C32 belt questions, black bits/dust
03-19-2018, 09:14 AM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
C32 belt questions, black bits/dust
On any normal car this wouldn't be normal, but I've read how tough the C32 can be on the belt and belt system so I figured I'd ask if anyone else has this. There are fine black bits of the belt slowly getting all over the front of the engine. The only two bad bearings I had (plastic idler pulley, supercharger clutch pulley) have been replaced, everything else moves freely, without play and without noise. I had an oil leak from the oil cooler that resulted in oil contaminating the belt. After I fixed the leak and thoroughly cleaned the belt and pulleys, the belt still feels a little soft and sticky to the touch... as if belt dressing had been applied to it. Visually it looks excellent.
Unless others here tell me that the "belt bits" are normal, I'm going to plan on replacing the belt real soon. If that ends up being the case, is the OE belt the best to use? I would be hesitant to use anything else on this engine, but who knows what kind of belt magic has come onto the market in the 16 years since my car was made.
Unless others here tell me that the "belt bits" are normal, I'm going to plan on replacing the belt real soon. If that ends up being the case, is the OE belt the best to use? I would be hesitant to use anything else on this engine, but who knows what kind of belt magic has come onto the market in the 16 years since my car was made.
03-19-2018, 09:42 AM
#2
Super Member
Couple things come to mind.
Is the dust isolated to the supercharger area? This pulley is known to slip and a ‘belt wrap’ will help.
The SRT6 guys have an easy wrap, but it is not as easy for the C32 due to plumbing.
If the tensioner spring is weak you could have a lack of tension. Not sure how to test this.
03-20-2018, 02:51 PM
#3
Member
Thread Starter
Couple things come to mind.
Is the dust isolated to the supercharger area? This pulley is known to slip and a ‘belt wrap’ will help.
The SRT6 guys have an easy wrap, but it is not as easy for the C32 due to plumbing.
If the tensioner spring is weak you could have a lack of tension. Not sure how to test this.
Yes, it is mostly around the supercharger area. I appreciate the heads up on the "belt wrap" solution, I've been doing some research on that. It sounds like a pretty good idea. It would be nice to have a good way to test the tensioner, all I know right now is I wouldn't want it to be much stronger, when trying to release the belt tension. I can't hold it one-handed without using a long breaker bar.
Yesterday I called the dealer and ordered a belt. It should be in tomorrow. If my current belt still looks good after I remove it I'll keep it for a spare in case the new one also has slipping issues and starts turning into dust... in that case I guess it would point to something else going on. When changing the belt, I'll make sure to check all the belt driven components, idlers, etc to make sure they're free... even though I did that a thousand miles ago when replacing my small idler pulley, it would be just my luck for something to have started seizing up in the meantime, haha.
