New belt broke

[pasadena_commut]

The new (about one month old) alternator belt on the P5 my daughter is driving just broke. She tells me, I'm not there and it may just have fallen off. This was the belt that was squealing right after it was put on.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123836361-New-belt-squeals-on-(very)-cold-starts

Now the car has been parked in the open and operated in hideously cold conditions for the last month (it is in central Missouri), and for all I know the replacement belt might have been defective, but still, it is a little disconcerting to have a belt fail that soon. It went about 9 years on the first belt (all of it in warm and sunny Southern California), then we put in a new one before shipping the car to her in Missouri. The 2nd belt lasted a year. The 3rd belt lasted a month.

Any ideas on what might cause a P5 to start eating alternator belts?

 

[esnave09]

If it's not adjusted right, the belt will get eaten up and eventually fail. I know it's not nearly as short as your belt life, but I managed to make mine last 8 months before I got sick of the belt squealing and took it back to the shop, which found that pieces of my belt were missing. The squealing didn't really get bad until the last month, but you should take the car back if the belt is squealing at all. It could prevent a belt failure, and most shops SHOULD replace or adjust the belt as needed to prevent the squealing.

If nothing else, it might need an alternator test to see if the pulley is turning freely as it should. Shortly after I got my car I had to replace my alternator and belt after the alternator seized up and shredded the belt. I don't remember if it was squealing at all, but the belt was shredded and laying in pieces in my engine bay.

 

[pcb]

My guess is that the belt was simply over-tightened as the only option to stop the damn squealing.

Here in the polar vortex,.. we have to pick between squeal and bearing/belt life.

P.S. You can shatter a tire with a hammer if it's cold enough.



I say, design a system that does this,...

I'm in the process of ordering a can of generic liquid urethane (I see a multitude of potential uses).

I intend to coat my alternator pulley with a coat of the stuff,... I'm figuring it should help with grippage,... If it doesn't work it just get's flung off or eats a $10 belt.