What causes a serpentine belt to split longways?

**Troll** · 04-27-2007, 10:44 PM

I was under the car tonight changing the oil and I noticed about a 6-inch longways split in the serpentine belt. It went all the way through, too. There were no other issues with the belt and no cracks at all from side to side. It's the original Motorcraft. Car has 25,000 miles, but six years old. I guess it just got brittle? After I took it off, I pulled it all the way apart with very little effort. All the idler pulleys spin freely and the idler adjuster action is smooth.

The best part is I just went for a ride (to warm the oil up for changing) and I was hammering on it. I'm glad it didn't decide to spit itself off on 119.

Maybe if somebody would've driven it and kept it limbered up instead of letting it sit in teh garage and dry rot...j/k Kev!

Oh well, good excuse to see my new friends at the Auto Zone in Connellsville and pick up a Gatorback.

**03 OW SVT** · 04-28-2007, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by Troll

I was under the car tonight changing the oil and I noticed about a 6-inch longways split in the serpentine belt. It went all the way through, too. There were no other issues with the belt and no cracks at all from side to side. It's the original Motorcraft. Car has 25,000 miles, but six years old. I guess it just got brittle? After I took it off, I pulled it all the way apart with very little effort. All the idler pulleys spin freely and the idler adjuster action is smooth.

The best part is I just went for a ride (to warm the oil up for changing) and I was hammering on it. I'm glad it didn't decide to spit itself off on 119.

Maybe if somebody would've driven it and kept it limbered up instead of letting it sit in teh garage and dry rot...j/k Kev!

Oh well, good excuse to see my new friends at the Auto Zone in Connellsville and pick up a Gatorback.

Aye! now if I would have left it outside and beat the snot out of it you wouldn't have had such a nice car to buy now...Would you???

**wick** · 04-28-2007, 08:29 AM

HAHA both of you. My '89 belt was split all the way around too. I looked at it like this, it was a dual belt. In case one broke, the other would still be there and keep moving.