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What are the signs for the replacement of a serpentine belt on a 3800 series 2? And are some belts better than others? Thanks!

If the belt has any signs of wear or cracking on it, it's time to replace it. If it's starting to squeal, it can also be stretching out and time to replace it.

I personally used a gatorback belt when I replaced mine a few weeks ago and I love it. It's extremely quiet and made really well, and it wasn't too expensive at all compared to other serpentine belts for our cars. Just feel lucky that the 2K+ cars are so much easier to change than the pre 2000 models.


Mods, this should probably move to 2000-2005.

The problem with that is: Modern belts don't crack like old belts used to, due to the rubber used. I know O'Reilly's has the little plastic gauges on the counter that you put in the ribs and check the depth. That's the only way to know.

I prefer Gatorback belts, but currently have 2 NAPA belts on my SSEi and have no issues with them.

I guess my Lesabre had an old style belt. It was cracked to hell when I changed it haha, but then again it was probably the factory original.

Yeah, the change happened in the late 90's.

If you dont know when it was done last id say just do it and get it done for piece of mind. I like Gates belts.

Gates makes NAPA's belts, I almost forgot about that. Either do them or Gatorback.

While the majority of modern cars in the past decade come with EPDM serpentine belts that literally 'wear' out and loose their rib depth as they age instead of cracking, many car makers still use neoprene belts that crack and shred when they get old.

When replacing your belts, you'll also find that typically both neoprene and EPDM belts are offered for your vehicle at your local parts supplier. They look very much the same unless you're used to looking for the differences which are only most obvious when the belts are new.

As Ed mentioned, there is a gauge you can get that will help you to decide whether your belt is due for replacement. A good rule of thumb is that most EPDM belts can make 100k miles regardless of time (in non-severe conditions) without really being a reliability issue.

A good quality GATES or Goodyear Gatorback will give you an extremely long service life.

I always use gates belts, cam belts and auxilliary drive. It seems a lot of European oem belts came from the gates factory in the first place. I don't recall EVER having one one fail, in over 30 years of working in a repair shop.

Roger.