I've got a 55 Chevy 2 door post with a 350, slightly built that I can not keep a power steering belt on. Pulleys are in line, stock new NAPA belt for a 350 Camaro. If I tach it up to 5 grand & power shift it throws the ps belt, any ideas? Deep groove pulleys??
Is the belt the correct width so that it sits down in the pulleys? I used to have a problem with my alternator belt because of a shallow pulley on the alternator
Power shifting at 5 grand regularly and power steering usually don't go together. Chances are that your alignment is off and you just haven't found it yet.
40 standard-v-belt phat rat-NAPA stock belt for a 70 Camaro anderegg tribute-no pictures, I'm in Canada-car is in Virginia 31 Vicky-alignment is dead on, checked with a straight edge.
thats a long ass straight edge.....jk since you said 70 Camaro, I guess we will assume long water pump. But there was a change in the mounting and you have to use the right water pump with the right p/s pump brackets. Some had a long bolt that the p/s pump pivoted on that went through the boss on the water pump. Some had a threaded hole on the water pump and that takes a different p/s pump bracket. Ive never mixed the two so I cant say for sure thats the prob, but racing hobby stocks and turning 6 grand and shutting it down for a corner and Ive only had one turn over on me, and thats because it was loose. Hope you can figure it out.
I used to have the same problem with my big block Chevelle. Six grand and the P.S. belt would fly off. All pulleys were in line. The only way I could prevent it was to go to a "top cog" belt made by Dayco.
I think NAPA belts are made by Gates. I've had many problems with Gates belts. Try a Dayco. We had a truck with a Detroit Diesel that started throwing belts after we put a new set of Gates on it. We even had the Gates rep check it and everything was straight and tight. It kept throwing belts and we ran out of new belts so we took a used set off another truck. Those stayed on. When we got more Gates belts, we put them on the truck we took the used set off and that one started throwing belts until we switched to Dayco belts.
While it might be the belt called for, does it fit down into the pulleys or ride up at the top of the grove?
Straight edge only works on exactly identical pulleys, with in thousandths and 0 run out. And it only works on one plane. That's important The belt doesn't care about the outside edges, it wants to see the centers of the pulleys running true. Also there are a few different thicknesses and angles for belts with corresponding pulleys used across the years, they all have to match. And then the other thing is they need to be aligned at 5gs thru the shift, that's when it comes off right? My buddy kept inverting his alternator belt in a 1/4 mile pass. 1/8 mile and it would stay on. He swore it was perfectly aligned. We are both looking at it and I see it off, he swears it not. Shows me with the straight edge it's perfect. I made him 2 spacers and the debate starts. After a while I talk him into putting them on. He doesn't understand how to this day and swears it shouldn't but it worked because his belt stays put.
When power shifting at 5 grand the engine may be moving just enough to throw the belt.. At normal RPMs and shifting it's probably is not a problem...
The factory, and Moroso used to make deep groove pulleys for high RPM engines. Common problem for belts to fly off at high speed.
Why would the engine moving change anything? The accessories all move with the engine, so as long as they're mounted solid anything that is bolted to the engine will move with it. Throwing belts is often caused at high rpm by the engine pulling faster than the accessory can keep up, which creates slack on one side of the belt, and they ride up on the pulley. Then a shift suddenly slows the rpm's for a split second, and the belt is thrown. A different V style will allow the belt to sit deeper, so if you're using a A belt, or B belt, you can go one size down and keep it in the groove of the pulley. Sometimes it requires going to an industrial belt supplier and handing them your belt and asking them to match it with a different profile, but same length.
I've had this happen numerous times and it usually ended up being an overly stretchy belt, mis matched pulleys or misalignment due to mounting bracket flex. But... hey... who knows.
I had the same problem, My high reving 406 shifts hard at 6k and it tossed almost every belt at one point or another. I tried a double groove PS pump pulley and double water pump pulley which helped. Then I went to the flat style alternator belt form a 85 Camaro but occasionally it still tossed a PS belt. Then I went to a under drive crank pulley. All of these things seemed to have solved the issue but I was not getting enough cooling or Volts at idle with the under drive. How is your PS pump mounted? Stock brackets or After market? I determined that my stock PS pump bracket has just enough flex in it for mis alignment when the engine abruptly made the 1-2 shift at 6k to 4K. An after market PS pump mount was another expensive gamble so I gave in and installed an 90's Fbody serpentine system I found on CL for 50$ (that was before HotRod mag did the story on them) ...not traditional but works perfectly.
Mine was caused by a cracked mounting bracket that I couldn't see until I removed the power steering pump.
I have dealt with the same issue in the past... I was told by a friend to run a garden tractor belt, they are stiffer, and seem to stay put, it worked for me, just an idea.
Sorry it takes so long to get back to this, but the wife & I traveling thru Canada so I have to wait my turn at whatever motel we stop at. Anyway my son bought a Dayco belt today and installed it, went for a ride, it stayed on. I've ridden with my son, so if it stayed on for him it should be good, thanks guys!!!