Rain/roadwater splashing against crank-pulley. Slipping P/S & Alternator belts...

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BigBlockMopar

BigBlockMopar

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Anyone have this happened before?
Sometimes when I drive through (shallow) puddles of water, I completely lose the powersteering in my '73 Dart, which can be quite a scare when coming up to a corner.
Occasionally the alternator-charging also cuts out for a while.

I'm thinking the car needs some splash guards badly around the engine bay.
 
Install a panel between the front bumper to the radiator/core support, and from the core support to the k member. You might also (while making/installing the splash guard) make a front air dam.
 
BigBlockMopar said:
Anyone have this happened before?
Sometimes when I drive through (shallow) puddles of water, I completely lose the powersteering in my '73 Dart, which can be quite a scare when coming up to a corner.
Occasionally the alternator-charging also cuts out for a while.

I'm thinking the car needs some splash guards badly around the engine bay.
Click to expand...
* Just don't drive in the rain or through puddles! lol..
 
Proper belts that match the pulleys with proper tension shouldn't slip.
The engineered dimensions of a belt is refered to as section. \_/ If they are the wrong section or simply worn out they will slip.

My best guess... your belts are running in the bottom of the pulleys or they are oil soaked.
 
If I tighten the P/S belt a bit more, I get a resonance-like sound in the car which goes along with engine RPM. Feels like the pump doesn't like the strain on it's pulley by a too tight belt.
Currently, when turning the steeringwheel lock-to-lock with the brakes applied and on a dry road, there is no squealing of the belt.

I'm not sure if A-body's ever came with enginebay splash guards? I know certain other models did, like some fullsizers.

I tried jumping the puddles but I don't have a dixie horn mounted yet... ;)
 
Had a closer look on the belts and did find a combination of issues with them.
Besides not being new (I knew that), they were pretty greasy (I've ran the engine without a PCV once, which caused some oilleaks at the front), the PowerSteering belt was a bit looser than I remembered, and the alternator belt had some misalignment with the crank pulley.
I correct the alternator-alignment with some shimming, retightened the P/S-pumpbelt, and degreased the pulleys and belt with an ample amount of brakecleaner.
I have a feeling the alternator charge at idle has improved a bit. Perhaps it was slightly slipping all the time because of it's greasiness.

Now I gots to find me some puddles to throttle through... :)
 
Shouldn't be that hard to find puddles this time of year
 
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