What is a common cause of serpentine belt failure?
Serpentine belt problems usually result from one of three causes: a defective belt tensioner; misalignment of a pulley; or, defective bearings in the tensioner, idler, or one of accessories driven by the belt (including the water pump).
What happens if you don’t replace serpentine belt?
If the serpentine belt completely fails and breaks, then your car will break down. In addition, you will notice a loss of power steering, the air conditioning will not work, and the engine will no longer be able to be cooled like it should be.
Is changing a serpentine belt easy?
Serpentine belt replacement is easy because today’s automatic drive belt tensioners eliminate the need to loosen bolts or pry components into position for retensioning. Just rotate the tensioner, remove the old belt and install a new one.
How do you know if your serpentine belt is slipping?
A squealing or noisy belt is one of the most common symptoms of a slipping or worn serpentine belt. Squealing can be more pronounced when you’re climbing a hill and running your heater or air conditioning at the same time. Squealing can also occur after you drive over deep puddles or have an undercarriage car wash.
How do you know if your serpentine belt needs to be replaced?
Signs You May Need A New Serpentine Belt
- Loud noise or screech from under the hood, particularly when you accelerate.
- Serpentine Belt shows signs of fraying, cracking, splitting, or glazing.
- Engine components such as power steering cease to operate.
- Engine overheats.
How to tell if your serpentine belt needs to be replaced?
Look for signs of damage or wear on the belt. Once you have located the serpentine belt, inspect it visually for signs of damage. If the belt is frayed, coming apart, or has marks that indicate that it has been rubbing on something, it will need to be replaced.
Where do I find the serpentine belt routing diagram?
Find the serpentine belt routing diagram. Many cars come with a sticker in the engine bay that shows exactly how the serpentine belt is supposed to be routed through the various pulleys on the engine. If your vehicle does not have a sticker, you will need to find another way to remember how the belt should be run.
Can a loose serpentine belt cause an alternator to whine?
If the belt is too loose to maintain grip on the alternator pulley, you may experience a similar symptom as a snapped belt. If you start to notice a whine from the engine that changes with engine speed, you may want to have the tension of the serpentine belt double checked.
Why is my serpentine belt on my water pump too tight?
One of the most common failure modes for water pumps is actually bearing failure, caused by a serpentine belt that was too tight. If you think your belt may be too tight, it’s best to address this issue as soon as possible to prevent expensive engine damage caused by overheating. Serpentine Belt Replacement Cost Looking for Replacement Parts?