1997 Dodge Caravan belt conming off

FILGISHER

MEMBER
1997 DODGE CARAVAN
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
98,000 MILES

The larger of the 2 belts in my 97 caravan keeps coming off at start up. This has happened 3 times in the last 6 months. I put a new one on in July of '07. Tension seems alright, about 1/2" to 3/4" of play on the belt. Would the tensioner pully going bad cause this, and if so how would I know its going bad? Thanks for the help-gil

3 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,320 POSTS

Hi:
yes the tensionier could cause this. Are you getting any noise from the belt? Also, when doing a visual inspection, do all of the pulleys line up properly? Are you sure the belt is properly routed?

To check routing, go to the "Popular Site Links" on this page and select "Drive Belt Routing Diagrams."

Put your car information in and it will show you the proper routing for the belt.

Also, does the belt tensioner sill have a strong spring action to it, or is it stiff and hard to move?

Let me know if this helps.

Joe

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Monday, October 27th, 2008 AT 11:34 PM

FILGISHER

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Thanks for the input. Tensioner was getting very stiff, but never heard any noise from the belts. Pulleys were aligned and the belt was routed as indicated on the diagram under the hood next to it. Went ahead and replaced the tensioner as it was original equipment I thought I'd start there. We'll see how it plays out. Once again, thanks for your help. -Gil

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Thursday, October 30th, 2008 AT 8:33 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS