Goodyear Gatorback belt

03Sleepr · 05-26-2011, 01:31 AM

HATE it, I will never buy anything besides a Gates belt again. I replaced my belt about a week ago, today I changed it again, in a parking lot, on my lunch break, in the F%$#$#G rain. my Gatorback lasted just over 400 miles. sure, It was nice and quiet, until it decided to come apart in a million pieces and scatter the insulation from the hood all over my engine bay..needless to say I am not pleased with the money I wasted on this belt.

Chris2000 · 05-26-2011, 01:52 AM

I've used many on several cars no issues...You sure you lined it up right and there wasn't any slack for it to eventually come off track?

Cliff8928 · 05-26-2011, 01:56 AM

I've had one on my 3400 since '03 and haven't had any problems.

03Sleepr · 05-26-2011, 01:58 AM

everything was lined up correctly, new tensioner pulley too, the belt didn't walk and twist it just flew apart.

Gr1m · 05-26-2011, 02:05 AM

ouch gatorback ftw imo. havent had any problems with mine.

Redog · 05-26-2011, 04:33 AM

My GatorBack stayed in place, well 1/2 of it, when the tensioner went on me but the other half was in shreds.

I had to take out what was left of the tensioner jsut to get the belt out

[ion] C2 · 05-26-2011, 08:48 AM

Gatorback is awesome, something else is wrong with your car.

zzyzzx · 05-26-2011, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [ion] C2

Gatorback is awesome, something else is wrong with your car.

Not only do I love them, but the one in my Alero is a used one I got from a part out here.

Vella's Alero · 05-26-2011, 09:15 AM

Maybe it was just a bad belt? Doesn't mean that there has to be anything wrong with the car. Why did you replace it originally?
Did this happen with another belt? If not it might just be a bad belt. Get it replaced with another one (if you can under warranty, not sure if they have any on belts) and see if it happens again.

03Sleepr · 05-26-2011, 11:14 AM

no, the other belt did not shred, I replaced it because my tensioner pulley was going bad and figured why not replace it and get it out of the way. gatorback shredded in under a week.

[ion] C2 · 05-26-2011, 11:19 AM

Maybe something got caught in the belt, or temporarily seized up, dunno. Overall Gatorback is the belt to go with.

zzyzzx · 05-26-2011, 01:30 PM

I'd blame the cheap aftermarket tensioner or install before I'd blame the belt.

As far as I can tell, belts usually outlast the engine. I only replace mine on the Alero becaus eit has the original on it past 10 years AND it was making noise, AND there was a part out local to me. On my Escort I only replaced mine because I had a problem and got power steering fluid and antifreeze all over my serpentine belt.

Oldsnut · 05-26-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 03Sleepr

HATE it, I will never buy anything besides a Gates belt again. I replaced my belt about a week ago, today I changed it again, in a parking lot, on my lunch break, in the F%$#$#G rain. my Gatorback lasted just over 400 miles. sure, It was nice and quiet, until it decided to come apart in a million pieces and scatter the insulation from the hood all over my engine bay..needless to say I am not pleased with the money I wasted on this belt.

This is like saying I had a problem with an Olds and I will never buy another. I had a Ford with a worn out tire, never gonna buy another. I had an issue with my ex-wife, never gonna date or marry another women. I had a problem with a fridge, never gonna own another. I had an issue with a friend so I will no longer be friends with anyone.

Maybe you put it on wrong, maybe it was something else that caused it to break but blame it on the Gatorback.

I have had plenty of Gates belts break over the years but I don't go on a rant of how the suck. Shit happens and you move on. If it were to be a consistent problem with the brand I could see but everyone loves them with the exception of you.

03Sleepr · 05-27-2011, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldsnut

This is like saying I had a problem with an Olds and I will never buy another. I had a Ford with a worn out tire, never gonna buy another. I had an issue with my ex-wife, never gonna date or marry another women. I had a problem with a fridge, never gonna own another. I had an issue with a friend so I will no longer be friends with anyone.

Maybe you put it on wrong, maybe it was something else that caused it to break but blame it on the Gatorback.

I have had plenty of Gates belts break over the years but I don't go on a rant of how the suck. Shit happens and you move on. If it were to be a consistent problem with the brand I could see but everyone loves them with the exception of you.

sure, I was mad, you wouldn't be mad if you had to change a week old belt in the rain in the middle of a 10 hour shift?

yea, I went off on a rant. it didn't all come out like it was supposed to. maybe someday I will try again, but first impressions go a long way so for now I'll stay with a brand I trust.
I loved how quiet it was, and didn't show any signs of slipping, nor did it show any signs of being installed improperly (no twisting or walking) it just snapped. bad belt? perhaps..as with most products released onto the market the good reviews outweigh the bad reviews. but that doesn't mean its a flawless product

Redog · 05-27-2011, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 03Sleepr

sure, I was mad, you wouldn't be mad if you had to change a week old belt in the rain in the middle of a 10 hour shift?

In that respect, I hear ya.

I had a "V" belt break on my Delta, at 4 am driving home from work. I replaced is about a week before and was using the Delta as a daily since the Alero was being painted at the time.

The belt snapped because I put it on too tight. I tightened it to zero tenstion because that's what I was used to working on. the belt fell apart and broke and I had to limp the car home because this belt was pretty much the only belt on the car. So I had no water pump, power steering, or alternator for about a mile.

It was funny, I would drive the car, then turn off the ing and let the car roll in netural as to NOT overheat the engine. There was a big sign in my development that said "Your Speed" and I watch it go 27,26,25,24, all the way down to 4 MPH until the car stopped after I passed the sign

Then the next day, I had to walk 2 miles, one way, to the closest NAPA to get a new belt, in the rain, and install the belt, in the rain. Then I got one hell of a shock from the battery when the end of the wrench touched the battery and when I dropped the wrench, it hit both sides of the battery and sparked in my face big time. That wasn't fun

lonnie · 05-27-2011, 10:30 AM

I had a cheapo belt on my car that lasted the last 5 yrs I've owned it. Just had it change just before spring with the alternator.

zzyzzx · 04-23-2012, 11:24 AM

I just had my Goodyear Gatorback shred on my over the weekend. Fortunately I was on my way to my GF's house (about 2-3 miles away from it) and had my car loaded with tools (was going to replace struts on one of her cars). Ended up replacing the Alero serpentine belt and tensioner. Good thing she has a garage since it rained all day. Anyway, I'm reasonably sure the belt shredded because of the tensioner (which I considered questionable, and already had another one of those handy) I was going to install it before I made my next out of town trip (in May), but I guess my car decided otherwise. I installed a Dayco replacement since I was able to get the 20% off for ordering online via Advance Auto parts sale on Sunday (with immediate pickup in store). I like the Gatorback, but they are too hard to get locally and Gatorbacks are made in Mexico and the Daycos are cheaper and made in USA.

billytheman1188 · 04-23-2012, 03:42 PM

I've had my gatorback on for over a year now...no problems. Love it!

03Sleepr · 04-23-2012, 04:04 PM

It seems like I must have got a faulty belt. my current belt (gates) has been on for 30-35k with all the same pulleys that were on with the gatorback, without a problem.

MMGT1 · 04-23-2012, 06:28 PM

I love the Gator as well. I was eating a belt every couple of months. They would varnish with my 7200 rpm shifts...lol Gator on for 2 years now without a hook.Id have to say you got yourself a defective one, to where you should shoot them an e-mail and see if they might replace it for you!