Belt Question

[redhotcomet]

Hi guys,

I'm just doing some thinking here (I know, dangerous...)
Serpentine belts are commonly used to drive more than one accessory with one belt. Is it possible to drive multiple accessories with a v belt? Seems like it should work, but I dont know whether I've seen it done or not. I'm just asking for curiousity's sate, not actually considering it.
Thanks
Garret

 

[Clark]

Hello Garret,

In theory it would work but not sure how long they would last, the v-belts are not designed to wear on the back and front side. The other problem is the flexibility because when serpentine belts drive on the back side they usually wrap around a pulley, where a v-belt might be a little stiffer.

 

[redhotcomet]

Oh yeah, I hadn't thought about running them on the backside of a pulley. I suppose you would have to if you were running more than a couple accessories. I was just thinking about running an alternator and a water pump off the crank.

 

[rbohm]

not only can you run more than one accessory, the factories have already done that. a couple of cars that i have had with Vbelts had the waterpump, power steering pump and alternator all run with the same belt.