I had my truck in-for-service in October and they were supposed to replace my "missing" A/C Belt.

The guy told me that the one that they ordered did not fit and they would have to "charge-me" for the time to look for one that does [seems like kind-of a rip-off]. I do not have the old-one to match-up a new-one with [don't "ask" how it became missing].

Anyway...

I was wondering if anyone could assist-me in finding the correct A/C belt for a 1990 Regency, 32 foot, DP???

Nomenclature Information:

Model: MH2242
VIN: 1S9KT9S02KC185372
GVW: 25,750
Cummins 6CTA8.3 ID 44342143
Allison MT643 ID 2410362972
MFG. DATE: 3-29-89

A/C is mounted above and to the right of the main pullys as you look at the engine [facing the rear of the vehicle.

He also mentioned that there was a concern as to whether or not the compressor bearing is good or not? How does one go-about checking that without being "charged" for it??? It spins freely without any noise and was working fine, prior to the belt becoming missing.

Thanks!

Robin McCullough

quote:

Originally posted by Medic37:
He also mentioned that there was a concern as to whether or not the compressor bearing is good or not? How does one go-about checking that without being "charged" for it??? It spins freely without any noise and was working fine, prior to the belt becoming missing.

Look to see if there are any signs of compressor lockup. You would typically see a rubber burn mark or blueing of the pulley area on the a/c pulley itself.

Also find out if there is an idler pulley for the a/c. If no one can give you a straight answer then wrap a piece of clothesline rope around both pulleys and then measure it. Go 1 inch above and below that measurement when you do replace it.

A quick lesson for Gates belts. A 9670 belt is a 67" long belt. A 9370 is a 37" long belt. Gates is one of the more common belts out there and should be easy to get a cross over.

Now if it's a serpentine belt then a k080760 makes this an 8 groove 76" long belt. if you measure out at 52.5 inch long 6 groove belt it would be something very close to a k060525 belt.

I hope this helps...

I don't carry clothesline on my roadservice truck but I do have a very long used belt that I wrap around the pulleys and then measure it.


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1991 Barth Regal
460 EFI C6 Transmission
33' Oshkosh/John Deere Chassis

http://www.TruckRoadService.com/

"Without Trucks,

America Stops"

I would be very suspicious of a shop that did not use Bill's method for sizing belts. With all the lash-ups out there, that is the only way to do it.

Speaking of Gates, I have seen situations where another brand of belt rode too deep in the pully and lost traction, and a Gates, being a trifle wider cured the problem.

My thought is...

They just plain forgot to replace the belt during service and this is the excuse that the guy is using to get a few more bucks out-of-me ...this is a HUGE volume deisel shop in the Minneapolis Metro Area with not only service, but also, high-volume truck sales.

How could they not know how to "size" a simple A/C belt???

I think they were questioning the bearing, since the truck was brought-in for service with the belt "missing" and just "assumed" that there must have been some-sort of catastrophic failure as the reason that it was missing.

The A/C unit "looks" fine and there is no eveidence that there is a bearing problem.

I just need a belt that fits.

Is this something that I should/could replace myself ...remember guys, I'm a Paramedic and am pretty-much mechanically-ignorant, but I am certainly motivated and willing to learn!

rM

Before you measure it look to see if it goes around two or three pulleys. It could go from the...

• Crank to the a/c
  
• Fan to the a/c
  
• Crank and Fan to the a/c
  
  

Good luck!

------------------


1991 Barth Regal
460 EFI C6 Transmission
33' Oshkosh/John Deere Chassis

http://www.TruckRoadService.com/

"Without Trucks,

America Stops"

"Nope"... No idler pulley or other pulleys in the circuit ...just a straight-shot from the engine to the A/C pulley.

The measurement would be 46 inches, tightly around both pulleys, utilizing your method of measurement.

rM

quote:

Originally posted by Medic37:

My thought is...

They just plain forgot to replace the belt during service and this is the excuse that the guy is using to get a few more bucks out-of-me

I would agree. But I wasn't there.

How could they not know how to "size" a simple A/C belt???

They must think that everyone is stupid!

I think they were questioning the bearing, since the truck was brought-in for service with the belt "missing" and just "assumed" that there must have been some-sort of catastrophic failure as the reason that it was missing.

I always let the customer know what to look for in case it happens again. CYA!

The A/C unit "looks" fine and there is no eveidence that there is a bearing problem.

Ok, that's a good sign.

I just need a belt that fits. Is this something that I should/could replace myself ...remember guys, I'm a Paramedic and am pretty-much mechanically-ignorant, but I am certainly motivated and willing to learn!

My answer is... go for it. Replacing belts on a motorhome is something everyone should at least try. I don't know if YOU should but if you motivated then try it. Did you try asking a co-worker for help?

------------------


1991 Barth Regal
460 EFI C6 Transmission
33' Oshkosh/John Deere Chassis

http://www.TruckRoadService.com/

"Without Trucks,

America Stops"

quote:

Originally posted by Medic37:
The measurement would be 46 inches, tightly around both pulleys, utilizing your method of measurement.

You need a 9460 Gates belt. Looking in the Gates crossover earlier I saw for the 8.3 motor a 9460 to 9470 belt and your measurement bears that out. I looked under a FL70 Freightliner with the 8.3 motor.

I think your spot on with the 9460 belt but also pick up a 9470 just in case...


------------------


1991 Barth Regal
460 EFI C6 Transmission
33' Oshkosh/John Deere Chassis

http://www.TruckRoadService.com/

"Without Trucks,

America Stops"

Thank-you for the help and suggestions!

I looked-back at the original work-order just now, and the A/C Belt service is not even listed, so I think they probably just forgot and are taking-me for a fool.

I will see if I can dig-up a friend that has a little-more mechanical aptitude than I do.

It's in a VERY accessible location ...right in-front of your face [NO obstructions] with the service doors open.

I think I'll look-into giving-it-a-try. Won't need A/C until June anyway, so I guess I've got allot of time to figure-it-out.

THANKS!

rM

quote:

Originally posted by Medic37:
I will see if I can dig-up a friend that has a little-more mechanical aptitude than I do.

It's in a VERY accessible location ...right in-front of your face [NO obstructions] with the service doors open.

I think I'll look-into giving-it-a-try. Won't need A/C until June anyway, so I guess I've got allot of time to figure-it-out.

Watch him carefully and buy extra belts to keep with you. If you have one of those vacuum sealers for food then put the extra belts in one of those and save them. It could save you from a major tow bill. It could also save your vacation.

------------------


1991 Barth Regal
460 EFI C6 Transmission
33' Oshkosh/John Deere Chassis

http://www.TruckRoadService.com/

"Without Trucks,

America Stops"

With regard to the A/C bearings - if it spins freely, the clutch is disengaged, and you're testing the clutch bearings.

It's hard to test an A/C compressor's bearings freehand, but with the A/C "on" - engaging the clutch - (and engine off) try rotating it - you will feel a little resistance on each rotation, but what you'd be looking (feeling) for is a bit of vibration.

Other components usually fail on a compressor before the bearings, but if the system has insufficient/wrong oil, the bearings would go fairly quickly.

I'm bringing mine to the house tomorow and I'll check and see if the belt number is visible - I probably have the same engine, and if so I'll post the number. The AC compressor is in the same location, on a Spartan chassis, and the belt does not drive any other accessories.
Also: New York Bill above - "...It could save you from a major tow bill. It could also save your vacation." Normally good advice, but: Since the belt drives only the AC it won't affect anything else on the engine and can be lost without any ill effects. Your radiator/fan are probably on the driver side and the fan is driven by hydraulics (power steering fluid and a pump), which Bill wasn't able to see. AAAND your A/C fan is certainly electric, not belt driven, also.
Go for it: you can't hurt anything and if you fail - so what?? You've already determined that you're more intelligent than the shady characters who can't even procure a belt for a very common engine.

------------------
"You are what you drive" - Clint Eastwood

quote:

Originally posted by Gunner:
Also: New York Bill above - "...It could save you from a major tow bill. It could also save your vacation." Normally good advice, but: Since the belt drives only the AC it won't affect anything else on the engine and can be lost without any ill effects.

I was only talking about the fact that he should "know how" to put on "any belts" and of course "practice makes perfect".

BTW: If the a/c gets wrapped up it could take out the other belts as well. I refer to this as a "cascade event". Yes, I have seen this too. The worst was the a/c belt wrapping around the fan clutch and ripping the wiring harness out of a coolant sensor. This tore out the surge tank nipple and split open the upper radiator hose while jamming the belt behind the hub and locking that up too.

2 round trips, 100 plus miles, and over 5 hours labor just because the a/c belt got wrapped up.

------------------


1991 Barth Regal
460 EFI C6 Transmission
33' Oshkosh/John Deere Chassis

http://www.TruckRoadService.com/

"Without Trucks,

America Stops"

[This message has been edited by Bill (edited January 12, 2006).]

Thanks Gunner! It would be nice to know this just as another reference to the great information that I have obtained from the rest of you today.

Here's what the service manager stated in his e-mail today:

"I remember the repair and the circumstances. You did authorize the repair, but the belt we ordered for the vehicle didn't fit and since there was no belt to match-up with, we couldn't find one that would fit.

If you would like us to install a new A/C belt, I will discount the labor to install the belt, but I will have to charge you for the time to locate a belt that fits your vehicle. The other concern we had with installing a belt, is we are not sure if the bearing for your A/C compressor is good or not. This is something that should be checked further before installing a new belt."

...I think his e-mail should have stated:

"We forgot about the belt replacement. Please schedule an appointment and we will install a new belt at no charge."

...and why would he even question the compressor, since it had no belt at the time of service, worked fine before I removed the belt, and was never even mentioned prior to today???

The clincher is... I had the truck in for service, primarily to have the tensioner replaced on the serpentine belt, as it was squeeling something fierce. I had the actual serpentine belt replaced at that time as well and asked to have a new A/C belt installed, as there was not a belt on the unit when I took it-in for service.

There was nothing in their [computer generated] repair order even mentioning the A/C Belt, so it seems to me that the they plain and simple forgot to do it and I finally noticed it was still missing when I got the vehicle home from the shop.

I really can't help to think that the guy is just covering his tracks and is still going to get some bucks out of me, when this should have been done at the time of the serpentine replacement.

Anyone concure???

I might throw this at him in a different light and see if maybe someone above him in the chain-of-command sees things the way I do...

rM

quote:

Originally posted by Medic37:
Anyone concure???

I would agree. But I wasn't there.

If that shop works off of a billable pay scale it's possible that because the service manager or service writer didn't put the a/c belt in the work order the mechanic just did what was told of him. Now the service manager has to find someone to do it "for free" so he tells you he will have to charge you.

Now, if I had to work in an enviroment like that I (mechanics) wouldn't touch your coach unless my boss (service manager) paid me to do it.

Now lets say that same coach came back in for an oil leak. It winds up that it was leaking oil because the oil psi line blew apart after I worked in the same area. The service manager would dump that pile of poo in my lap and say something like "you broke it now you fix it for free". At the end of the week my paycheck would only reflect "billable hours" for the dealership.

That's the problem with most dealerships. They are too short sighted to realize there's a grand scheme to everything and they can't see the forest for the trees. Why would the mechanic care if your coach gets fixed or not? He only does what he gets paid for. This breeds a nasty work enviroment and the only person who suffers is the customer.

I would never work in that type of enviroment. I pay my mechanics for there time at work and if there's a problem I pay them to repair that problem no matter who is at fault. If I can recoup my money on something that clearly isn't our fault then I will.

If the same circumstances that you gave me came up I would fix it for free only charging you for the cost of the belt. The funny thing is I carry 2 of every single belt from a 9290 to a 9755 on all three service trucks. I have a very hard time believing that he doesn't have that belt in his dealership.

This is why I recommend you find a good local diesel mechanic that you could build a relationship with. The local independent repair shop would bend the rules and get you in ahead of others if needed and be more flexible for cash. They could also look at a bill and think that maybe it was too high and give you an adjusted bill. They would want to build up a lasting two way relationship with good customers.

I hope I didn't paint the diesel mechanic in a bad light. He is the product of the work enviroment. The owner or service manager is the one that needs reality handed to him. Let's face it, how many suits do you see in a garage?

My opinion is just that, my opinion. I wasn't there and I don't know how they operate.

------------------


1991 Barth Regal
460 EFI C6 Transmission
33' Oshkosh/John Deere Chassis

http://www.TruckRoadService.com/

"Without Trucks,

America Stops"