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Re: Another question - Serpentine belt Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Sat, 4 Mar 2006 16:43:05
In Reply to: Another question - Serpentine belt, Mary in Maine, Fri, 3 Mar 2006 14:02:32 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Pretty much what the others have said.
There are a bunch of accessories on the engine that need to spin to work - power steering pump, water pump, alternator, air conditioning compressor. There is a pulley at the bottom of the engine, and the serpentine belt sits on that and all the accessory pulleys - when the engine turns, the belt carries the power to turn all the accessories.
It's called a serpentine belt because it snakes all around. And people say automotive engineers have no sense of humor.
If the belt breaks, it's not good. You'll lose power steering, and you should stop the engine, because the water pump won't turn and the engine will overheat in a minute or two.
As the others have said, it's good to replace the belt every 60K miles or so. Something else is that the belt runs on an idler pulley and a tensioner pulley. And idler pulley doesn't transmit power - it's just there to make all the snaking around work. The tensioner pulley adjusts the tension on the belt, so it won't slip. The idler and tensioner pulleys wear out over time. I like replacing them every 60K miles, although that's probably too soon for many people.
Ask the mechanic to inspect the idler and tensioner pulleys when he replaces the belt. If they need replacement, do it now - you're already paying the labor to have the belt removed. In fact, the tensioner pulley has to be removed to remove the belt, so putting a new one in is no extra labor. The idler pulley is one bolt, so it's only about another 5 minutes of work.
The dealer prices for these pulleys is pretty steep - up to $70 each. However, mail order they are on the order of $20 - so ask your mechanic's price, and see how low he can go. Information is power.
posted by 192.249.4...
, Sat, 4 Mar 2006 16:43:05 <-- Viewing This Message
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