How long can you drive on a broken belt?
How long will my car run with a broken serpentine belt? There are a few variables involved in the answer, but it should be able to run between 20 to 90 minutes. If it is a hot summer day, your engine can overheat very quickly without the coolant being pumped through the radiator.
What should I do if my timing belt fails?
Repair, replace or purchase after timing belt failure? On Friday the timing belt on my 2005 Civic LX with 162,000 miles failed causing valve damage in my interference engine (apparently the pistons collided with the valves damaging the valves). So it seems I have 4 options.
When do you Know Your serpentine belt needs to be replaced?
If you notice visible cracks or damage to anywhere on the belt, this means the belt is bad and needs to be replaced right away. If you’re driving along one day and suddenly lose power, check under the hood to see if your serpentine belt is still attached.
Can a car run without a serpentine belt?
However, these devices cannot function properly without the help of a serpentine belt. This one long continuous belt is the force that drives many of the engine’s peripheral devices. There is usually a belt tensioner or idler pulley to guide the belt as it moves. What is a Serpentine Belt? What is a Serpentine Belt?
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.
When to replace a broken serpentine engine belt?
Using a gauge to check for belt wear (Image courtesy of tradetrucks.com) Have the belt replaced whenever a related component is replaced (a broken belt is often associated with a damaged or seized pulley on one of the engine accessories).
When to replace a belt due to misalignment?
Inspect and replace all accessories / pulleys that are difficult to rotate (i.e. rough/seized bearings), or show excessive wobble / free rock Warning: Any existing misalignment condition probably caused pre-mature wear of the belt ribs on the old belt. A new belt is recommended once the accessory drive has been realigned.
When do you need to replace a car belt?
Belts installed on vehicles with manual tension drives should be properly tensioned during installation, and re-tensioned after 5 minutes of run-in (30 lbs. per rib). A belt installed incorrectly will make noise and if not remedied quickly, will need to be replaced
When to replace a tensioner on a belt?
On systems equipped with an automatic tensioner, the tensioner pulley should turn freely without binding, the tensioner arm should move smoothly through its entire range of motion and there should be adequate tension. Replace the tensioner and /or pulley as required