What is a serpentine belt and how does it work?\r\n
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A serpentine belt is a relatively long, flat, multi-ribbed belt that is driven by the engine\u2019s crankshaft pulley. The belt drives many, and often all, of the engine accessories such as the alternator, air conditioning compressor, power steering pump, water pump, and air pump. The serpentine belt is tensioned by a hydraulic or spring-loaded automatic tensioner. Some older cars use a serpentine belt to drive most accessories but will also have a shorter v-style belt to drive, for example, the power steering pump.
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When to consider replacing the serpentine belt:\r\n
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\n- Regularly scheduled maintenance. Typically, belt manufacturers recommend belt replacement at 90,000 miles. However, the belt must be inspected for wear or damage at regular intervals prior to this high mileage.
\n- Squealing noise, belt slippage, visible belt damage. Should the belt fail or wear out prematurely, you may hear noise or you may see visible signs of deterioration such as missing chunks of rubber, excessive cracking, or a shredded appearance on the edge of the belt.
\n- Battery Light. A loose belt, perhaps caused by a defective tensioner, may not drive the alternator at adequate speed and thus the battery may discharge, causing the warning light to illuminate.
\n- Engine overheating. Often, the serpentine belt drives the water pump. In those applications, if the belt breaks the engine will overheat in seconds to minutes. If the belt is inadequately tensioned, you may notice higher-than-normal engine operating temperature.
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How do mechanics replace the serpentine belt?\r\n
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\n- Prior to removing the belt, the mechanic must run the engine to determine if the idler pulley and the belt tensioner are noise-free. Those rotating components have grease filled bearings and are subject to wear. In addition, the mechanic will ensure that all pulleys and accessories are turning in the same plane. These steps help make sure your new belt will operate trouble-free for its full-service life.
\n- The belt\u2019s routing path through the various components is noted. The belt tensioner is released, usually with a wrench or lever, to release the tension from the belt. With the tension off, the belt slides off the pulleys.
\n- All rotating components \u2014 that is the alternator, air conditioner compressor, etc. \u2014 are checked for smooth operation and no noise.
\n- If everything checks out, the new belt is slipped over all of the pulleys while holding the tensioner away from the belt. Once the belt is centered on all pulleys, the tensioner is released and the installation is complete. The engine is run to ensure normal operation.
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Is it safe to drive with a serpentine belt problem?
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No. Should the belt have visible damage, you risk unexpected and sudden breakage that could potentially leave you stranded. Serpentine belt problems that result in the alternator not charging may cause the battery to discharge, which will result in loss of electrical power to the vehicle. Additionally, if a deteriorated belt breaks and that belt drives the water pump, the engine will overheat in a matter of seconds.
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When replacing the serpentine belt keep in mind:\r\n
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\n- On many cars, the expected service life of a serpentine belt is around 90,000 miles. Should the belt fail well prior to that, a very careful inspection should be performed to check for out-of-alignment pulleys, a possibly out-of-position crankshaft harmonic balancer on which the drive pulley is mounted, binding pulleys, or a defective belt tensioner.
\n- Attention should always be given to serpentine belt routing, since proper routing is critical to proper belt tension, and function of the driven components.
\n- Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish serpentine belt related noise from other engine noises. In these cases, a mechanic will determine the origin of the noise by momentarily running the engine without the serpentine belt attached.
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The reason for the 4 stars is he forgot to connect the coolant temperature sensor. So the fan was blowing high and the engine light came on and no reading on the coolant temp meter on the dashboard. But he scanned for codes and realized it was the temperature sensor. While connecting it he broke it but he still gets 4 stars because he admitted right away that he had broken it. He was upfront and honest instead of trying to cover it up and shift the blame, Speaks volumes about his character, He sad it would be replaced and fixed at no extra charge and he would come back and finish it after informing yourmechanic tomorrow as the office had closed. He will get his 5 stars once he finishes it. Yourmechanic has also been very good at resolving any issues on the work done and I expect that tomorrow when their office opens they will resolve it. So will give a 5 star rating when the job is completed. Hoping there are more upright and honest mechanics like Michael which is not easy to find,","author":"Jacob","review_date":"2021-05-05T06:23:07-07:00","service_location":"Rancho Cucamonga, California","year":"2000","make":"Mercedes-Benz","model":"CLK320","engine":"V6-3.2L","car":"2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK320 V6-3.2L","job":"Serpentine/Drive Belt","job_id":202}]},{"id":632916,"name":"Joseph","login":"jcrow","mech_location":"kaysville, UT","experience":20,"avatar_url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/yourmechanic/image/upload/dpr_auto,f_auto,g_face,q_auto/v1/mechanic/avatar_images/15303582187389836053","avatar_path":"mechanic/avatar_images/15303582187389836053","profile_url":"/pro/jcrow","average_rating":5,"ratings_count":644,"reviews":[{"rating":5,"content":"Quick worker","author":"Jon","review_date":"2019-03-20T19:35:06-07:00","service_location":"West Jordan, Utah","year":"2011","make":"Toyota","model":"Tundra","engine":"V8-5.7L","car":"2011 Toyota Tundra V8-5.7L","job":"Serpentine/Drive Belt","job_id":202}]},{"id":7,"name":"Gary","login":"gbalanza","mech_location":"Fairfield, CA","experience":27,"avatar_url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/yourmechanic/image/upload/dpr_auto,f_auto,g_face,q_auto/v1/mechanic/avatar_images/1750302349509622455","avatar_path":"mechanic/avatar_images/1750302349509622455","profile_url":"/pro/gbalanza","average_rating":5,"ratings_count":226,"reviews":[{"rating":3,"content":"","author":"Mandisa","review_date":"2014-03-03T21:31:45-08:00","service_location":"Berkeley, California","year":"2003","make":"Nissan","model":"Maxima","engine":"V6-3.5L","car":"2003 Nissan Maxima V6-3.5L","job":"Serpentine/Drive Belt","job_id":202}]},{"id":1215327,"name":"Tabitha","login":"tabitha","mech_location":"San Diego, CA","experience":17,"avatar_url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/yourmechanic/image/upload/dpr_auto,f_auto,g_face,q_auto/v1/mechanic/avatar_images/4812658534351309815","avatar_path":"mechanic/avatar_images/4812658534351309815","profile_url":"/pro/tabitha","average_rating":5,"ratings_count":319,"reviews":[{"rating":5,"content":"Tabitha was a little earlier but that was OK with me. She did an excellent job in replacing the Serpentine drive belt, drive belt tensioner and drive belt pulley. Oil , oil filter, oil pan drain gasket were replaced. Air filter was replaced. All that within 2 1/2 hours.\nTabitha checked the computer since my check engine light came on three weeks ago but went off again within two weeks. No errors were found but Tabitha explained that prior a vacuum issue was reported. She explained that this could have been a gas cap not properly mounted. This made sense since I remember the gas tank cap being on crooked a while ago. 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