so we have heard all the advantages what about the disadvantages? first let me say that I use my truck for extended prospecting trips in remote areas so above all I want ease of repair and reliability. so the reason I like v-belts is redundancy. on a serp belt if you loose any one thing you are dead in the water. a v-belt system can absorb the failure of one component and keep going. also I have an on board air compressor this was easy to incorporate into a v-belt system. also serp belts can slip and whine just like v-belts. my v-belts don't slip and whine. also I find the life expectancy is the same. also there is a high volume water pump for v-belts. so there you go, just wanted to point out there a pluses and minuses to everything. highdesertranger
When it comes to ease of repair, a serpentine belt replacement is hands down the faster and easier of the two. All that is required is breaker bar and a new belt, at least for my system. No need to bring out the tool box to loosen component bolts or remove belts to replace another belt followed by reinstallation of all the belts and realignment of all the accessories and hope everything is tightened correctly.
When I have to replace my belt it will automatically be tightened to a proper tension by the tensioner. Yes, tensioners do wear out, as do any other moving parts on a vehicle. This is why a serpentine system does not usually have belt squeal unless there is something wrong in the system like a worn tensioner or glaze on the belt. So yes, they can slip and whine, but it is much less likely. Having a constant tension on the drive belt system ensures that as the belt ages (stretches) there is still a proper amount of tension to drive the accessories, unlike in v-belt drive systems. There is no tensioner to provide adjustments to each belt as they wear so it has to be done manually. If a belt is not properly maintained it causes the wonderful squealing and improper gripping of accessories which causes heat. Heat and drive belts have never been good friends as heat leads to premature failure. Serpentine belts are thin and can dissipate heat more easily than v-belts. With no maintenance to a vehicle belt system it is more likely that a v-belt system will fail before a serpentine system on the same engine. With proper maintenance a v-belt can have the same lifespan as a serpentine system but it requires constant manual adjustment.
But with proper preventative maintenance you never have to lose a belt. After working on both types of systems, if I had to break down in the middle of snow storm in the dead of night with either a v belt system or serpentine system with a broken belt and all necessary parts and tools to fix both, I would choose the serpentine system every time. Yes, if my one belt breaks I'm stuck until I pop the hood and replace it with a spare I have.
As for a high output water pump on a v-belt 6.2, there are only a few options out there for v-belt applications which is why I went with the serpentine based water pump.
To break this down:
Ease of repair and maintenance...Serpentine.
Redundancy...V-belt
Low maintenance...Serpentine
Dependability (lifespan)...Equal if v-belts are adjusted as they age, otherwise it goes to the serpentine system being more dependable.
