27th Feb 2005, 21:41

I have a 1996 Grand Caravan. I am having the same problem with belt slipping off when it get wet. I replaced the tensioner and replaced the belt with a gator back style. Worked well I thought, but have had the belt slip off in rain twice in the last month. I don't mind repairing a problem, but where do I start?

9th Jul 2005, 17:47

I experienced the same problem most of your comments are describing. I had the serpentine belt shred, took it to a repair shop that replaced both the tensioner and belt. Within a week the belt shred again. They said it was because they didn't have the teeth on correctly. They replaced the belt again, but within 2 weeks the belt split again.

I figured the dealership could do a better job, so I took it there. I had the tensioner replaced again, and the belt replaced 3 more times. After the third time, I decided they didn't know what they were doing either.

At last I took it to a local shop, that I knew was a little more expensive, but had never disappointed me before. They explained that the dealership was using the incorrect size of belt. They replaced it, and I have not had a problem for a year.

I thought I was the only one with this problem, because I asked the dealership about the issue, and they said it was not that common. Looking at everyone else's comments, it appears that I was not alone.

26th Jul 2005, 10:50

I am glad I came across this site and these comments. Thank you all for your input. I have had serpentine problems with 2 vans I have owned and I think I am beginning to learn some differences that I hope hold true. I had a GM Astro van that shredded belts like there was no tomorrow. It turned out that there was an alignment issue with the tension mounting bracket and that fixing the bracket fixed the shredding.

I also have a 1999 Dodge Caravan Sport that has serpentine issues. I have noticed the squealing the entire time I have owned the van (3 years), mostly on humid wet days. I also tried belt dressing and the belt slipped off immediately. I also have had the belt slip off driving through puddles, most recently this morning! From the valuable comments I have read so far I am concluding that there are two issues involved here. One is where there is an alignment problem, causing the belt to shred. The other is a tensioner problem causing the belt to slip off. I appreciate the lessons learned and will be installing a gator back belt and a Dayco tensioner. I will post back with my experiences.

As another note, you can "rent" a serpentine belt tool for free (a $19.95 deposit) at Autozone. Nice to have under the back seat if the belt slips off.

21st Aug 2005, 21:10

Wow! I thought I was the only one with this problem. I am so glad I found this site. I have lost the belt about four time now, always in rainy weather. I have heard the words tensioner and idler mentioned several times. Are they not the same thing in a 1999 Grand caravan? How do I move the idler to slip the belt back on? Any help is greatly appreciated.

16th Sep 2005, 12:44

I have experienced the same problem. I have 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan and the problematic serpentine belt slipped off two times after hitting on a puddle. People and mechanics may argue that this is a misaligned problem of belt tensioner. But this is a definite wrong mechanical design of Chrysler van. A car is a moving thing. Even wheel alignment is changing. They should not design this way. I found that the problem came from belt tensioner and idler, If I were them, I would use two belts. Since I didn't see any recalls from Chrysler, I am thinking of fixing this problem by myself. How about adding another wing type washer after outside of tensioner? I think it may prohibit the belt from slipping off.

6th Oct 2005, 21:55

My belt has slipped off 3 times. This last time I had my tensioner replaced with a Car Quest tensioner. The guy at the shop knew all about Caravan belts slipping off, he replaced the tensioner idler pulley with a Ford pulley. The Ford pulley has little flange sides on the pulley so the belt doesn't slip off so easily.

If you go this route you have to put a washer behind the flange pulley or else it will rub.

13th Oct 2005, 08:18

I too have experienced the serpentine belt kick out. I have a 2000 T&C with little over 65K. A new belt was installed a month ago, and now every time I drive in wet weather the belt slips off.

My dealer tells me this is normal, but it has never happened before, so I questioned that. Come to find out that a splash guard can be installed to protect spray from the roadway. Time will tell if this is a fix or a band aid. I know I have driven through large pools of water in the past without having to call for a tow...

During the last failure, I had an independent repair shop show me a different belt, one with larger ridges. That has been installed for over a week, driven heavily in wet weather, and have not experienced any problems.

Again, my dealer says this is all normal, and that MAYBE the non-Mopar belts are better. He told me to call Chrysler to talk to them, but this is a KNOWN issue with the Mini-Van...

After suffering through a number of transmission failures, and now a KNOWN problem with the serpentine belt, I am going to look at something that better protects the lives I entrust to this transportation. I wonder if Toyota or Ford have similar problems. It's not the cost of the repair, but more to do with the reliability of this car... And winter is coming on fast!

10th Nov 2005, 09:07

Wow - Thanks for the great information. We have 150,000 miles on our van and just started getting the problem of losing the belt. It now happens in light rain or driving through a puddle of any depth. I had it happen with a carload of Boy Scouts in a remote area - that was a real problem. I'm going to try the Gator back belt and have the alignment checked.

CHRYSLER SHOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM - it obviously affects many, many people.