The drive belt system consists of the following components:
- Drive belt
- Drive belt tensioner
- Drive belt idler pulley
- Crankshaft balancer pulley
- Accessory drive component mounting brackets
- Accessory drive components - power steering pump, generator, A/C compressor, engine cooling fan, water pump, vacuum pump, and air compressor
The drive belt system may use 1 belt or 2 belts. The drive belt is thin so that it can bend backwards and has several ribs to match the grooves in the pulleys. There also may be a V-belt style belt used to drive certain accessory drive components. The drive belts are made of different types of rubbers — chloroprene or EPDM — and have different layers or plys containing either fiber cloth or cords for reinforcement.
Both sides of the drive belt may be used to drive the different accessory drive components. When the back side of the drive belt is used to drive a pulley, the pulley is smooth.
The drive belt is pulled by the crankshaft balancer pulley across the accessory drive component pulleys. The spring loaded drive belt tensioner keeps constant tension on the drive belt to prevent the drive belt from slipping. The drive belt tensioner arm will move when loads are applied to the drive belt by the accessory drive components and the crankshaft.
The drive belt system may have an idler pulley, which is used to add wrap to the adjacent pulleys. Some systems use an idler pulley in place of an accessory drive component when the vehicle is not equipped with the accessory.
The engine block is made of cast iron and it has eight cylinders arranged in a V shape with four cylinders in each bank. The engine block is a one piece casting with the cylinders encircled by coolant jackets.
The cylinder heads are made of cast iron and have parent metal intake valve guides and intake valve seats. The cast iron exhaust valve guides and powdered metal valve seats are pressed into the exhaust ports. A spark plug is located between the valves in the side of the cylinder head. The water crossover pipe attaches to the front of each cylinder head.
A steel camshaft is supported by five bearings pressed into the engine block. The camshaft sprocket is mounted to the front of the camshaft and is driven by the crankshaft sprocket through a camshaft timing chain.
Motion from the camshaft is transmitted to the valves by hydraulic roller valve lifters, valve push rods, and ball-pivot type rocker arms. A spiral gear machined into the camshaft near the rear journal drives a shaft assembly which operates the oil pump driveshaft assembly. Ignition synchronization with the camshaft is provided by a physical feature integral with the camshaft sprocket.
The crankshaft is made of cast nodular iron. The crankshaft is supported by five crankshaft bearings. The crankshaft bearings are retained by the crankshaft bearing caps. The crankshaft bearing caps are machined with the engine block for proper alignment and clearance. The crankshaft bearing caps are retained by two bolts and two studs each. The number five crankshaft bearing at the rear of the engine block is the end thrust bearing. The four connecting rod journals, two rods per journal, are spaced 90 degrees apart. The crankshaft position sensor reluctor ring is pushed onto the rear of the crankshaft. The crankshaft position sensor reluctor is constructed of powdered metal. The reluctor ring has an interference fit onto the crankshaft and an internal keyway for correct positioning.