Serpentine belt problems 2001 Ford V-10

[Dennisdamon]

I have a 2002 Damon Intruder with 34000 miles on it. I bought it with 22000 miles on it. There was a new belt on it when I bought it. I have replaced the belt 3 more times and the tensioner once. After about 1500 miles with a new belt it will start to squeek. I dont see anything wrong but may not no what to look for any help or ideas would be great.

[dieselclacker]

I have heard good things about using the Goodyear Gatorback brand serpentine belt when confronted with excessive squeaking noises from other belts. Might give it a try next belt replacement. Be sure to check all rotating components that are turned by the belt for galding or binding.

Dieselclacker

[Wanabee FTer]

I think I had the same issue as you. After researching on the net I found a few people that said the OEM belt would stretch after about 500 miles and start to squeal. The info I was getting was mostly concerning 1999 to 2002 F53 chassis. Since mine is a 1997 F53, I decided to check it by noting the position of the tensioner, then I removed the belt and noted the position without the belt installed. What I found was the 2,000 mile OEM belt was near 90% at the end of the tensioner spring travel. This will cause a weak spring tension on the belt and will allow slippage as the serpentine belt stretches.
I then noted my OEM gates part number and went to gates.com. Using the part number info on their site, I found the next size smaller belt. It was .4 inch smaller in diameter. After installing the new belt (it was a tight fit) I found the tensioner to be riding within 50% of it's travel. During my road test I could hear the difference right away.
Hope this helps