RV went by, the motorhome shook from the turbulence. Very nerve-wracking. If we had carried a spare belt, we would have been on our way in less than an hour. Take home lesson? Find out the right belt(s) for your rig and tuck it away somewhere. Some day, it'll be the best investment you ever made. Our replacement belt (for a 2004 W-20 chassis) was a Dayco Poly Cog 5061080 (108”).

It was virtually impossible to inspect the old belt (or get the part number from it) since it literally disintegrated. I'll probably put a new belt on every two or three years now. The technician said that many people make the mistake of looking at the top of the belt when inspecting belts. You have to inspect the underside. If there are ANY cracks or pitting (or the belt has been around awhile), get a new one immediately. We only had 22,000 miles on a 5 year old RV.

By the way, when the serpentine belt goes in the 8.1, you lose EVERYTHING (brakes, AC, water pump, steering, etc.). As a result, it is VERY, VERY HARD to pull off the road and stop the motorhome. One more reason to keep your speed down and stay to the right whenever possible. In my view, RVers that fly at high speeds in the left lane are a painful lesson waiting to happen. Problem is, innocent people often get dragged into their lessons. Pardon the crabby tone. It was a long day.

Jack

[Ron & Dee]

Jack,

That has to be GOOD advice.

I was lucky because mine was a "broken belt" just waiting to happen.

While having my coolant and thermostate changed last year the tech noticed a couple of threads hanging down from my belt. After replacing the belt I couldn't believe the condition of the old belt. It was split in half at different places around the belt

Ron

[Breezeman]

Hey Jack,

Hate to here the bad experience. Glad all worked out. I changed my belt a few months bad just "because". I bought a use 2002 Terra, so wasn't sure about the belt. I changed it myself. It was tricky but do-able. The one I took off didn't really look to bad, so I kept it for my spare.

I know what you mean by being broke-down with a baby. We broke down a last year because of ignition switch failure. (pretty common thing to on these workhorse chassis). I learned the hard way. AND on Sunday afternoon. About a 4 hour delay & $850 tow bill because we were on a (scenic) backroad. Hey, we were in a RV "exploring". But, we got home safe is the most important part.

SO now I carry extra switch and mainy other spare parts. (fuel filters, plugs, wires, etc.)

Learn as you go, I guess.

Happy and safe travels all,
Larry

[mike brez]

I dont carry alot of repair stuff but I do carry a full set of belts. The one thing I always carry is a spare tire mounted on rim and tools to change.

[TXiceman]

When I replaced the altenator on the truck, the belt was in pretty fair shape and would do as a spare, so I cleaned it up and carry it for a spare and put a new one on the truck.

Ken

[Clay L]

I don't think you should have lost the brakes. There is an electric pump that is supposed to keep the brakes working. I know it will keep the brakes working when the engine is not running and I assume it will also work if the belt breaks.

You can hear it if you press the brake pedal with the ignition off. You might want to have that checked if you can't hear it.

[Carl in St Augustine]

As a spare belt, get one that does not use the AC compressor. If the AC locks up due to compressor lock up the belt will break. Having a non AC belt will get you to a service facility to swap out to the correct belt.

[Ronnie Bledsoe 2006 Dutchstar 43']

I carry a full set of Belts, filters (less the air filter), and keep my Emergency Road Service paid up. These things have paid off also ensure that you have the correct tools aboard to do the fix if necessary.

[jdsr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackm We were heading North on I-95 in Jacksonville, FL yesterday when we heard a fluttering sound from the doghouse. Then, every idiot light in the book came on and I instantly lost most of the braking and steering. As it turned out, the belt on our 2004 8.1 L engine self-destructed into tiny ribbons. We have Emergency Roadside Service but we sat on the highway in 96 degree heat (with a one year old) for 6 hours because the technician had trouble locating the right (serpentine) belt on a Sunday afternoon. We used the generator to run the air conditioners but they struggled as a result of the heat. In addition, every time a truck or RV went by, the motorhome shook from the turbulence. Very nerve-wracking. If we had carried a spare belt, we would have been on our way in less than an hour. Take home lesson? Find out the right belt(s) for your rig and tuck it away somewhere. Some day, it'll be the best investment you ever made. Our replacement belt (for a 2004 W-20 chassis) was a Dayco Poly Cog 5061080 (108”). It was virtually impossible to inspect the old belt (or get the part number from it) since it literally disintegrated. I'll probably put a new belt on every two or three years now. The technician said that many people make the mistake of looking at the top of the belt when inspecting belts. You have to inspect the underside. If there are ANY cracks or pitting (or the belt has been around awhile), get a new one immediately. We only had 22,000 miles on a 5 year old RV. By the way, when the serpentine belt goes in the 8.1, you lose EVERYTHING (brakes, AC, water pump, steering, etc.). As a result, it is VERY, VERY HARD to pull off the road and stop the motorhome. One more reason to keep your speed down and stay to the right whenever possible. In my view, RVers that fly at high speeds in the left lane are a painful lesson waiting to happen. Problem is, innocent people often get dragged into their lessons. Pardon the crabby tone. It was a long day. Jack

Jack, does the brake and steering go completely when you lose the belt?

[RVThere]

I blew my belt on my previous coach, 2003 Workhorse Itasca Suncruiser, on the Mass. Turnpike on a Friday afternoon. All the planets were aligned that afternoon as the tow driver had a buddy in Springfield, Mass who was a Workhorse shop. That shop had the right belt in stock and an extra tech with nothing to do. We were towed in and they put the belt on right away. By 5pm we were back on the road.

Son #2 was co-piloting that trip and I explained to him that usually they don't have the part and you are stuck until Monday. We definitely lucked out.

[EngineerMike]

Clay- the 12V pump on the Bosch HydroMax master cylinder is an auxiliary stopping system, not a primary, and won't provide the same boost as the power steering pump. It should work, but you will notice the diff.

Carl- That's brilliant!! Now I gotta go & figure the modified length so I have a secondary spare in case of AC pump lockup. I wonder if I should have a tertiary scenario belt in case the alternator bearings snafu and I run w/the generator feeding the 12V system @ charge voltage? Hmmm... Then there's the spare idler pulley, spare tensioner pulley... Excuse me, I gotta go to see my loan officer

[rvten]

We also lost a belt at one time. Our tech had a hard time also getting the right belt.
Aftert that I carried an extra belt.

WH had us towed to a service center to get repaied.

The brakes on the MH worked. But it took a lot more foot power to stop.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdsr Jack, does the brake and steering go completely when you lose the belt?

jdsr, You will always have brakes in the event the belt breaks. Power steering on the other hand will not be available.

The brakes are augmented with an electric motor which provides power to the hydromax so you can effectively stop your vehicle. You can test the motor by stepping on the brake pedal with the key and engine turned off. You should be able to hear a growl. That's the emergency brake motor.

[Jackm]

Technically, you will be able to stop the rig without a belt but when you're flying down the road in a 26,000 pound motorhome and toad, you almost have to stand on the brake pedal to get the coach to stop. Put another way, there may be some power assist available from the 12 volt system but many people would have difficulty stopping the RV.

Good idea about the short belt to by-pass the AC. That way, if the compressor seizes up, you'll still be able to get home.

I didn't want to have the RV towed because that's an ordeal in and of itself. Plus, once you're towed away on a Sunday afternoon, you can bet you won't be on the road until late Monday at the earliest. As it turned out, it only took 15 minutes to put the belt on. Finding the right belt was the problem. i searched this forum but there were conflicting answers, conflicting sizes, and conflicting part numbers. For some unknown reason, different models in the same year have two different size belts (103 inch or 108 inch). Don't trust what you read or hear. Either take the part number off your existing belt or contact Workhorse (on a weekday). If that fails, carry one of each. Unfortunaetely, serpentine belts aren't cheap.

Bottom line? Belts are like tires. If you have a spare, its no big deal if one goes bad (other than stopping and steering). If you don't have a spare, things can get complicated and expensive, especially if it happens on a Sunday, a holiday, or in the evening when the auto parts dealers are closed.
Good comments as usual.

Jack