On my way home...

**DMSWood** · 03-02-2006, 06:03 PM

I can understand the cooling and steering but loss of brakes has me stumped,unless the belts broke a brake line when they came apart.Glad it was not more serious like an accident but I am sure it gave you some anxious moments.Maybe the old rule of thumb, if your belts and hoses are three years old they should be replaced no matter how they look.Hope tomorrow goes better.

**rrich** · 03-02-2006, 06:58 PM

Duane,
I think that Marc's beast is a Diesel. Diesels do not generate a vaccum and therefore need a belt driven vaccum pump. Therefore no power brake assist.

**DMSWood** · 03-02-2006, 07:10 PM

Thanks Rich .That makes sense,I was thinking air brakes for some reason so couldn't understand the sudden loss of brakes.

Sonny Edmonds · 03-02-2006, 07:11 PM

That or....
Maybe it is like my 1987 Chevy 1 ton was and used the power steering pump as an assist (booster) for the hydrolic brakes. So the loss of the PS pump = no brake boost as well.
Kinda like trying to stop Fred and Wilma Flintstones car without the assist. :o

Glad you didn't get in a wreck, MarC! ;)

:D

[link:home.att.net/~paul.edmonds/|Sonny Edmonds ]
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**CajunRider** · 03-02-2006, 07:30 PM

I have the same thought. I am glad Marc didn't wreck.

**WoodMangler** · 03-02-2006, 08:01 PM

... Like Sonny said... so no brakes.

I limped down the shoulder, but kept it under 30mph and used the emergency brake when standing on the brake pedal had little effect...

I am gonna ask for help on this one... I don't even know how the belts were routed...

Like I said, tomorrow will be fun trying to figure this out :)

It's a 7.3L Diesel, rebuilt by Fangar Performance... what kinda bugs me is I just had this in the shop to get the alternator replaced, and the shop said I didn't need one.... said they just tightened the belts and the bolt coming out of the alternator that the power wire goes to... and less than a week later the belts go... I check this stuff all the time, and didn't think the belts were loose....

Oh well... maybe they got a little carried away tightening them, or maybe the belts were bad and I just didn't see it...

**rrich** · 03-03-2006, 12:05 AM

Marc,
Both the 6.9L and 7.3L are infamous for needing belts replaced about every 30,101 miles. Mine were so regular in that respect that I replaced belts every 25,000. If I tried to go 31,102 miles there was a loud thud combined with the loss of alternator and power to the brakes. Odd but the little PS belt never seemed to fail and the A/C belt kept the cooling working. I guess that I was lucky in that when I lost one belt it didn't screw up all the others.

So now I have a belt (6.0L) that is supposed to last 100K miles but it is one belt for everything.

**WoodMangler** · 06-02-2010, 09:28 AM

... in my rig, only a couple of blocks to go...

Bang!!

Lost the steering, the brakes, and cooling... real fun trying to stop that monster without brakes...

Apparently, when one belt goes, it doesn't want to be lonely so it takes all the other belts with it....

I have a fun morning planned :)