Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > POWER TRAIN GARAGE FORUMS > Caterpillar Engine Forum
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 11-15-2021, 09:42 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 3
Lightbulb C7 water pump belt

Hello everyone, I am 69chevelle , my first new car !! , I recently purchased a 2007 Tiffin Phaeton with C-7 Cat. The little V- belt on the water pump is loose and needs adjustment. I slid under the unit yesterday and looks like it will be a tough job to get to the adjuster bolt and I assume there is also a bolt that hold the adjuster tight when you get the tension right ? Didn’t remove doghouse up above yet because it looks like going down from the top might be even harder to reach and adjust. Past owner replaced serpentine belt a year ago and looks and feels good, and the water pump belt I need to adjust looks to be in good shape if I can adjust ? Advise from you experts , knuckle skinners , or beginners is appreciated. Thanks 69 Chevelle
69chevelle is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 11-15-2021, 12:44 PM   #2
Member
 
Bimmerbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 85
Quote:
Originally Posted by 69chevelle View Post
Hello everyone, I am 69chevelle , my first new car !! , I recently purchased a 2007 Tiffin Phaeton with C-7 Cat. The little V- belt on the water pump is loose and needs adjustment. I slid under the unit yesterday and looks like it will be a tough job to get to the adjuster bolt and I assume there is also a bolt that hold the adjuster tight when you get the tension right ? Didn’t remove doghouse up above yet because it looks like going down from the top might be even harder to reach and adjust. Past owner replaced serpentine belt a year ago and looks and feels good, and the water pump belt I need to adjust looks to be in good shape if I can adjust ? Advise from you experts , knuckle skinners , or beginners is appreciated. Thanks 69 Chevelle

I have a 2006 Phaeton, I had changed the belts recently on my C7 @ 50k miles, I did it through the access panel where the air cleaner is. I had to remove the air cleaner and the pipe that goes to the intercooler. The serpentine belt has to come off first and moved out of the way, then there are two bolts that have to be loosened for that water pump idler pulley to move freely, not easy to access. Careful not to break those bolts off! Even after I replace my belt it seems to run loose with no problem. If I were you I would leave it as is and carry a spare belt.
Bimmerbob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2021, 12:55 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 7,870
Suspect you will have a lot better accessibility from below.


There is both a pivot bolt and adjustment bolt. And a square hole to allow a ratchet to move the adjustment.


And, yes, that belt shouldn't be loose-- could cause overheating.


Correct-- very little clearance.
__________________
Brett Wolfe
Ex: 2003 Alpine 38FDDS. Ex: 1997 Safari Sahara. Ex: 1993 Foretravel U240
wolfe10 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2021, 01:36 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Bamber Lake
Posts: 500
My 03 Journey with A C7 was loose so under I went. The pivot bolt broke so the rear bumper radiator and inner cooler had to come off in order to get at the thing and drill and tap it. When I took the rad off the bottom was shot/rotted. The old girl wasn't overheating but the rad was sad. So new after market rad, clean and paint the inner cooler along with belt tensioner, idler pulley, water pump pulley, new AC compressor, rebuilt alternator. To include all rad hoses and clamps. So if your lucky enough to get the pivot bolt loose never seized is cheep.
RayJr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2021, 02:31 PM   #5
Member
 
Bimmerbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 85
Yes, you could probably go from underneath but the bolts are a lot easier to access and loosen from the side. When I did mine I took off the serpentine tensioner also and the bolts are right there. Had to do a little back-and-forth action and was able to get them loose enough to adjust. A little more time consuming but far less than removing the radiator to get a broken bolt out.
Bimmerbob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2021, 02:37 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 7,870
If those two bolts are tight, use a good penetrating oil rather than breaking them.


Be sure to protect the belt from the penetrating oil. Maybe encase the belt in aluminum foil??


No question, if the coach has been driven on salted roads it will be alot tougher to free them up.


If the belts are original, a good time to change both belts and the automatic tensioner for the serpentine belt.
__________________
Brett Wolfe
Ex: 2003 Alpine 38FDDS. Ex: 1997 Safari Sahara. Ex: 1993 Foretravel U240
wolfe10 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2021, 03:11 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
FIRE UP's Avatar


 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Out there, somewhere
Posts: 9,901
'69 Chevelle,
(nice cars by the way)
I've had the back section of my C-7 apart a time or two for some decent maintenance etc. Different coach builders build in different clearances and allowances for maintenance in all these coaches. What's easily done in some coaches, is a serious pain in the a$$ in other coaches. Soooo, with all that being said, from the zillion photos I've taken of the work I've done, I can only find one that gives you at least an idea of the arrangement you're up against.

Others have stated they've had issues with one or the other of those two bolts that retain the adjustment. Maybe I got lucky with mine. Both came out without issues. Anyway, here's what you're up against, if you haven't seen them already. Good luck.
Scott
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_1602.jpg
Views:	187
Size:	307.0 KB
ID:	348949  
__________________
2004 ITASCA HORIZON 36GD, 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Toad '20 Honda NC750X DCT
Retired-29.5 yrs, SDFD, Ham - KI6OND
Me, Karla and the Heidi character, (mini Schnauzer)!
FIRE UP is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2021, 05:14 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Bigd9's Avatar


 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: The Bluegrass State
Posts: 8,886
Tightening that water pump belt in my engine was a real PIA. I couldn't use the square hole due to it being blocked, so I had to use a come along attached to the tensioner and a fence post just so I could get the belt tight enough and still give me room to get to the to bolts.
__________________
Good Luck, Be Safe and Above All, Don't Forget To Have Fun
Pete
Central Kentucky
2006 Fleetwood Discovery 35H, 2014 Honda CR-V, M&G Engineering Braking System
Bigd9 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2021, 07:15 PM   #9
Cat
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,443
As stated bots can be difficult to loosen because of location and corrosion. I believe its the outside bolt goes through the front cover and is open on the block side. When I say open the end of the bolt I mean the end with the threads is open to the elements. So its critical to spray a thread rust buster on that end. If you aren't having problems with the belt right now, spray with a rust buster then use the coach then respray several times before trying to loosen. Its a real PIA and expensive if you break the bolt off.
Take your time with it. Safe Travels
Cat is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2021, 11:45 AM   #10
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 3
Red face Water pump belt C-7

Quote:
Originally Posted by FIRE UP View Post
'69 Chevelle,
(nice cars by the way)
I've had the back section of my C-7 apart a time or two for some decent maintenance etc. Different coach builders build in different clearances and allowances for maintenance in all these coaches. What's easily done in some coaches, is a serious pain in the a$$ in other coaches. Soooo, with all that being said, from the zillion photos I've taken of the work I've done, I can only find one that gives you at least an idea of the arrangement you're up against.

Others have stated they've had issues with one or the other of those two bolts that retain the adjustment. Maybe I got lucky with mine. Both came out without issues. Anyway, here's what you're up against, if you haven't seen them already. Good luck.
Scott
thanks Scott, I will take your advice, and look it over close . Maybe going in from the side is an option ?
69chevelle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-02-2021, 12:31 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Entegra Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 570
I have done this job twice and both times it requires two people... one from the top and one from the bottom. Remove the serpentine belt and tensioner. Then you need to loosen the two bolts on the water pump tensioner. I believe you need an extension on the socket to access the one that is close to the pulley. It's very tight. Remove belt, reinstall, add the extension and use that apply tension to the tensioner while the other person tightens the belt. After it's tightened, then torque the remaining bolt left. You really don't want to go overboard with the torque on these two bolts.
__________________
2016 Entegra Aspire 42RBQ
Douglee25 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-12-2021, 06:45 PM   #12
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 28
Belt access

On my 05 phaeton from inside dont bother. Driver side rear compartment there is a metal panel labeled air filter. Removed and replaced with a filter that can be cleaned without replacing. Remove filter about three feet long and bracket now the belts can be seen and replaced. I used a 1/2 inch rachet wrench for tensioner and a ratchet tie down to pull down on ratchet wrench and hold while i worked new belts over fan and onto pulleysVery expensive repair. Go to Napa to match belt length. Dont get shortet. Cat was no help
Gizzard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-12-2021, 07:08 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Bigd9's Avatar


 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: The Bluegrass State
Posts: 8,886
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gizzard View Post
On my 05 phaeton from inside dont bother. Driver side rear compartment there is a metal panel labeled air filter. Removed and replaced with a filter that can be cleaned without replacing. Remove filter about three feet long and bracket now the belts can be seen and replaced. I used a 1/2 inch rachet wrench for tensioner and a ratchet tie down to pull down on ratchet wrench and hold while i worked new belts over fan and onto pulleysVery expensive repair. Go to Napa to match belt length. Dont get shortet. Cat was no help
Good idea about the ratchet wrench and ratchet tie down. Wish had thought of it when I did mine!

What was "Very Expensive Repair"?
__________________
Good Luck, Be Safe and Above All, Don't Forget To Have Fun
Pete
Central Kentucky
2006 Fleetwood Discovery 35H, 2014 Honda CR-V, M&G Engineering Braking System
Bigd9 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-12-2021, 08:26 PM   #14
Cat
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,443
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigd9 View Post
Good idea about the ratchet wrench and ratchet tie down. Wish had thought of it when I did mine!

What was "Very Expensive Repair"?
If you break a bolt off in the front cover or the one in the block. Most likely the radiator and aftercooler will have to come out. Maybe the front cover has to be removed. There are some work arounds but the key thing is don't get in a hurry and don't break a bolt. Safe Travels
Cat is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
pump, water, water pump



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Fan Belt Adjustment (Crank to Fan Clutch Belt) BrokeDown Newmar Owner's Forum 8 01-04-2021 06:09 AM
Fan belt ( actually cooling belt ) on ONAN 12.5k jwlce Country Coach Owners Forum 6 05-05-2020 09:04 AM
How to replace a fan belt and A/C belt kidoo Monaco Owner's Forum 3 08-20-2015 06:20 AM
Fan belt or serpent belt, '99 Ford V-10 Ragman MH-General Discussions & Problems 7 12-31-2006 05:18 PM
Fan belt or serpent belt for Ford V-10??? Ragman Ford Motorhome Chassis Forum 7 12-31-2006 05:48 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:17 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.