cracker Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 FYI: my mechanic received a fax from gates belts in regards to a high failure rate of the k040378 belt on 99-01 models with 4.8l,5.3l,and 6.0l engines.these belts show signs of pure tensile failure.gates has in there possession a document from gm service and parts operations which is titled vehicle calibration information. this document refereneces part#9379910 and includes this description as follows:new software to engage a/c during engine crank to prevent a/c damage also enhanced park/neutral modes.99-01 a/c compressors had an issue called "slugging".this would cause tremendous belt tension and could easly snap belts. >mainly on 99 trucks. >due to improper calibration callout in the software of the vehicle the a/c clutch remains engaged during initial crank. on these vehicles the a/c comp. is mounted very low,the freon hoses run down to the comp.after about 80,000 miles the reed valves in each end of the comp. wear out and leak.after the vehicle sits,the oil in the system drains into the comp. filling one of the six cylinders.oil will not compress,thus causing the comp. to be harder to turn to the point of almost lockup causing the belt to break.replace or repare comp. this just happend to my 03 sss.the a/c belt was making noise so i replaced it .that didnt fix it so my mechanic replaced the tensioner, that worked for one day before it sheared a new belt in half.turn your a/c off before starting or before shutdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenKey Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 ....turn your a/c off before starting or before shutdown. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Something I have always done out of habit. Less strain on your electrical system when starting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersub Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 mine did that same thing last week,sheared the belt right off,replaced with a gatorback and there is a noise coming just after start up and right of idle after sitting a while.thought the compressor clutch was going out.mine is an 03 5.3. is it something in the computer programing because it just started a week ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chpspecial Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 my belt shreded off about a year ago, the crapy thing was that it was on the freeway about 70 miles from my home and it took the front main seal with it. I was spewing so much oil that I could not see behind me when it happened. I have some pics in anybody is intrested. Forgot to mention that the a/c was working perfectly prior to the incident and no funny noises where made during start up or idling, and a/c shows no signs of problems afterwards either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 my belt shreded off about a year ago, the crapy thing was that it was on the freeway about 70 miles from my home and it took the front main seal with it. I was spewing so much oil that I could not see behind me when it happened. I have some pics in anybody is intrested. Forgot to mention that the a/c was working perfectly prior to the incident and no funny noises where made during start up or idling, and a/c shows no signs of problems afterwards either. That's just freaky dude... Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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