Recently, my friend called me from a roadside Dairy Queen in a frenzy. His father had been driving his Ford car down the road and heard a horrible noise. First, there was a shriek and then something that sounded like a whip cracking under his hood. They weren’t sure what was going on, but after investigating, they found that a black rubber belt was half eaten off its pulleys.
“Is the belt still there?” I asked.
“Well, half of it is,” he continued as if the world was ending. “My dad tore off the part he was hanging and now there’s only half left!”
“Have you driven it? How many miles are on that thing?” I questioned
“Yeah. We drove it to the parking lot here. I think it’s ninety grand.” He said dumbfounded.
After a couple more minutes of my friend complaining about his father’s mechanical deficiencies, I took a chance and told them to drive him slowly to my house (which was only five minutes away).
This problem seems all too common among modern car owners. The serpentine belt, both black and cracked, which had been torn to shreds under my friend’s hood, should have been replaced long ago. The problem could have been avoided.
Before this problem happens to you, you should make sure to check the belts when you have your car regularly serviced. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, when you change your oil, be sure to check the serpentine belt with every oil change (or if you’re using synthetic oil that doesn’t need to be changed as often). , check your belt every 3,000 to 5,000 miles).
The serpentine belt is so named because it looks like a snake as it curves around various drive pulleys. As noted, many modern cars have this type of belt because it is much easier (and less expensive) to install than older “V” belts; They also last 50% longer.
A serpentine belt maintains its tension through a spring-loaded pulley. The belt connects to and helps run your alternator, power steering, air conditioning, and water pump. It should never break down on the side of the road because this belt breaks from wear. The problem is easily preventable. Simply check the belt for cracks, fraying, or if it looks aged. However, even if the belt looks great, it may be time to change it. The time interval will depend on the manufacturer’s recommendation (check your car manual), but it’s safe to say that it should be replaced every 60,000 miles or every two to three years.
If the problem persists and you have to change the serpentine belt every few months, then it’s another problem. Most likely there is a problem with the alignment of one of the pulleys. Many times, there could be a problem with what is called the harmonic balancer. While this sounds good, this part is located at the front of the crankshaft. It is made up of an inner steel section, a rubber sleeve and a pulley with grooves on which the belt fits. If there’s a problem with this, you’ll definitely need to check if it’s aligned to a ruler. If you notice that it is not aligned with the other pulleys, take the car to a professional. They may have to move the entire engine to work on it.
If you take your car to a mechanic for an oil change, ask about the serpentine belt at that time. Make sure you have thoroughly inspected all straps. If you are recommended to change the strap, make sure they use a high quality one. It is recommended to use the best made, and most likely, the most expensive (usually around $18 to $45). And be sure to buy your belt from a reputable auto parts store, as different stores carry different brands and types. Ask your mechanic if you properly dispose of the belt. If it’s someone’s home business, you may want to take the belt to a professional mechanic shop and ask them if they can dispose of it properly. It’s a good idea to keep Mother Nature in tune too! Finally, ask your mechanic if he did a belt test while the car was running.
However, if you are researching a Serpentine Belt, you have already won half the battle. Why don’t you try to change it yourself? If you have some tools and a place to work, then you can feel quite “handy” once you see that it’s not that hard of a job.
First, you’ll want to purchase a new, high-quality belt. And be sure to buy a pulley ratchet made for your car. This will allow you to loosen the tension pulley later. So, I hope your belt hasn’t come loose yet. If not, go ahead and draw a little sketch of how the belt rotates around each and every pulley. I like to draw it in as much detail as possible. If the belt has already been shredded, then I recommend searching the Internet for a schematic of how the new belt should be attached. It may seem disconcerting at first. Be sure to find a drawing of the exact date, year, and model of your car.
With my friend’s car, we drew a schematic, but still got a bit confused once we took the belt off. So, we went to the internet for a backup check.
Next, we take cutters and break off the remaining shredded belt. This is not recommended. It’s best to locate the tension pulley (the pulley that keeps the belt tight on all other pulleys and pumps), take the pulley pawl and push it counterclockwise. You may need to use another tool (i.e. hollow bar) to increase leverage as the idler pulley is sometimes difficult to move. Remove the old belt.
Then check the old belt and the new belt together. Are they the same length? Are there the same number of slots in each? If so, continue.
Lay the new belt around the other pulleys according to your schematic. Make sure the pulley grooves match the belt grooves. You don’t want it to slip while driving!
Finally, if the tension pulley is under the car, you may have a hard time keeping the pulley loose and getting the belt on. Maybe there is a friend who could help you. During the aforementioned replacement of my friend’s belt, I held the pulley while he made sure the belt was lined up with the grooves and looked good according to our schematic. Now make sure all your fingers are out of the way and allow the pulley to slowly re-tension, which will tighten the serpentine belt all the way.
Check that the belt is aligned on each and every pulley, especially if there are grooves for the belt to fit. If so, launch it and see if it runs smoothly.
So instead of ending up on the side of the road in a parking lot at Dairy Queen learning a lesson, check your car’s serpentine belt often.