With a serpentine belt, using a belt dressing can do more damage than good.
The modern serpentine belt is made of EPDM, which is a synthetic rubber. There are two problems with belt dressing on these. One, it’s a form of fluid contamination. Just like exposure to oil or power steering fluid can attack the EPDM compounds and damage the belt, these belt dressings are also a chemical which will typically damage the belt in the same manner.
The belt will be softened, causing the belt material to be deposited into the pulley grooves and on the smooth surfaces as well. The noise will come back, and worse than before. On top of that, the material that transfers to the pulleys is like glue and it’s tough to remove, especially from the small v-grooves of a serpentine pulley. And you’ll never get the belt, any belt, to run quietly until all this material is cleaned off.
The best advice is to diagnose and repair the cause of the noise, as opposed to any shortcuts.
For more on this, including how you can tell what the problem is, watch the video above.
Pop the Hood is sponsored by Continental.
The post Why You Shouldn’t Use A Belt Dressing on a Serpentine Belt appeared first on Tire Review Magazine.
