26th Feb 2007, 15:19
I, too, have had this problem over the last 6 months. I have a 1999 Chrysler T&C 3.3L. I replaced the belt last week after the 5th occurrence. I felt this might resolve the issue, since every previous occurrence was in wet weather. Today, the belt started making a loud chirping noise before the belt fell off for no reason. I have read many of the responses here, and feel that Chrysler may need some prodding here. I filed a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/
Perhaps, if the feds receive enough complaints, they will push for a resolution. I urge everyone on the site to file the NHTSA complaint.
26th Feb 2007, 23:27
Great site -- Thank You All.
I loved the way you responsible people participated and contributed to this site. I too have a 2000 Grand Caravan 3.3L recently with exact same belt problem.
I get real irritated and angry just imagining that last month I was driving 65 mph under snow and rain in the mountain (at night) with my family (my wife and little boy) sitting in the car, trusting the DODGE company.
However, I gathered every single one of YOUR POSTS and sent it to the following CORRUPTED government organization that is receiving our complaints for last decades and doing NOTHING about it. They suppose to help us (the consumers and public) not the car makers: Yeah, right.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/
Believe me, these car makers spend enough money on politicians, and have enough confidence that your government will protect THEM rather than YOU…
Well -- Send letters to your local officials and see what happens... and frankly good luck.
Alan From San Jose, California.
27th Feb 2007, 16:33
Don't you think it was a little irresponsible to be speeding under such adverse conditions with your wife and little boy in the car? If you had skidded off the road around an icy corner, would you also blame Dodge for not forcing you to slow down to a safe speed?
1st Mar 2007, 08:19
Just ordered the Gates upgrade today... will install next week and write back. I laugh when I read all the comments on belts falling off and I thought I was the only one! Last straw was wife backed van out of normal parking spot (outside) after snow storm. Snow kicked the belt off and she didn't realize it. She let the van idle in the driveway for a 1/2 hour... as most of you know, when the belt isn't on there, the motor gets no water circulation! She called me at work to tell me van had stalled and wouldn't start. I asked her to check the belt... it was off. I assumed the motor had burned up, but fortunately the battery died from running the fuel injection and blower before the engine got hot enough to seize up. Our van isn't the best vehicle, but if $150 saves this from ever happening again it's worth it. (not the mention the safety of my 3 kids and wife on rainy days!) Like someone else mentioned... I can't believe D/C won't take care of this problem (or pay a customer for this GATES upgrade) Take care and good luck!
1st Mar 2007, 19:39
We have a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country Limited AWD with 3.8 engine. Serpentine belt came off tonight during a hard rain. 1st I knew of this serious problem - we've had 6 Caravans ('92, 94, 96, 00, 02, 04) with 3.3 engines - never this problem. Just had tran-saxle mounts replaced on '99 2 weeks ago - they were worn to nothing. Don't know if that affected belt failure. Sounds like the Gates product is the solution - too bad Chrysler didn't bother to try to fix this - 2nd time they almost killed us - 1st was anti-lock brake failure on 1992 model which took them a year too long to recall. Anybody know how many failures, crashes, or deaths are required to effect a government recall? Bill C.
3rd Mar 2007, 09:09
Just installed the Gates 38379K for the 3.8 engine. Idler replacement was a breeze. Tensioner was a bit tricky. I went from under the car with a 3/8" "wobble" adapter I found at Sears and a 6" extension. Made that part a lot easier. Stuff a bunch of shop rags against the front of the tensioner to keep the key lined up when tightening.
The belt is a bear to install. I found the easiest way to do it is to seat all pulleys except the water pump. use a small plastic spring clamp on the crankshaft pulley and belt to keep the belt from slipping off. Put a long 15mm wrench on the tensioner, then put the old belt on the wrench and let the excess belt dangle off the front of the car. Put your foot in the belt loop and push down to move the tensioner, and slip thebelt over the water pump pulley. Since it is the only one without a lip or grooves, it slips on much easier than all the other methods I tried. DON'T FORGET TO REMOVE THE CLAMP BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE!
The van seems to be functioning well, and this kit is a lifesaver. I hated trying to thread the belt back on every time it slipped off.
I still urge everybody with this problem to file a complaint with NHTSA. They are the only ones who can put pressure on Chrysler to fix this.
8th Mar 2007, 16:53
My 2000 Grand Caravan Sport 3.3L engine threw the belt three times in dry weather. Just had a mechanic install the Gates 38379K kit - total cost $125 for the kit and $84 labor. Please everyone go onto the National Transportation Safety Board web site and enter a problem report the more cases reported the sooner Chrysler will be held accountable.
17th Feb 2007, 12:22
I'm another victim of the tensioner/belt problem.
My '97 Grand Voyager 3.3l V6 started making a squealing noise from the belt, but rather than losing the belt when driving through water it would just stop the noise for a few moments.
I had a spare belt, so threw it on - it was LOOSE!!! This is a genuine, unused MOPAR belt, so it seems the comment somebody made earlier about wrong part numbers is correct. This (wrong size) belt stopped the noise, so I went for a run. Yep, it jumped off.
I bought a new tensioner from my nearest Chrysler dealership (32 miles away!) and now have the headache of trying to fit it. My GV has an LPG conversion which I will need to move out of the way to get at the tensioner mounting bolt.
I'll refit the original belt which never had a problem with jumping off, not the OVER-SIZED one I was sold by a different Chrysler dealer last year.
If Chrysler/Mopar are supplying the wrong parts, this is bound to have an effect on this problem - and it certainly won't help to fix it !
After removing and refitting my belt a few times, I'm now pretty quick at it - takes longer getting the car jacked up than changing the belt. I do it from underneath, thread the belt over all pulleys except the water pump, pull down on the tensioner with a long 15mm wrench and then slip the belt over the water pump pulley. The water pump pulley doesn't have a lip on it, so it's easier that way.