Chrysler belt issue

THERE’S A LOT OF TRUTH IN THE OLD SAYING
“TWO WRONGS DON’T MAKE A RIGHT”
A perfect example of this adage is the solution to Chrysler’s recurring 3.0, 3.3 and
3.8-liter engine drive system problems offered by a well-known manufacturer of
belts and tensioners.
Wrong #1… Basic Tensioner Engineering and OEM Drive Design:
The tensioner’s “open” housing design allows for the
contamination and corrosion of the tensioner’s pivot Mounting bolt fatigue failure caused by seized pivot bearing
bearing which can cause tensioner lock-up, a major
contributor to premature tensioner failure.
In addition, because of an incorrect idler
pulley bracket which causes belt
misalignment, the serpentine belt, when
subjected to excessive water or snow
due to inclement weather has a tendency
to “flip-off” the idler pulley. This causes
the loss of all belt-driven accessory power
and ultimately leads to roadside breakdown.
Dirt and corrosion accumulation in “open” housing
Wrong #2…Competition’s 3- Pronged Solution:
The competition recommends that the service technician ...(1) replace the metal idler pulley with a plastic grooved
pulley...(2) replace the existing “flawed” open housing tensioner with a similarly engineered tensioner with the
exception that, it too, is now equipped with a plastic grooved pulley instead of a metal flat pulley, and ...(3) replace
the serpentine belt with a new dual sided ribbed serpentine belt instead of the conventional one-sided belt drive. The
competition, has made these components available in a combined packaged form that demands all components be
changed to accommodate the drive system retrofit.
(1)
(2)
(3)
THERE’S A LOT OF TRUTH IN THE OLD SAYING
“TWO WRONGS DON’T MAKE A RIGHT”
What’s Wrong With This Proposed “Solution”?
Under this scenario, the entire geometry of the front-end belt drive system has been changed. Compound this
with the fact that premature tensioner failure, because of faulty tensioner design, is still a very distinct
possibilty and it becomes quite evident that this approach will pose future repair problems for both the owner
and the technician who must service the vehicle.
If failure does occur, the service technician cannot easily reference by make, model and year the now required
separate tensioner, serpentine belt or idler pulley replacement component. In addition, not all traditional or
retail channels of distribution will have immediate access to these individual specialty retrofit aftermarket
parts. As a result: time, effort, customer satisfaction and repair costs could all be negatively impacted.
E
AT
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How To Right a Wrong:
Simply stated: Replace Chrysler’s 3.0 liter serpentine belt tensioner with Dayco’s Automatic Belt Tensioner
89209 or replace Chrysler’s 3.3 and 3.8 liter serpentine belt tensioners with Dayco’s Automatic Belt Tensioner
89251.
Enclosed back protects against dirt and corrosion
This Dayco tensioner
incorporates all the long-life advantages
that are inherent with the entire line of
Dayco tensioners such as enclosed
coated flat spring patented technology,
heavy duty cast aluminum spring casing
and tensioner arm, steel arm plate and
engineered steel pulley. In addition, the
tensioner pulley has been given a slight
pitch and yaw to correct the OE drive
design problem, which resulted in the
belt tracking off the pulley due to
idler misalignment.
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