Europarts Serpentine Belt kit TYPE 1 vs TYPE 2

terra_firma

Member
Hi all,

I want to get the europarts serpentine belt kit to have in the truck while on the road, along with some other parts and supplies, and I've noticed there are two "types" of kits europarts offers.

Type 1:Contains serpentine belt, original Litens belt tensioner assembly and both small idler rollers

Type 2:This kit has one larger ribbed idler and one small smooth idler. We have added this kit at the request of several customers who wish to use the smaller and smooth upper pulley and the larger ribbed lower pulley

I emailed europarts and the response was something along the lines of "Order whichever one you prefer".

Now if theres one thing i've learned about sprinter parts, its about buying what MB "prefers" (read: demands, or catastrophic failure will result!), and i doubt the reason people buy it is because it looks cool. It must serve SOME function!

Could the larger lower pulley be used for people who are running the version of the serp belt that is a teeny tiny bit longer?

Thanks!
 

Nigel

New member
I had so much trouble getting the right belt I went for the expensive option and ordered a Bosch belt, even then I had to order it from Germany.
 

f5hunter

2006 158 SHC 2500 GDE
I went with the type 1 using the logic that i could keep the old belt as a spare in the event the new one broke. The type 2 kit with one larger pulley would render the old belt a bit short.

I do recall an explanation in this forum somewhere on the request for the larger idler pulley...there was no strong reason to use on over the other.
 

Ciprian

Spark Plugs not allowed!
Originally MB put a big ribbed pulley on the bottom and a small smooth one on the top. Don't know why, since the belt rides with the ribbed side on the smooth pulley.
Europarts used to only offer 2 big ribbed pulleys in both locations.
Doktor A prefers the small flat one on the top.

I have used both smooth and ribbed on top and I havent noticed any difference. It does not affect the length of the belt at all, meaning the same length belt can run on both types.
 

riskydnb

New member
Hi all,

I want to get the europarts serpentine belt kit to have in the truck while on the road, along with some other parts and supplies, and I've noticed there are two "types" of kits europarts offers.

Type 1:Contains serpentine belt, original Litens belt tensioner assembly and both small idler rollers

Type 2:This kit has one larger ribbed idler and one small smooth idler. We have added this kit at the request of several customers who wish to use the smaller and smooth upper pulley and the larger ribbed lower pulley

I emailed europarts and the response was something along the lines of "Order whichever one you prefer".

Now if theres one thing i've learned about sprinter parts, its about buying what MB "prefers" (read: demands, or catastrophic failure will result!), and i doubt the reason people buy it is because it looks cool. It must serve SOME function!

Could the larger lower pulley be used for people who are running the version of the serp belt that is a teeny tiny bit longer?

Thanks!
The belt size is the same even if you use both the larger ribbed pulleys. The reason why they use 2 ribbed is cause the smooth is like 3 times the price of the ribbed. I use the smooth version cause I believe it may lead to faster pulley failure, (all pulleys especially the alternator pulley, which makes a ticking noise when about to fail.) I have the same parts as euro, with same shipping times/rates but im 10% cheaper. If you need any other parts hit me up if you wanna save some dough @ 760-622-0148 -Randy
 

terra_firma

Member
So i got my kit and after comparing it it looks like i actually have the type 2 kit on my sprinter currently with a ribbed pulley on the left side of the motor and a smaller pulley which has no sidewalls and has shallow ribs on it but otherwise looks smooth.

So no im really confused. Did mb manufacture these vans with different pulleys , or do they all start off with one ribbed and one smooth pulley? Why would euro parts list the correct kit as type 1? Obviously im going to email them, but i think id update this post.

It also comes with the 6pk2257

Based on this post it seems like they have given me the slightly shorter belt and the slightly longer pulley, which is not recommended:

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35550&highlight=6pk2257

Heres a photo of the stuff:


Heres a photo of my oem pulleys:

Top right smooth pulley


Top left ribbed pulley with sidewall


So im thinking of returning it and getting the type2 kit since it seems to be the right one. The oem belt i took off was a pk6 2260, ive replaced it with another of the same part number. This belt tensioner kit was purchased so i would have an extra set of everything while i got on some road trips this year and so far europarts has only made this more confusing



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220629

Well-known member
The pulley history as I see it = very unofficial.

The OM612 engine NAS aka NAFTA 2001 - 2003 came OEM with the ribbed pulleys. The OM647 engine came OEM with the top smooth anti-flutter pulley. (If yours has grooves they are likely from wear. The ribbed side runs on the smooth pulley.)

I believe that the smooth pulley was used because it is more forgiving as to alignment.

Original thoughts were that the smooth pulley on the OM647 engine was critical. Then people began replacing it using the more readily available ribbed pulley. To the best of my knowledge there hasn't been any study which documents problems with substituting the ribbed pulley for the smooth. Many people have been using the ribbed pulley without problem.

My conclusion is that there is not a critical difference as to which pulley is installed. I have no data.

:2cents: vic
 

terra_firma

Member
Thanks Vic, here is the email i got from europarts:

"We have two different kits shown on the website. One with two of the larger ribbed pulleys and the other with one ribbed larger and one smaller smooth.
Everyone has their own thoughts on this and it really does not matter which one you use. They both will perform fine, with no negative aspects, whatsoever.
Most owners (about 80% of our sales) choose the exact same kit that you chose. The problem with the info on the internet is that everyone on the internet has their own opinion. We sell two different kits
to allow everyone to have their own preference. Quite frankly, if there was a known problem with using what you chose, we would, in good conscience, not sell the kit as configured. The 2257mm belt is only
1/8 of an inch shorter than a 2260mm belt...again, the difference is insignificant and has no negative effect. If you look at the Dodge parts diagram, you will see that for all model years 2002 to 2006, they specify two of the larger ribbed pulleys. This also seems to be reasonable to me, as the smooth faced pulley interfaces with the ribbed side of the belt and normally, a smooth pulley only interfaces with the back side or non-ribbed side of the belt. Two ribbed pulleys are, in theory, more stable with the belt."
So i'm thinking:
1. When installed all-new tensioner/idler pulleys/belt maybe its fine with the slightly smaller belt and bigger pulley since you have a brand new tensioner that can handle the tighter setup

2. Maybe throwing the shorter belt and bigger pulley on with an old tensioner could be problematic since the tensioner could be on its way out anyway

3. I think i may keep the two ribbed pulleys and just exchange for the slightly larger belt.

Again, thanks everyone. I know there are other posts on this but i know europarts is used by many on here and hopefully it helps some others


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Ciprian

Spark Plugs not allowed!
Terra Firma,

If you put the smooth pulley next to the ribbed pulley, the smooth one has the same diameter as the big one with the ribs cut off, so it will not require a belt of a different length. I have used both pulley types with the same length belt with no problems whatsoever.
 

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