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Drive Belt

Drive Belt
Short & Sweet

Purpose:

Many vehicle systems are powered by a belt; they may be called an accessory, drive, serpentine or v-belt.

Symptoms of Failure:

The most common symptom of a bad drive belt is a squealing or whining sound (which may increase over time). If this belt breaks your car may become hard to steer, overheat or lose power. Usually this belt breaking will cause an alternator failure, in this case your battery light will probably come on and your car will lose power.

Care & Repair:

The average drive belt lasts about 80,000 – 120,000 miles.

Cost: $75 – $325

Purpose

Many vehicle systems are powered by a belt; they may be called an accessory, drive, serpentine or v-belt. They often drive the alternator, air conditioning compressor, water pump, power steering pump and supercharger.

Symptoms

If Your Belt Breaks: If this belt breaks, your alternator, air conditioning compressor, water pump, power steering pump, supercharger or anything driven by this belt, will stop working. Your car may become hard to steer, overheat or lose power. Usually this belt breaking will cause an alternator failure, in this case your battery light will probably come on and your car will lose power.

How to Know if Your Belt Needs Replaced : The most common symptom of a bad drive belt is a squealing or whining sound. It usually gets worse and more frequent over time. In the beginning you may notice the squealing or whining sound more in cold weather or when you are accelerating your car. If this sounds like a noise your car is making, take a look at your belt to see if it needs to be replaced. Small cracks aren’t necessarily an indicator that the belt needs replaced. If you see cracks about 3 mm apart all around the belt, it probably should be replaced. If there are large chunks missing, this is also a sign that you are going to need a new belt. This belt is usually ribbed, so don’t mistake the ribs for chunks!

NOTE: Oil, water or any other liquid on the belt is a sign of a problem. That oil or liquid has to be coming from somewhere and you will have to figure out where it is coming from and deal with that problem. Oil or liquid on the belt can cause it to function poorly. For example, the backside of the drive belt (smooth side) generally drives the water pump. If the belt has oil on it (often referred to as glazed), it can slip and the water pump will lose its ability to keep the engine cool. This can cause your car to overheat.

Care & Repair

Most manufacturers recommend that you check your drive belt after a certain amount of miles. Your belt does not necessarily have to be replaced when you have it inspected. Your technician will let you know if it needs changed. The average drive belt lasts about 80,000 – 120,000 miles.

Cost

If you need to replace your drive belt, the price of replacing it should be around $25 – $75 for the actual belt and around $50 – $250 for the labor. It depends on where the belt is located in your car. Drive belts wind around several different parts so sometimes they are hard for the mechanic to get to. For an accurate estimate, go to www.repairpal.com.

 

 

About The Author

Pedals and Pumps

PedalsandPumps provides direct, honest information about car maintenance and repair. We provide money and time saving tips for readers who want to maximize their dollar and simplify their auto owning experience.

TIP:

If you have lost a cap on your tire inflation valve, mention it at your next oil change and the technician will probably replace it for your for free. More ways to tell if you have a tire pressure issue.

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