26ftcobraBBF Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Good evening all I have a question regarding power steering belts. My power steering pump takes two belts recently I noticed that one belt seemed quite a bit looser than the other belt I assumed somebody had replaced just one belt and not the other. Assuming that one of them was older and had been stretched already. So I went and bought two new belts and I'm getting the same result one is looser than the other. They won't tighten evenly. So going back to the auto parts store the guy there That sold me the belts told me something about a "matched set". He said I need to find a match set that are pre-stretched and length is checked to be exactly the same. What I purchase from him previous was two singles. Is this matched set a real thing or am I missing something. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Mike, I have the same issue. A long time ago you could buy 'matched set' belts from Gates. But I don't think that is the case anymore. So, yes it is (or was) a real thing. Since I have to deal with it I will let you know what I find when I talk with my commercial guys at the warehouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26ftcobraBBF Posted January 14, 2021 Author Share Posted January 14, 2021 Mike, I have the same issue. A long time ago you could buy 'matched set' belts from Gates. But I don't think that is the case anymore. So, yes it is (or was) a real thing. Since I have to deal with it I will let you know what I find when I talk with my commercial guys at the warehouse. Thank you Jim looking forward to hearing from you and getting it done right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Mike, I have the same issue. A long time ago you could buy 'matched set' belts from Gates. But I don't think that is the case anymore. So, yes it is (or was) a real thing. Since I have to deal with it I will let you know what I find when I talk with my commercial guys at the warehouse. I've never had to buy a matched automotive set, but I know it is common in the industrial world. We used to buy matched sets all the time. Sometimes, it was a matter of the guy going through the belts he had in-stock to make-up a matched set. They get all mixed up in shipping, but it is often the case that they have belts from the same batch in-stock...they just don't know it until they look. Here's some reading from Gates: https://ww2.gates.com/IF/facts/documents/Gf000194.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85lebaront2 Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Mike, I have the same issue. A long time ago you could buy 'matched set' belts from Gates. But I don't think that is the case anymore. So, yes it is (or was) a real thing. Since I have to deal with it I will let you know what I find when I talk with my commercial guys at the warehouse. I've never had to buy a matched automotive set, but I know it is common in the industrial world. We used to buy matched sets all the time. Sometimes, it was a matter of the guy going through the belts he had in-stock to make-up a matched set. They get all mixed up in shipping, but it is often the case that they have belts from the same batch in-stock...they just don't know it until they look. Here's some reading from Gates: https://ww2.gates.com/IF/facts/documents/Gf000194.pdf The 460s with full dress (AC, PS, Alt, and dual air pumps) ran a matched set on the power steering pump drive as it was also the fan/water pump primary drive. The AC belt also crossed the water pump pulley but it was more of an idler on the unloaded side. Alternator had a dedicated belt from the crank pulley to it, and a little skinny belt from the alternator drove the dual air pumps. Here is a picture from the AC and PS side showing the three main drive belts, and yes, the PS set was a matched pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 The 460s with full dress (AC, PS, Alt, and dual air pumps) ran a matched set on the power steering pump drive as it was also the fan/water pump primary drive. The AC belt also crossed the water pump pulley but it was more of an idler on the unloaded side. Alternator had a dedicated belt from the crank pulley to it, and a little skinny belt from the alternator drove the dual air pumps.Here is a picture from the AC and PS side showing the three main drive belts, and yes, the PS set was a matched pair.Yes, "matched set" was a thing. I used to have to buy them for my Super Bee which used them on the big York air conditioning compressor. Boy, would those belts gallop if they weren't matched. That got me thinking that I'm glad I have serpentine belts (yes, Bill, actually "polygroove") for Big Blue. Then I thought "serpentine, serpentine" and couldn't help myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85lebaront2 Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Yes, "matched set" was a thing. I used to have to buy them for my Super Bee which used them on the big York air conditioning compressor. Boy, would those belts gallop if they weren't matched. That got me thinking that I'm glad I have serpentine belts (yes, Bill, actually "polygroove") for Big Blue. Then I thought "serpentine, serpentine" and couldn't help myself. Superbee should have had an Airtemp RV2 compressor unless it was an aftermarket system, and those RV2 units did "gallop" almost as bad as a Harley at idle. Once the rpm came up they didn't have the "drone" of the Tecumseh or York twins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Superbee should have had an Airtemp RV2 compressor unless it was an aftermarket system, and those RV2 units did "gallop" almost as bad as a Harley at idle. Once the rpm came up they didn't have the "drone" of the Tecumseh or York twins. You are right! Yes, it would have been a Chrysler Airtemp. And the belts galloped badly. There was no way to get them to stop, but a matched set came pretty close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Yes, "matched set" was a thing. I used to have to buy them for my Super Bee which used them on the big York air conditioning compressor. Boy, would those belts gallop if they weren't matched. That got me thinking that I'm glad I have serpentine belts (yes, Bill, actually "polygroove") for Big Blue. Then I thought "serpentine, serpentine" and couldn't help myself. That’s funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Mike, I have the same issue. A long time ago you could buy 'matched set' belts from Gates. But I don't think that is the case anymore. So, yes it is (or was) a real thing. Since I have to deal with it I will let you know what I find when I talk with my commercial guys at the warehouse. I've never had to buy a matched automotive set, but I know it is common in the industrial world. We used to buy matched sets all the time. Sometimes, it was a matter of the guy going through the belts he had in-stock to make-up a matched set. They get all mixed up in shipping, but it is often the case that they have belts from the same batch in-stock...they just don't know it until they look. Here's some reading from Gates: https://ww2.gates.com/IF/facts/documents/Gf000194.pdf I've read what Gates has to say about their 'tighter production tolerances'. That doesn't change the fact that I can't seem to get a pair of belts that tension correctly. And I don't want to put a huge amount of tension on one belt, destroying the bushings in my water and power steering pumps. I know that some industrial belts are like multiple V-belts in a single carcass. I wonder if I can split a pair out of one of those? As it is now I have to buy belts for a van because the Saginaw pump pulley is a different diameter than my old C2. I hope to investigate this shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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