So tired of my 06 Saleen S281 eating belts ready to get rid of

[DL Harris]

Since buying this car I've had belt issues. It could be because it started out a Stage 1 and was upgraded by previous owner. It had a 109 in belt and it was suggested to go with 108 or 108.5. Still I seems to changed them out every 4-5k miles. Had a tune with a small pulley add and problem still exist. I also have changed tensioners at least 3 times and now running a Roush tensioner. Since the tune, the tuner went with a Gates K061075 because of the smaller s/c pulley. Really fed up with this issue and everyone can't work on this car. I work on my own stuff majority of the time but this has got the better of me. It seems to be eating the inside. I've also changed idlers and harmonic balance which came apart about 3 years ago. As much as I like this car, I'm ready to part company.

 

[GriffX]

I have a Mercedes with a tuned Eaton charger, hungry for tensioners, the best belts I used are form Continental (not the Elite!). But, the Continental belts from the past used nitrosamines in the rubber and because of this ESG madness the new probably not.
The Mercedes tensioner has a marked working range imprinted on and it must be right in the middle. I figured out if you are not in the range you ruin belt and tensioner through belt slip and tensioner bearing wear.
Not sure it this helps......

 

[AHaze]

DOB Frankentensioner and a Gates Fleetrunner HD belt.
You will still go through belts faster than a stock car. Your next option is expensive though: swap to an 8-rib setup with an overdrive crank pulley and larger blower pulley.

Frankentensioner Stage I - Department of Boost

Department of Boost - Frankentensioner Stage I

www.departmentofboost.com

 

[DieHarder]

This.... use it on my car. No problems whatsoever. Never have any problems going thru belts. Inexpensive and stout. If it keeps eating belts suggest checking alignment.

 

[JC SSP]

Yeah if your chewing belts you definitely have an issue. I have seen people check pulley alignment with a laser but I have never done it.

 

[AHaze]

If the OP is getting 4-5k miles out of a belt, I doubt the pulleys are misaligned. They stated it's "eating the inside" which makes me think the issue is belt slip. Presumably on the blower pulley but I suppose the alternator, PS pump or AC compressor could be seizing up as well.

 

[crjackson]

Some pics might help a little here. My belt has 40k boosted (15psi) miles on it, and shows little to no signs of wear.

My guess would be alignment/belt-slip as well, but there should be some material throw-off that produces a buildup or other indication. I’d be interested to see the worn area(s) of the belt.

 

[Pentalab]

If the OP is getting 4-5k miles out of a belt, I doubt the pulleys are misaligned. They stated it's "eating the inside" which makes me think the issue is belt slip. Presumably on the blower pulley but I suppose the alternator, PS pump or AC compressor could be seizing up as well.

I disagree. It's either belt slip and / or pulleys misaligned / seized up / fried pulley bearings and / or belt too short....or a combo. If just one pulley / idler is slightly misaligned, the belt will eat itself in short order. The Roush tensioner is pretty stout. IF you go the 8 rib route, then ALL the pulley's / idlers will also have to be swapped to 8 rib, including the tensioner.

How much boost are you using ?

 

[DL Harris]

DOB Frankentensioner and a Gates Fleetrunner HD belt.
You will still go through belts faster than a stock car. Your next option is expensive though: swap to an 8-rib setup with an overdrive crank pulley and larger blower pulley.

Frankentensioner Stage I - Department of Boost

Department of Boost - Frankentensioner Stage I

www.departmentofboost.com

 

[DL Harris]

Thanks I will check into this. Really appreciate the reply.

 

[GriffX]

When I had belt slip due to a too short belt, I got rubber durst all around the charger pulley. My Eaton needs up to 10 HP on full throttle, I think the Saleen will use much more?

 

[JC SSP]

I have seen belt alignment issues more common on bracket mounted S/C like Paxton, vortec, powerdyne, etc.

I am assuming he has a roots type S/C mounted on top of the engine. I would think it’s a pulley issue (alignment or failure). Also if it’s slipping wouldn’t it show on his boost gauge?

 

[Pentalab]

When I had belt slip due to a too short belt, I got rubber durst all around the charger pulley. My Eaton needs up to 10 HP on full throttle, I think the Saleen will use much more?

More like 32-45 hp

 

[GriffX]

I have seen belt alignment issues more common on bracket mounted S/C like Paxton, vortec, powerdyne, etc.

I am assuming he has a roots type S/C mounted on top of the engine. I would think it’s a pulley issue (alignment or failure). Also if it’s slipping wouldn’t it show on his boost gauge?

It depends on the used gauge. If it is a digital usually no, because the read out dwell time is to low. I have an industrial pressure gauge with 10/s read out and I didn't see it, but you can hear it sometimes. The typical high frequency supercharger noise disappears or gets quieter.

 

[Midlife Crises]

Installing the Department of Boost Frankentensioner and paying close attention to the set up instructions solved my belt ware problems. Swapping different diameter idlers around playing mix and match to get in the recommended tensioner range takes a little time to get right but once set it works great. No more broken tensioners or chewed up belts.

 

[DL Harris]

Some pics might help a little here. My belt has 40k boosted (15psi) miles on it, and shows little to no signs of wear.

My guess would be alignment/belt-slip as well, but there should be some material throw-off that produces a buildup or other indication. I’d be interested to see the worn area(s) of the belt.

If you're not familiar with the Saleen S281 SC setup the alternator faces the rear. As a matter of fact I do have debris that comes from the belt which is located in about three places. It's most noticeable when I look down at my oil filter.

 

[DL Harris]

Some pics might help a little here. My belt has 40k boosted (15psi) miles on it, and shows little to no signs of wear.

My guess would be alignment/belt-slip as well, but there should be some material throw-off that produces a buildup or other indication. I’d be interested to see the worn area(s) of the belt.

It depends on the used gauge. If it is a digital usually no, because the read out dwell time is to low. I have an industrial pressure gauge with 10/s read out and I didn't see it, but you can hear it sometimes. The typical high frequency supercharger noise disappears or gets quieter.

It is a roots blower. With the tune it went from what I think 8psi to 10. Boost gage isn't digital.

 

[DL Harris]

Here's a few pics of the belt

 

[crjackson]

To me (which may be totally wrong) it looks like contact erosion/damage. Look at the circled part in the photo. It looks like it COULD be an area of contact. It may just be the photo-perspective that makes it look that way, but I‘d start following the belt path, and looking for witnesses marks from rubbing on nearby areas.

Also, that pulley’s inner most land (directly adjacent to the area of belt damage) looks pretty rough. Inspect all the pulleys again for burrs or damage.

 

[GriffX]

To my personal experience with this cogged belts they are not a good choice for blower application. My Goodyear Gatorback was finished after 10.000 km.
Have you checked all idler pulleys? These wear at one side is often a misalignment or too much play in an idler.
I changed all idler bearings at 40k mi at my 4.6l, 3 out of 5 (or 6) were gone. One too much play, 2 more made grinding noises, Canada brand, so no cheap stuff, very disappointing.

Continental Aftermarket - Continental Belt Wear Gauge

In today's world of advanced EPDM polymers, serpentine belts are wearing out before visible signs indicate replacement is needed.

www.continental-engineparts.com