Which fan belt to use?

carl

carl

True Classic
What fan belt are you guys using on your non AC 1500 Xs? The new one I put on my brown X seems to keep stretching as every three week interval I have to keep adjusting the tightness of the belt or I get horrible squealing when pulling away from a stop. Never had this before. Don't know if the belt is actually stretching or just getting thinner and falling further into the pulley grooves.

I'm at the end of my adjustment so this belt with probably not even 500 miles on it is now useless. This is the single belt setup for the crank, water pump and alternator.

I don't remember the brand or size.
 
I don't think I've experienced that before. And I tend to use whatever happens to be available at the time. So I can't say if one is better than another. I imagine belts have become like a lot of other automotive products; the quality has significantly declined while the prices have significantly increased, regardless of the brand.

However I will say I've had horrible experiences finding the correct size belts for my X's. I don't mean locating the specified belts, but rather finding belts that actually fit correctly....which are never the ones specified for these cars. Between the extremely limited adjustment allowed, the weird arrangements (e.g. a AC engine), the differing pulley groove widths/profiles (which almost seems random), and the lack of accessibility to remove/install belts, it's tough getting it the way I like. You either run out of adjustment room or have to 'stretch' the belt to get it on....neither is satisfactory to me.

One problem I've found is different brands seem to have various ideas on what a "number" or "letter" means. For the exact same "size" designation (i.e. "numbers and letters"), different brands are not the same actual dimensions. And every little factor matters; the width, the "V" profile, the length, etc. Therefore when one factor changes - even a tiny amount - it affects the rest. As a result each brand of belt fits quite differently in reality....even for the same size. This might have something to do with your experience. The belt you got may not be the correct profile for your pulleys. So it is riding on only a portion of the belt surface, allowing it to wear prematurely? And as I say, this can happen even though it says it is the right "size".
 
The problem people have with fitment usually lies with a change in terminology since our cars were built .., once upon a time an A section belt was 10mm wide, the industry standard for an A section belt is now 11mm wide.

As V belts have a depth that mathematically corresponds to it's width (can't recall the ratio off the top of my head at the moment) it just wont sit in the pulley grooves like the original size did

Stock belt for alternator 128 sedan/coupe and X19 without air con is a 10A0825.

SteveC
 
carl said:
Steve is that a Fiat belt number? If not, what manufacturer? Or is it just NLA?
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pretty sure that was a Continental belts number, as that was what I carried back on the day, can't recall the Pirelli number off the top of my head.

I just looked online and DAYCO use the same numbering system, but they have a limited range of 10mm width belts, but lots of 11mm wide, the Australian website is here

Dayco - Drive Belts V-Belt

Dayco products are the premier brand of automotive power transmission and cooling system components. From timing belt kits to hoses, Dayco has you covered.
dayco.com.au dayco.com.au

SteveC
 
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Ics19 said:
In Europe the 10mm variant is still available from Dayco as @NEG says - seems odd that Australia can't get them:
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I'm guessing it's probably if they don't get asked for them regularly, they don't bother to keep it as a line item

but yeah, the link you gave shows the correct belt, scroll down to applications and click Fiat and it brings up the Fiat number I list them under, 4224377

I've got over 40 years of doing Fiat spare parts, so it means stuff like this is imprinted on my brain....

SteveC
 
The 10mm vs 11mm difference was one of the issues I came across, as I discussed earlier. Oddly some brands are still 10mm while others are 11mm, for the same belt size, in their new production inventory - as currently found at large parts suppliers. Apparently not all manufacturers have changed their sizes accordingly. And the width wasn't the only aspect that varied from one brand to another. I've found similar examples with other automotive parts so this isn't unique to belts. Basically you aren't always getting what you think. :oops:
 
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