K Series Serpentine Belt

[Brandi Wendelberger]

ETCGVideo Title: How To Replace a Honda K Series Serpentine Belt Tensioner -ETCG Video Description: Is your Honda K series making a horrible screeching noise? It might be the serpentine belt tensioner. In this video I show you how to replace a bad serpentine belt tensioner on a Honda K series engine.Thumbnail: _Thumbs/april/2018/K_Series_Serpentine_Belt_Tensioner_Replacement.jpg

I've been chasing a noise for a long time, as have been many other 2011-2019 E450 (cutaway) motorhome owners with the V10 motor. It sounds like spark knock, but better fuel does not help at all. There is a history of owners taking their vehicles into the dealer for a diagnosis, but the problem remains unresolved even after belt/pulley/tensioner replacement.

In order to gain engineering insight into the belt noise and 'omitted pulley' subject, I contacted Ford Help and the Ford Performance Techline. I also contacted the Motorhome Customer Assistance Center.

1. The UBS (unstable belt syndrome) has evidently existed undiscovered for some time. The UBS noise sounds a lot like spark knock and most owners thought that is what it was. Many motorhome owners have tried to diagnose the UBS noise issue themselves, or have taken their RVs to Ford Service who were unable to solve the real root cause. These motorhome owners are a conservative bunch, and would prefer a formal pronouncement from Ford that adding the idler pulley is an appropriate course of action.

2. I play with a highly modified Ford Mustang Bullitt, and I am very familiar with the "Law of Unintended Consequences". This Law becomes troublesome when a car is modified for a good reason, but the modification causes an unforeseen issue which can be worse than the original problem. So, for my motorhome, which I hope continues to be very reliable, I am concerned that adding the idler pulley may cause another problem. After all, the pulley had previously existed, and then it was removed. Why??

The pulley in question is under $10 at any parts store, the reason why is obvious..."cost of part + amount of engines produced" is a number that can be eliminated with little to no concern from the average consumer. You are not average. My guess is, you will not get a satisfactory answer from them so go down to the parts store, drop a little coin, put it on and let us know how it all turned out. Welcome to "Hot Rod 101".

According to the RockAuto listings, Ford went from a wider 8-rib belt for 2001 and earlier V10s, to a 6-rib belt in 2002 and up.

This may help explain why the second idler pulley disappeared in about the same time frame.

Since the idler pulley in question rides on the top of the belt and not on the ribbed side, it should be just fine. Ford going from an 8-rib to 6-rib design proves my point, saving $$$. You may also see that the 5.4L Triton probably uses the same belt too, further cutting costs.

Bullitt6283, I am surprised more people aren't discussing this. Maybe on a different forum? Anyway, 2016 6.8 in a Class C with 41k miles. It's been making this noise since new (4 years) at 2100 rpm. Installed the driver's side idler today. Pulled the air filter for access and easily deflected the belt enough to install. I did not loosen or replace the belt. Inspected it and it looked fine. Leaving tomorrow for a 750 mile trip.

I guess I'm a little late getting here, but I'm glade that I found this forum. Thanks to all...I just joined this conversation, and do I have a little story that will really fire you up.

I have a 2015 E-450 Class C Winnie..6.8L V-10(I love it with the SCT upgrade)...with 48,000 miles. Great running motor home. Just recently started having this same noise 500 miles ago, and rather than sit for days to get it repaired, I soldiered ahead and drove home. Took it to my local Ford Dealership...spoke to the service writer(very helpful) and let him take it from there.

Now, I have been working on cars since I was eleven. I know the front from the rear, I also have 2 vws, and can pretty much do all of my own maintenance. In fact, I earned a living from bending wrenches for quite awhile(just do not like all of the electronics); but, when I heard after paying $285.00 for an RV diagnosis, I was stunned. What they found out is that I had a noisy valve cover! Yep, those darn valve covers can sure get noisy. Whatcha goin' to do. Replace the valve cover. Apparently, the oil filler opening came loose? from the inside of the cover--spot welded I guess...could not really tell from the diagram presented to me. So while they did open-heart surgery, I had the dealership replace the serpentine belt.

So here we are...$1200.00 later(all but $478 paid for by Good Sam extended warranty), and I'm not sure if the sound has dissipated. From the Ford dealer to the RV shop for some needed maintenance, and when I pick it up from there, I'll give it a good going over--noise and missing pulley.

We have a 2017 V10 powered RV, Fleetwood Jamboree 31U. Love the RV but the belt noise has been driving us crazy. The sweet spot in RPM is about 2100 up to 2500 and of course, 2100 is where the noise starts including every upshift to get to cruising speed. We put the idler wheel on and just like magic, the noise is completely gone! After several years of listening to that crap, I still anticipate hearing it but it is just psychosomatic it doesn't exist in the real world anymore LOL. If you are having these issues with noise driving you batty, put the idler wheel on and enjoy your new found peace and quiet. Have a great day!

The serpentine belt is a deceptively simple component in the overwhelmingly complex series of parts that make up your car's engine. Once upon a time, every component in a car was driven by a separate belt, and some had three or more belts to power everything from the alternator to the air conditioner to power steering. Much later, vehicle engineers determined a way to use a single belt to organize all of these items - a more efficient way to run the engine. It was the serpentine belt. Let's examine the role the serpentine belt plays in your engine, the signs and symptoms that it may need replacing, and the process of how to replace a serpentine belt when it goes bad.

While you can replace your belt with regular hand tools, it's not recommended due to how tight the spaces are. Because of this, a serpentine belt tool is essential to loosen the tensioner, and a belt placement tool is needed to help position the belt. Using these tools, you may be able to do the entire job in less than a half-hour from the time you remove the belt to the time you re-engage the tension on the new one.

The serpentine belt tool has an assortment of socket sizes to fit just about any car and has multiple extension bars to allow you to reach your tensioner at the ideal angle while having the best possible leverage to release the pressure. The belt placement tool allows you to easily remove the old belt and replace the new one without needing to reach into the pulleys.

Your car's serpentine belt is a single, long belt made of rubber and metal that uses a series of pulleys to drive the car's air conditioning unit, power steering, water pump, crankshaft, fan, and alternator. On some vehicles, even the power brakes can be run by the serpentine belt, and some vehicles may have more than one such belt.

The serpentine belt ensures that all of these components work smoothly and seamlessly together with the correct amount of tension to keep the whole vehicle running at peak performance. The key pulley for the serpentine belt is called the tensioner, and it's a spring-loaded component attached to the engine block whose job, as you may guess, is to keep the belt at the proper level of tension to drive the other pulleys and gears. The car's crankshaft provides the power that turns the belt.

Because the serpentine belt does so much work, it's built to last for many thousands of miles. Still, over time, the belt and the tensioner will inevitably wear out. The tension spring can become worn so it doesn't provide the necessary pressure to tighten the belt. The belt, in turn, can wear out and become misaligned or slip, which can put additional stress on the different parts of the engine, causing premature wear on those components.

Each car has a recommended interval for replacing the serpentine belt, which is often included in your vehicle's maintenance schedule. Still, how often you drive, environmental conditions, and general upkeep can all have an effect on it. That's why it should be inspected regularly for signs of wear and tear, and replaced when needed.

The first step in inspecting your serpentine belt is to know how it is constructed. It's made of hard rubber with metal fibers molded into it for strength and durability. As the belt ages, the rubber gets brittle and begins to crack. This is the first thing you should look for as you examine the belt.

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