What is the purpose of the accessory belts?
It powers the alternator, the power steering pump, the air conditioning compressor and, in some vehicles, the water pump. The serpentine belt rotates constantly when the car is running.
What does Accessory drive mean?
An accessory drive belt is a belt that drives all of the accessories that are in the engine of your vehicle. These accessories include the alternator, the water pump, the air conditioner compressor, and the power steering pump. Some vehicles have 2 accessory drive belts, while some only have 1 belt.
How much does a AC belt cost?
It is very inexpensive to replace a serpentine belt whether it’s broken or loose. The replacement cost is only going to be between $100 and $200 in most cases. The belt itself will cost between $25 and $80 while the labor costs will probably be between $75 and $120. Taxes and fees will be added onto these prices too.
Where is the accessory drive belt on a car?
Most vehicles have a rubber belt on the front of the engine that drives accessories such as the air-conditioning compressor, power steering pump and alternator. If this accessory drive belt (also called a V-belts or serpentine belts) breaks, the battery won’t get charged,…
What kind of belt does a newer car have?
Newer cars have a Serpentine multi-accessory drive belt, as shown here. A serpentine multi-accessory drive belt. If you drive an older car, you have to check the separate belts, as shown here. Accessory belts.
When do I need to check my accessory belt?
If you can’t get to an accessory belt easily to check it yourself, have it checked when you have the vehicle serviced or if the belt gets noisy or any of the equipment it drives begins to malfunction. It isn’t easy to figure out whether a belt is at the right tension just by looking at it, and often it’s obscured by a shield or cowling.
What happens if the accessory drive belt breaks?
If this accessory drive belt (also called a V-belts or serpentine belts) breaks, the battery won’t get charged, the air conditioner won’t blow cold air and the power steering will go out. In addition, if the belt drives the water pump, the engine could overheat.
What is an accessory belt?
An accessory drive belt is a belt that drives all of the accessories that are in the engine of your vehicle. These accessories include the alternator, the water pump, the air conditioner compressor, and the power steering pump.
What is the best quality serpentine belt?
Short Reviews of 5 Best Serpentine Belts 1. Gates K060841 Serpentine Belt/Fan Belt 2. ACDelco 6K930 Professional V-Ribbed Serpentine Belt 3. Bando 6PK2135 OEM Quality Serpentine Belt 4. Continental Elite 4061025 Poly-V / Serpentine Belt 5. Motorcraft JK6982D Serpentine Belt
What are two types of accessory drive belts?
In modern cars, there are generally two types of belts used on front-end accessory drive systems: V-belts or Micro-V belts. The big difference between the two belts is in the profile. Micro-V belts are flatter and wider than V-belts, with multiple “V-shaped ribs” extending along the belt’s length.
What is a car’s accessory belt?
Accessory belts are used to drive the air-conditioning compressor, power steering pump, water pump and the alternator. In more modern cars one or two belts – known as the serpentine belt because of the way they twist around multiple pulleys – do all of these jobs.