Anybody ever heard of a stretch belt?

[Mike69cuda]

I was preparing to change the serpentine belt on my wife’s 2017 Escape and found out there are two belts. One runs just the AC. There is no tensioner. It takes a belt called a stretch belt and takes a special tool to install it. Tool looks like a wedge you put under the belt and turn the engine over by hand to install belt. I have never heard of such a thing.

 

[dadsbee]

Yep and they're a pita. Daughters Mazda CX-3 and Son's Ford Focus both run them. I did the Daughters using my hands thru the wheel well, Son got smart and bought the wedges to do his for 5 bucks. Work like a charm while you turn the crank.

 

[AUSA66]

Same on the 5.7 Ram

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yes sir. The Escape is an excellent example. Some have them, some don't. Our 04 3.0 Escape does not. It has a water pump belt tensioner. But some models eliminated the tensioner and went with a stretch belt.

 

[Mike69cuda]

So the belt is basically a big rubber band?

 

[dadsbee]

So the belt is basically a big rubber band?

The toughest rubber band you'll every try to stretch !

 

[TT5.9mag]

My bmw diesel has a stretch belt that drives the ac compressor. Pain in the *** to change.

 

[RustyRatRod]

So the belt is basically a big rubber band?

Essentially, yes. I've never had trouble with any of them and I've installed a good many. I don't use a tool. I get the belt as far on as possible by hand in the direction of engine rotation putting it on the smallest pulley last. I get it around that smallest pulley as far as possible and then start the engine. Works for me every time.

 

[413]

What will they think of next? No ATF dipstick, start stop at red lights, huge *** screen on the dash, because cars never worked without them!

People wonder why my daily is a 1995! But they are running out of them at the junkyard. I bought a parts car for $200 last year. Good body with blown 5 speed.

It is the same year make model and color. So my buddy says park it on the far side of the property and my wife won't notice two of them are here. LOL

Great idea with lots of possibilities

 

[dadsbee]

The worst part about doing them on at least the Mazda, you only get a small access hole to work through in the passenger wheel well. Wheel off, panel off and you can't get two arms in at the same time!

 

[413]

Right, because the factory puts the belt on with engine out of the car.

And they want you to take it to the dealer for a belt.

 

[volaredon]

I've done them by putting them on everything as far as possible then a zip strip on the crank pulley just by where the belt isn't on then crank it with a breaker bar and socket til it's all the way on then remove zip strip

 

[MopaR&D]

What will they think of next? No ATF dipstick, start stop at red lights, huge *** screen on the dash, because cars never worked without them!

People wonder why my daily is a 1995! But they are running out of them at the junkyard. I bought a parts car for $200 last year. Good body with blown 5 speed.

It is the same year make model and color. So my buddy says park it on the far side of the property and my wife won't notice two of them are here. LOL

Great idea with lots of possibilities

Wet belt submerged in oil, driving the oil pump. Or on the back side of the engine driving the cams. Guaranteed to fail just outside of warranty

 

[Demonx2]

"Stretchy" (not stretch) belts are used for several reasons. One, they may help with accy drive harmonics. Or two, there may be a packaging concern for one of the vehs the engine goes in. The LAST thing that may contribute to their usage is cost (saving the cost of a tensioner). I never saw us (OEM I worked for) once do a stretchy belt for cost reasons. So no conspiracy theories here!!