What happened???
09-14-2010, 08:24 AM
#41
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Obviously everybody is not right as 30ctsutphen and myself has demostrated. Of the 2 times you lost both your power steering belt and alt belt your were still able to run your boat out of harms way correct? If you lost that serpentine belt you wouldn't of had that option. Serpentine belts break also and when they do you have power to nothing. I like serpentine belts don't get me wrong, in say a car. But I like my odds on the water of losing 3 belts at once compared to losing one. I just don't think the serpentine belt is the best solution in this situation.
I have lost a power steering belt and it did not effect any other belts. I have to agree with John about this one. I could lose both the power steering and the alt belt and could still run long enough to get back to the dock. With a serpentine belt, if i lost that i would lose my water pump as well, and we all know what happens if you try to run for long periods of time without that.
09-14-2010, 12:35 PM
#42
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First let’s stop comparing street engines to marine engines. Marine engines run at high rpm, full load for hours on end. Second, unless you have a marine engine that turns 6000+rpms as both mine and this boat do there is no comparison. Third I have never seen a serpentine belt blow that was in good shape, but I have had several brand new v belts blow on my boat. Once again it’s the rpms. Look at all of mercury’s HP engines, they all have serpentine belts.
You have to have this type of engine to compare. I do not need my raw water pump to keep going. I can lose every belt and get home without damage as long as my batteries don’t run too low. The steering would be hard, but functional and my transom water pick up supplies more water than I need even without a pump. Even without a blower belt I still make 600HP and that will push my hull plenty fast. Just like Don’s setup.
You have to have this type of engine to compare. I do not need my raw water pump to keep going. I can lose every belt and get home without damage as long as my batteries don’t run too low. The steering would be hard, but functional and my transom water pick up supplies more water than I need even without a pump. Even without a blower belt I still make 600HP and that will push my hull plenty fast. Just like Don’s setup.
And yes, I have broken serpentine belts on cars, usually when a pulley goes bad. What happens when you are out running and a pulley goes bad, breaks your belt. You still have an extra belt, but cant use it because it will break in about 10 seconds. If you had a V belt setup you woudl just lose that one component.
Dont get me wrong, I like serpentine setups, they look cleaner and it is one belt instead of three, but single point failures of entire systems is something that shoudl be avoided.
09-14-2010, 12:38 PM
#43
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I've had my power steering break off its mount one time and the belt fly off another. Both times the steering went completly nonexistant. I was able to spin the wheel like It was final jeperdy. Both times I eased out of the throttle slowly as the boat veared to the right.
09-14-2010, 03:59 PM
#44
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zt260 it sounds like with your build and power it was an oversight not to install a serpentine sytem when you built it. If you are able to run without any belts than I would agree a serpentine belt would be YOUR best option. Myself and many others still need the raw water pump and fuel pump to limp out of harms way....like you said...no comparison. By the way that is a badass setup you have, I remember seeing some pics of it not to long ago.
But back to Don's situation, if it was indeed a thrown belt that caused this I highly doubt he was running over 6000+ rpm's at 70-80mph as the driver stated. Was it noted if the belt broke or was it just thrown off? Could it be possible that the power steering pump became loose and the belt slipped off? Is there anybody that can confirm this?
But back to Don's situation, if it was indeed a thrown belt that caused this I highly doubt he was running over 6000+ rpm's at 70-80mph as the driver stated. Was it noted if the belt broke or was it just thrown off? Could it be possible that the power steering pump became loose and the belt slipped off? Is there anybody that can confirm this?
Last edited by jdub; 09-14-2010 at 04:02 PM.
09-14-2010, 04:07 PM
#45
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09-14-2010, 04:52 PM
#47
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But back to Don's situation, if it was indeed a thrown belt that caused this I highly doubt he was running over 6000+ rpm's at 70-80mph as the driver stated. Was it noted if the belt broke or was it just thrown off? Could it be possible that the power steering pump became loose and the belt slipped off? Is there anybody that can confirm this?
I am not sure what RPM they were turning at 70-80 mph if thats all they were going, but I do know that 90 in Don's boat was right around 4900 RPM..
09-14-2010, 06:52 PM
#48
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The only reason I have a v belt setup is my accessories were already v belts from a previous setup. My builder never mentioned a serpentine setup and 6 years ago when it was originally built it did not cross my mind. I agree it was an oversight, but I was not one to argue with a very experienced engine builder at the time. Not to mention it’s not as easy as many people think on a custom build one off race engine of six years old. I now plan to add a serpentine this winter. No one has to agree with me. It’s my life on the line not theirs.
But enough of that.
The main reason I posted was to find out what really happened and prevent it in the future. I also doubt a 110+mph boat was only going 70-80mph at the time. There I said it, and the truly experienced members were already thinking it.
RIP Don Sorry.
But enough of that.
The main reason I posted was to find out what really happened and prevent it in the future. I also doubt a 110+mph boat was only going 70-80mph at the time. There I said it, and the truly experienced members were already thinking it.
RIP Don Sorry.
09-14-2010, 08:34 PM
#49
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I have been running a serp belt set up many years without ever throwing a belt. I frequently run above 6k rpm with no issues. if there is a problem, I carry a spare belt, a spare idler/tensioner pulley and the 2 wrenches to change them with me. All it would take is 5 minutes to swap parts and I would be on my way again. In my set up, if the belt broke in a bad spot, I could easily get by for a short time to get to a safe place to replace it. I dont rely on my mechanical fuel pump for anything more than idling around, my closed cooling would keep the engine cool enough for a short time without any seawater flow. My only limitation would be heating the headers up. But then, everyones setup is different.
09-14-2010, 09:01 PM
#50
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Did the thought that they were running faster cross my mind?....sure it did....Do I have any reason to doubt what the driver stated...not one. The truth is only two people know for sure how fast they were running.
Serp belt....V belt....I honestly don't think it matters either way. Both have advantages and disadvantages. It's hard for me to think that if Don was running a serp belt he would still be here with us today. But since this is the only report we have so far it's good to see people taking it into consideration with their own setups. Hopefully more info will come forward so we can have a better understanding of what happened.
Serp belt....V belt....I honestly don't think it matters either way. Both have advantages and disadvantages. It's hard for me to think that if Don was running a serp belt he would still be here with us today. But since this is the only report we have so far it's good to see people taking it into consideration with their own setups. Hopefully more info will come forward so we can have a better understanding of what happened.
