1996B4000
Member
- Joined
- January 25, 2022
- Messages
- 32
- Reaction score
- 27
- City, State
- Heathsville VA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1996 B4000 LE
Replaced the serpentine belt on my old B4000 -- which I thought was a 1996, turns out to be 1997. 201,704 miles.
The saga of replacing the belt has been going on for ten days. Noticed cracks in the belt. Off to NAPA to get a new belt.
Got home with new NAPA belt. Removed old belt, threaded new belt into place, pulled the tensioner all the way counterclockwise to relieve tension . . . and the cursed belt would not go on. Last place was the upper idler pulley -- the small one that is on top front of motor, between alternator and A/C compressor. No amount of heaving, pushing, praying, and swearing would get it on.
Put the old one back on. Stomped around the house *****ing and moaning until wife told me to STFU and do something about it.
I was hit with a brilliant flash of the obvious: Checked the invoice from 5 years ago when a local shop replaced the belt. He had attached to the invoice the ticket from the parts place were he got the new belt. He used a GATES, Model KO60878 (That's K-Oh-six-zero-eight-seven-eight). That model number was also imprinted on the old belt. (Which is why I save every single invoice from every service on all my vehicles from the beginning of time.)
Found a place on eBay selling genuine Gates belts, ordered it last Wednesday, it arrived today, went on easily -- all of 15 minutes to open the hood, remove some stuff in the way, drop the old belt, slide now one on, put everything back together, slam the hood and drive it off..
The saga of replacing the belt has been going on for ten days. Noticed cracks in the belt. Off to NAPA to get a new belt.
Got home with new NAPA belt. Removed old belt, threaded new belt into place, pulled the tensioner all the way counterclockwise to relieve tension . . . and the cursed belt would not go on. Last place was the upper idler pulley -- the small one that is on top front of motor, between alternator and A/C compressor. No amount of heaving, pushing, praying, and swearing would get it on.
Put the old one back on. Stomped around the house *****ing and moaning until wife told me to STFU and do something about it.
I was hit with a brilliant flash of the obvious: Checked the invoice from 5 years ago when a local shop replaced the belt. He had attached to the invoice the ticket from the parts place were he got the new belt. He used a GATES, Model KO60878 (That's K-Oh-six-zero-eight-seven-eight). That model number was also imprinted on the old belt. (Which is why I save every single invoice from every service on all my vehicles from the beginning of time.)
Found a place on eBay selling genuine Gates belts, ordered it last Wednesday, it arrived today, went on easily -- all of 15 minutes to open the hood, remove some stuff in the way, drop the old belt, slide now one on, put everything back together, slam the hood and drive it off..
