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Serpentine belt issues Komatsu PC290-11

Shimmy1 · 2025-08-27 13:48

Replaced the belt and tensioner last winter, genuine Komatsu parts. Belt and tensioner was like $600. Same issue. Even without running the a/c, the belt squeals/chirps, fan slows way down, lower RPM helps. Currently, I can't run in P mode, if I run the engine at 1500-1600 it seems to kind of work. The a/c compressor runs off of a separate v-belt that drives off the fan hub. I have a picture of the belt routing, I believe it's a s hitt y design, in reality, only about a third of the fan hub is contacted by the belt. Machine only has 4000 hours, was a problem at 3400.

Replies13
  1. #1LN Pipeline2025-08-27 22:48

    I had the same issue with an 8.3 Cummins. Fan pulley grooves were wore out. You could spin the fan by hand with the belt tight and I could here a whirling sound at max RPM. I put a new fan pulley on and couldn’t hardly move the plastic fan. Same deal with the A/C compressor. It’s driven same as yours. The A/C didn’t work when I bought the machine. As soon as I fixed it, I would lose the fan belt in about 30 minutes of run time.

  2. #2Shimmy12025-08-28 00:26

    I REALLY don't want to have to change that fan pulley. I really don't care to be dealing with this s hit at all, a 6 year old machine with 4000 hours should not be having this sort of issue. I honestly can't believe that there isn't some sort of update or something. It's a pis s-poor design.

  3. #3heymccall2025-08-28 00:48

    Like this routing?

  4. #4Shimmy12025-08-28 01:24

    I wish. Alternator is about 4" higher on mine. You have closer to half pulley of contact.

  5. #5Universal Parts2025-08-28 01:46

    Generally, the squeaking sound is caused by the belt being loose. Try adjusting the screw on the side of the belt tensioner.

  6. #6HarleyHappy2025-08-28 08:04

    Didn’t know te tensioner was adjustable? I would be leaning twords the fan pulley being bad also. Anytime you have a serpentine belt giving you problems, it’s either an alignment issue or a worn out pulley. Even a run out issue doesn’t really affect the belt much.

  7. #7Shimmy12025-08-28 09:30

    How the F can a pulley be wornout at 3400? Ran too long with a bad tensioner???

  8. #8HarleyHappy2025-08-28 09:57

    Not sure but something is causing your new belts to go south. I have replaced hundreds of sheaves, that were prematurely wearing belts. I will say operating conditions can really affect wear. In a sawmill, sheaves wear out extremely fast with the fine sawdust in the air. I imagine it’s the same with other equipment also, especially in certain dust conditions. My lawn or topsoil has a lot of beach sand in it and it dulls the blades, wears the belts and pulleys out and plays havoc on the deck bearings. I realize they are supposed to be sealed but dust and fines get everywhere. I remember parking my truck at the sawmill, with all the windows up and still getting sawdust all over the inside of the cab.

  9. #9Tim getsitdone2026-08-06 10:39

    This this the correct routing if u can’t get the belt on this way u need to try harder. I know u can put it on the wrong way and it will slip like a big dog.

  10. #10Tim getsitdone2026-08-06 10:43

    I put the belt on this way outlined in red and it will go on and it will slip like hell on the fan.

  11. #11heymccall2026-08-06 16:17

    What belt you using? 8PK1805? 6732-82-3360? I gotta ask, did the tensioner come with a shipping pin, and, if so, was it removed? Is the tensioner index pin in the hole on the timing cover? A tensioner has a stroke range. With no belt on, say it points to, say, 8:00. How close to 8:00 is it when the belt is present?

  12. #12Simon C2026-08-06 18:30

    Have seen one crank pulley with so many tiny rocks stuck in the tiny v-grooves that the belt woulod not sit perfectly. They were hard to pick out with a sharp pic and did not have belt problems after. Simon C

  13. #13John C.2026-08-06 20:51

    Apparently sometime the past someone got their hand down close to a belt and probably got hurt. Now Komatsu hides that belt behind a labyrinth of guards so tight I can't see in to check the condition of the belt. When I've inspected those machines I've had say I can't see the belt and it isn't squealing when the engine starts or stops. I recently got a bore scope so I can check them. From my experience, I don't think it would be hard to miss something when you changed it.