Belt dressing vs. Multi Purpose Lubricant (WD-40)

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Kestas

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I would worry about the long term effects of WD-40 on the belt life. It may break down the rubber making it soft, gummy, and sticky -- good for quiet running but bad for belt strength.
 
There's a post on belt dressing a while back. Perhaps it wasn't the belt sueaking but a pulley bearing? My StepDad used wd-40 once a week to quiet a squeak bearing on his belt system. I told him to try JB-80 and it worked 10 times longer.

-T
 
Yes I read all the previous threads on belt dressing.

I think one factor that I omitted was often the squeaking would have come on immediately after a rainstorm.

In this case it is easy to see where WD-40 would be an option.
 
A team that I was on at work investigated a bunch of different 'rubber' treatments, including belt dressing. The primary effect that we noticed with belt dressing is that swelled the rubber that we were working on, but the swelling decreased in time.
 
Dressings are simply temporary solutions to a belt in need of changing, tightening or deglazing. I've used candlewax in the past since this doesn't permeate or otherwise alter the rubber. But, once again, this was just a temporary solution.
 
When I was a mechanic people would often coem in with a squeaking belt. We'd pop the hood, spray soem WD-40 on there, and send them on their way, happy as a clam. No charge. If it came back we'd do more.

This technique worked surprisingly well. I have since tried belt dressing. WD-40 still works better. Some times it is even a permanent or semi-permanent fix.
 
The other day I changed coolant in my 00 mazda 626 but in the process I spilled some on my drive belts and now when I start car in the morning they will make noise until car warms up.

The car has 83K on it and still original belts. Could it be that coolant damaged the belts?

Could I quiet them down just by washing the coolant off with high pressure car wash?
 
quote:

Originally posted by zoomzoom:
The other day I changed coolant in my 00 mazda 626 but in the process I spilled some on my drive belts and now when I start car in the morning they will make noise until car warms up.

The car has 83K on it and still original belts. Could it be that coolant damaged the belts?

Could I quiet them down just by washing the coolant off with high pressure car wash?


83K on original belts? How about replacing them (should be about time anyway)?
 
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