So, i need to get some non application belts
Ones a v belt, one os a multi rib belt that just runs from crank to alternator.
Ive never figured out how to measure for them. Just guessing and buying and returning a dozen times until I finally get the right one.
How do i do this?
For serpentine belts i use a flat strap and run it where it needs to go with tensioner clamped where I want final belt position in. Then pull tight, put 2 reference marks on the strap where the ends overlap and lay it flat/measure mark to mark and that's your length. For v belts i do the same with rope so it sits down in the grooves like the belt would
Rope/string and a marker always worked for me.
Run rope around pulleys and mark the location where they overlap once tight.
Take to parts store and get the three belts - one as close to exact match as the string length, one 1" longer and one 1" shorter.
Worked great for me when i put an underdrive pulley on my last Elantra.
For serpentine belts, I would use the longest belt I had as a measuring tool.
Don't be afraid to ask if the parts store will work with you to get you the next longest and shortest belt, too. Measurements are theory but pullies are practice. Theory is only the same as practice in theory.
I have done this lots of times. Belt sleeves used to list their lengths in millimeters and fractional inches, not sure about anymore. NAPA has/had an online belt catalog that had a listing of belt numbers by length in the back of the book/PDF, which made life a lot easier.
Go to a craft / fabric store and get a cloth tape measure, the kind tailors / seamstresses / anyone that sews have draped around their neck. They're usually about 60" long and are more flexible than the belt you're trying to find, so it will wrap around pulleys, idlers, etc. without issue.
Also, you can search by belt length and # of ribs on Summit.
I tied a small loop at the end of some nylon twine so that once the twine was routed on the belt path, you could pull the long end through the loop and back against the belt path to make it taught. Mark the fold back point to measure off the vehicle. I forget how the nomenclature works off hand for multi-rib belts, but I punched in the right combo to amazon, and ordered that and a couple sizes up/down. Made it easy to return the not quite right sizes.
In the future , grab the longest belt in a junkyard. Cut it. Route your belt. In a convenient place, overlap the two ends. Mark the joint. Measure to the mark. Subtract an inch to account for the tenssioner. That's your length. Works better than rope or string because its designed to go there.
^ This. Get an old belt that's longer than what you need, cut it, and use it to measure the needed length.
And GET A SPARE. Or write down the belt number somewhere that won't ever leave the car. Belt numbers are usually "universal" like a ---060580 is a 580mm long 6 rib belt.
Nothin' worse than trying to get a replacement part somewhere they only know year/make/model.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
Measurements are theory but pullies are practice. Theory is only the same as practice in theory.
One of the most profoundly stupid things I have ever encountered is that a 15348 V belt is not necessarily 15/32" by 34.8 inches anymore. Written right on the package will be 35.5 inches. What engineering or marketing genius did that?
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