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    QUICK LINKS

    Jump to a specific section below. 

    PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

    CHARGING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

    COOLING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

    TIMING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

    CAR OWNERS

    Your car is one of the most important assets that you own. It provides you with safe, reliable transportation. The serpentine, cooling, and timing systems are critical for your engine's optimal performance and consist of several different parts. Protect yourself and your vehicle from preventable breakdowns and expensive repairs by maintaining these parts together as a system.

     

    By maintaining and replacing parts together as a system, you can avoid coming back to the shop, and ensure your vehicle stays on the road, getting you where you need to go safely and reliably.

    TECHNICIANS

    You want to keep your customers happy and keep their cars on the road. But replacing one part of the serpentine, cooling, or timing systems isn’t enough and can result in unhappy customers returning with additional repairs sooner rather than later. When you have a vehicle in your bay, be system smart and avoid comebacks by doing a complete repair.

     

    Gates has you covered.

     

    To find the Gates part that you need, use Gates Automotive Catalogue, a next-generation catalog system available anytime, anywhere on any device. Gates provides you with the coverage, quality, and education you need to Protect The Ride.

    BE SYSTEM SMART

    Avoid early system failures by performing a complete system repair.

    SAVE MONEY

    Save money on labor by doing a full system repair on jobs that require the technician to remove the belt. The technician already removes the belt, so replacing it along with the tensioner and pulleys saves car owners money on labor and can prevent premature system failure.

    AVOID ROADSIDE BREAKDOWNS

    All the parts in a system are engineered to work together and wear at about the same rate. Be system smart and repair or replace the full system and not just a single part.

    SAVE TIME

    If your car is already in the shop receiving maintenance, do a full system repair. A full system repair can help prevent another trip to the shop in the near future.

    PREVENTIVE SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

     

    LEARN ABOUT
    THE ACCESSORY BELT DRIVE SYSTEM

     

    A dead battery isn’t always caused because it’s old, poor charging can leave you stuck. 

     

    Did you know your car’s engine has a built-in recharging system? The basic premise is that while the engine is turning parts that make your wheels move, it’s also transferring power into a system which recharges the battery. This system is called the accessory belt drive system, or the serpentine system. Pay attention to your serpentine belt, tensioner and pulleys, or these smaller parts could fail and cause you bigger problems.

    IDLER PULLEYS

    Smoothly connects the belt to the system. Worn pulleys can misalign and cause system damage.

     

    SERPENTINE BELT

    Powers many key components like the alternator and air conditioner compressor. Just 5% wear can negatively affect performance.

     

    BELT TENSIONER

    Maintains consistent tension on the belt. A loss of tension can create noise and heat, leading to premature belt failure.

    BE SYSTEM SMART

    A few fun facts about the serpentine system.

    BELTS WEAR DOWN LIKE TIRES

    Belts rarely break or even crack, which makes it nearly impossible to see when they have lost their pull.

    THE ENEMY IS HEAT

    5% belt wear adds an additional 30 to 50 degrees of heat to the system.

    DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER

    Belt noise is often an indicator that there is something else wrong in the drive, whether it be a misaligned pulley or a failed tensioner. Check tensioners and pulleys for wear or misalignment to diagnose noise.  

    GATES COMPLETE SERPENTINE KITS

    Gates Complete™ Serpentine Kits are the ultimate solution for a full system restoration. They include all the Gates premium parts needed to ensure maximum safety and long-life, and best value due to bundle pricing.

    GATES DRIVEALIGN TENSIONERS

    Gates DriveAlign® Tensioners have patented labyrinth seals that keep the grime out, and round spring coils to ensure consistent long-lasting tension on the belt.

    Automotive Micro-V� Belts RoadMax� Micro-V� Belts

    GATES MICRO-V BELTS

    Gates Micro-V® Belts are engineered to power your progress and enhance vehicle performance.

    DriveAlign� Idler Pulleys

    GATES IDLER PULLEYS

    Gates Idler Pulleys provide OE-quality fit and are built to last with a superior resistance to dirt, salt, chemicals, and other under-hood contaminants.

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    SERPENTINE BELT MAINTENANCE

    Follow your vehicles’ manufacturer recommended service intervals when performing routine maintenance.

    QUICK LINKS

    Jump to a specific section below. 

    PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

    CHARGING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

    COOLING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

    TIMING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

     

    LEARN ABOUT
    COOLING SYSTEM

     

    Make sure your passengers, and engine, both have the right temperature.  

     

    Even on cold days, your engine can overheat. Roadside failure is the last thing you need in your busy life. Protect your ride with preventative maintenance of the entire cooling system, and no one has to lose their cool.

    BE SYSTEM SMART

    Bet you didn’t know the cooling system had all these cool features.

    SAVE AT THE PUMP

    Systems running at the ideal 200*F will provide the most fuel efficiency.

    AVOID ENGINE FAILURE

    Recognize potential failure points with the coolant hose, thermostat or head gasket and avoid engine failure.

    SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT

    Cooling systems that run optimally will create the fewest emissions!

    DEFINITIONS

     

    WATER PUMPS & TIMING KITS

    Water pumps cycle coolant throughout the engine and are driven by a belt via the pulley.

    RADIATOR

    Hot coolant flows into the radiator, where the radiator absorbs some of the heat. Flowing air cools the radiator, to help dissipate the engine heat 

    THERMOSTAT

    Thermostats accelerate engine warm up and regulate engine temperature after full engine warm-up.  A well-functioning thermostat is vital to proper engine operation and achieving target vehicle fuel economy. 

    HOSES

    Radiator hoses connect the cooling components to the engine block. An upper hose moves hot coolant to the radiator and the lower hose returns it cool.

    GATES SOLUTIONS

     

    Professional technicians have recommended Gates premium quality parts for over 100 years. You can trust the quality and performance from a global leader in material science.

     

    • Gates formed and modular coolant hoses are resistant to electrochemical degradation. They are constructed to OE specifications, which includes the specific connectors for a complete repair.
    • Gates Timing Belt Component Kits with Water Pump allow for your technician to service the entire system, saving you time and money.
    • Gates Water Pumps are completely new and 100% quality tested before leaving the factory.

    Gates Molded and Modular Cooling Hoses fight against electrochemical degradation and have manufacturer construction with durable fittings.

     

    VIEW PRODUCT

    Gates Timing Belt Component Kits with Water Pump allow for your technician to service the entire system, saving you time and money.

     

     

    VIEW PRODUCT

    Gates Water Pumps are completely new and 100% quality tested before leaving the factory.

     

     

     

    VIEW PRODUCT

    COOLING SYSTEM 101

    See inside an engine and how the cooling system works. 

     

    LEARN ABOUT
    THE TIMING SYSTEM

     

    The timing system ensures that the hundreds of moving parts inside of your engine move in perfect synchronization for the engine to run properly. A small disruption in this synchronization can cause your engine to run poorly and a large disruption will cause the engine to not run at all.

    DEFINITIONS

     

    TENSIONER & IDLER BEARINGS

    Keeps the belt properly tensioned ensuring maximum performance. A worn or rattling tensioner or idler bearing can result in a belt making excessive noise or even jumping time. Failure to replace the tensioner & idler bearing often leads to premature belt failure.  

    WATER PUMP

    The heart of the engine, it pumps coolant through the engine to cool down the hottest parts ensuring optimal engine temperature and performance. The water pump is driven by the timing belt.

    TIMING BELT

    The timing belt synchronizes the rotation of components and ensures that the engines valves open and close at proper times. A broken timing belt can result in heavy damage to the engine that can cost thousands of dollars in repairs.

    DID YOU KNOW?

    Your vehicle is an important investment, regular maintenance and system-smart repairs are the best way to protect it.

    BE SYSTEM SMART

    95% of timing failures happen after ONLY the belt was replaced.

    SAVE AT THE PUMP

    Properly functioning timing systems improve fuel economy.

    PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT

    A timing system failure can result in significant engine damage.  

    Today, Gates® is the world’s largest manufacturer of Timing Belts and Timing Component Kits (TCKs). As the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for virtually every vehicle manufacturer worldwide, you can be confident every time you install Gates.

     

    • All components included in Gates timing kits are designed to meet or exceed OE performance.
    • Distinctive belt construction as required by specific vehicles.
    • Kits include all parts required to do the complete job.
    • Backed by the industry’s best warranty.

    COMMON TIMING BELT ISSUES