2007 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3 serpentine belt/tensioner/idler pulley

[Number_35]

This is for our 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3 litre, 266,000 km.

After the van has been driven for about 15 minutes, there's a smell of burning rubber and a squeaking noise from the engine compartment.

I figured it was the serpentine belt going out of alignment slightly, and rubbing against something.

This afternoon I pulled the front right wheel and a plastic splash panel to access the serpentine belt system.

My assessment, listening to the various pulleys with the engine running, is that the tensioner pulley is starting to fail.

An incidental discovery was that the water pump is starting to leak very slightly.

My plan is to replace the water pump, serpentine belt, tensioner, and idler pulley.

Here's where it gets weird - a lot of the belts on Rock Auto come with a warning that they're only for use with a previously installed "solution kit".

Wha ...?

The ChryslerMinivans.net forum turns up several discussions about this.

Apparently the 3rd-gen (1995 - 2000) Chrysler vans (equipped with the 3.3 or 3.8 V6) were bad for dropping the serpentine belt after going through puddles. Presumably this problem carried on to the 4th-gen (2001 - 2007) and early 5th-gen (2008 - 2010) vans equipped with the same engines.

The Solution Kit (Gates 38379K) replaces the smooth idler pulley, smooth tensioner pulley, and smooth -on-one-side belt with a grooved idler pulley, grooved tensioner pulley, and grooved-on-both-sides belt.

Until now, I've had no issues with the belt, and it's never come off.

Should I simply leave well enough alone (replace the smooth pulleys and smooth-one-side belt with same), or should I upgrade to the "solution kit"?

Thanks!

 

[daves87rs]

Think all new might be better that this point.

 

[Number_35]

I agree, I'll go all-new, but do I replace like with like (smooth idler and tensioner pulleys, grooved-one-side-only belt) or go with the "solution kit" (grooved idler and tensioner pulleys, grooved-both-sides belt)?

 

[zrxkawboy]

Personally, I'd replace with like, since it's been working. We had a 2005 T&C 3.8 for years, and never had an issue with the factory-style belt setup.

Good luck on the water pump. IIRC, ours was kind of a pain to maneuver out of there.

 

[D60]

Sadly Gates is no longer really respected. If they're the only ones making said kit, I'd stay OEM-ish because it's been fine.

 

[WobblyElvis]

I had a 99 Dodge Caravan with the 3.3. It started throwing belts yet everything looked fine. Tensioner was a 1 year old aftermarket unit. I don't recall the brand but it had a little slop or wobble in the pulley so I replaced it with an OE part. Problem solved! My point is, ...these engines seem to be sensitive to pulley misalignment. Don't go cheap on parts and inspect them for any loose tolerances before installing them.

The setup I had, did not have any kind of special grooved idle pulley or kit.

 

[Capt W]

Don't waste time with the kit. Litens brand (made in Canada) is the OE supplier and can be had less expensively.

 

[Number_35]

Personally, I'd replace with like, since it's been working. We had a 2005 T&C 3.8 for years, and never had an issue with the factory-style belt setup.

Good luck on the water pump. IIRC, ours was kind of a pain to maneuver out of there.

I did a water pump on a friend's 2005 Grand Caravan c. 2012. We had to loosen up the the passenger-side motor mount, support the oil pan with a piece of wood on a hydraulic jack, and lower that side of the engine a couple of inches to get enough clearance.

 

[t1snwrbrdr12]

I did a water pump on a friend's 2005 Grand Caravan c. 2012. We had to loosen up the the passenger-side motor mount, support the oil pan with a piece of wood on a hydraulic jack, and lower that side of the engine a couple of inches to get enough clearance.

You take the pulley off first, then push it further back onto the water pump as it fits right over the water pump impeller (flange?). Then you can remove the 10mm water pump bolts, knock it loose, then push the engine over using 2x4 on the ac compressor and a pry bar up in the frame there. One of the easiest hard looking water pumps to do but I think I had to have replaced a few hundred.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Get the Litens kit, which includes the OE Litens tensioner and a Bando belt.

 

[meep]

I had a 3.3 and the 3.8, both in gen 4. This makes sense to me. In rainy drives if it got some splash, I don’t remember exactly, but I remember belt squeal and loss of something, either voltage or power steering, and it had some interaction with whether or not the compressor was engaged. But yes. We never threw a belt on either of these, but had the belt slip was common for both in the rain.

We also drove an LHS for about a year, belonged to my FIL, that regularly threw or broke one belt, which tangled with another, and we’d lose power steering. A normally-built person cannot steer that car without power steering in traffic. Never figured out the cause.

 

[Number_35]

Get the Litens kit, which includes the OE Litens tensioner and a Bando belt.

I had a 3.3 and the 3.8, both in gen 4. This makes sense to me. In rainy drives if it got some splash, I don’t remember exactly, but I remember belt squeal and loss of something, either voltage or power steering, and it had some interaction with whether or not the compressor was engaged. But yes. We never threw a belt on either of these, but had the belt slip was common for both in the rain.

We also drove an LHS for about a year, belonged to my FIL, that regularly threw or broke one belt, which tangled with another, and we’d lose power steering. A normally-built person cannot steer that car without power steering in traffic. Never figured out the cause.

Well, rats, I placed an order last night, before reading these two replies.

For better or worse, I ordered conventional replacement parts from Rock Auto. I hope I did the right thing.

The consensus seemed to be to stick with what's been working to date, so smooth pulleys on the idler and tensioner. And don't cheap out on the replacement parts - the cheapy knock-offs are way more likely to go out of alignment way sooner.

As well, the problem seemed to be much worse with 3rd-gen (1996 - 2000) than 4th-gen (2001 - 2007) Chrysler vans.

I ordered AC Delco Gold for everything - water pump, idler, tensioner, and belt.

Close to C$300 delivered, but having heard from friends recently about multi-thousand repair bills on their newer and lower-mileage vehicles, I can't complain.

 

[meep]

I don’t think you could go wrong either way. You’re using oem parts, taking care with what you’re doing, and your driving style and/or its condition hasn’t been a problem. Go for it!

 

[Number_35]

I don’t think you could go wrong either way. You’re using oem parts, taking care with what you’re doing, and your driving style and/or its condition hasn’t been a problem. Go for it!

Well, GM rather than Mopar, but hopefully of good quality!

 

[Number_35]

The parts came in yesterday, and I spend most of today doing the work.

It went fairly well - no broken bolts or lost or leftover parts, and no leaks when done. The burning rubber smell and squeaking are gone.

I could not get the old WP out without dropping that side of the engine an inch or so. Not a big deal - removed the air box and then loosened the three motor mount bolts on that side, while the oil pan was supported with a bottle jack with a short piece of wood on top to distribute the force.

The old tensioner pulley, idler pulley, and water pump all felt OK - I think the leak was from the WP gasket rather than the internal seal - but no way was I putting in that amount of work without replacing everything.

 

[MaximumMini]

I try hard to avoid those water pumps with plastic impellers.
I have a few 1999's, have put over 150,000 on them combined (and also a 2006 Gen 4) and in all those miles never had any belt or tensioner problems, even with non OEM parts. One reason you may have had a failure is that it is not hard to get a belt that is "tight". I've received Serp belts from RA and other suppliers that varied in overall length for the exact same vehicle.

But yeah, sooner or later those idler pulleys and the tensioner can fail.

One other thing....make sure the wiper tray drain holes are clear (they commonly get clogged), and are properly attached other wise they can leak onto the alternator and belt during heavy rains.