Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
Last year while I was driving my 2007 Ford Fusion, a belt broke under the hood and I had to get the car towed to a shop to replace it along with the idler pulley. Just recently, the same exact thing happened! I can’t keep replacing both parts every year, so how can I prevent this from happening again?
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Nothing ruins a nice drive down a scenic road, or worse yet, a rush hour commute, like the serpentine belt deciding to make a run for it. Matters are further complicated when the problem goes further than the belt. There’s good news and bad news, so let’s start with the bad news and end on a high note. The bad news is you are one of MANY Fusion owners to experience the same frustration with your idler pulley. It seems the threaded mount for the idler pulley wasn’t given enough rigidity to hold the idler pulley bolt as firmly as necessary. This leads to the threads becoming wallowed out, and eventually, bolt failure. Now, the good news is after many failures, some intrepid technician somewhere discovered a suitable fix. By using a longer bolt and a nut, rather than relying on the threads in the block, the bolt maintains the proper dimension with the engine and does not break under load. I would advise having a technician inspect the threads in the block. If in fact the threads are damaged, this technique may mean the difference between repeated repairs and a lasting relationship between your idler pulley bolt and you.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
Damaged bearing or pulley
A broken or seized pulley can quickly lead to a torn belt, or in less serious cases, the belt falling off of the engine.
The belt problem is a mathematics problem which requires finding the length of a crossed belt that connects two circular pulleys with radius r1 and r2 whose centers are separated by a distance P.
The bracket that holds the pulley can become damaged. Damage can be caused by vibrations. Since the bracket can no longer hold the pulley in place, the belt can fall off. The good news is pulley brackets are easy to replace.
You can easily drive your vehicle for tens of thousands of kilometres with a bad idler pulley, until the engine components continue to function normally. But, if the engine belt slips then you may lose control of the vehicle while driving.
The loose pulley can make chattering noises as it spins and the vibration can knock the serpentine belt off. A loose pulley can also mean its bearings are bad. If the pulley is excessively loose and there is a lot of play after wiggling it back and forth, it needs to be replaced.
Being made of durable rubber, a serpentine belt can last anywhere from around 50,000-100,000 miles.
A good example of a fixed pulley is a flag pole: When you pull down on the rope, the direction of force is redirected by the pulley, and you raise the flag. A movable pulley is a pulley that is free to move up and down, and is attached to a ceiling or other object by two lengths of the same rope.
Check if the squeaking noise is persistent when you turn on your car, and it feels like it`s coming from the front of your vehicle (under the hood or from the engine bay). If yes, then the squeal you hear is from your serpentine belt or drive belt.
Common signs include a squealing noise from the front of the vehicle, power steering and AC not working, engine overheating, and cracks on the belt.
Check if the squeaking noise is persistent when you turn on your car, and it feels like it`s coming from the front of your vehicle (under the hood or from the engine bay). If yes, then the squeal you hear is from your serpentine belt or drive belt.
Common signs include a squealing noise from the front of the vehicle, power steering and AC not working, engine overheating, and cracks on the belt.
As these belts wear out, they can begin to squeak or squeal. They make noise because there is not enough tension on the belt, or because the pulleys are misaligned or weak. Often, simply changing the belt will make it stop squealing. The noise isn`t usually a danger, though it does sound alarming.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Serpentine belt is rubbing on the engine cover at the belt tensioner pulley 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
ANSWER : Hi there – I would start by doing a visual inspection of the serpentine belt, and the pulleys – are they visually in line? If not, which pulley is out of line in the direction of the engine cover? Are there bushings on the alternator mount which have softened, and are allowing the alternator to "give" such that the serpentine belt is close to the cover? The crankshaft pulley is not likely moving at all. Is the cover where the rubbing occurs coming loose, and moving into the serpentine belt? For assistance, I would recommend a serpentine belt replacement by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.
Read Full Q/A … : Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
hey i had a belt break while traveling on my 2004 honda pilot. It is the small belt and not the serpentine belt. The mechanic t
ANSWER : Hello. The smaller belt is known as your timing belt, and it works inside the engine to keep mechanical components aligned with each other during the compression cycle. The serpentine belt, which is the big belt, drives the alternator, water pump, AC compressor, and a couple of other components. If the small belt broke it is likely the timing belt. This will cause the car to stall, lights to illuminate, and can even cause serious damage to the engine. Typically replacing a timing belt is a lot more complicated and expensive than replacing a serpentine belt. You may want to receive a second opinion on the car before you go ahead with repairs.
Read Full Q/A … : Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
Timing belt is tight and yet appears to be slipping several teeth when belt is rotated,
ANSWER : This is okay since there are more notches on the belt than the amount on the sprockets. Once you aligned the first time the belt marks will almost never line up perfectly again. The marks are used to put the belt on correctly. They aren’t used as an indicator after the engine is turned again. You should be okay to start the motor as long as timing marks on pulleys line up. If you run into any issues, have a certified technician, like one from YourMechanic, assist you with the replacement of the timing belt.
Read Full Q/A … : Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
ANSWER : Nothing ruins a nice drive down a scenic road, or worse yet, a rush hour commute, like the serpentine belt deciding to make a run for it. Matters are further complicated when the problem goes further than the belt. There’s good news and bad news, so let’s start with the bad news and end on a high note. The bad news is you are one of MANY Fusion owners to experience the same frustration with your idler pulley. It seems the threaded mount for the idler pulley wasn’t given enough rigidity to hold the idler pulley bolt as firmly as necessary. This leads to the threads becoming wallowed out, and eventually, bolt failure. Now, the good news is after many failures, some intrepid technician somewhere discovered a suitable fix. By using a longer bolt and a nut, rather than relying on the threads in the block, the bolt maintains the proper dimension with the engine and does not break under load. I would advise having a technician inspect the threads in the block. If in fact the threads are damaged, this technique may mean the difference between repeated repairs and a lasting relationship between your idler pulley bolt and you.
Read Full Q/A … : Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
crankshaft pulley turns, water pump belt doesn’t. It’s making a squealing noise.
ANSWER : Hi there. In this case, it’s likely that one of the pulley’s is frozen or the bearings inside the water pump are damaged which is the source of your problem. It’s typically a good idea to replace the water pump, belts and pulley’s to resolve this type of problem.
Read Full Q/A … : Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
after replacing belt, idler pulley, and tensioner pulley tahoe still sqeaks in the morning?
ANSWER : At the next cold start, try this: Take a spray bottle with some water and spray the belt then start it. If you hear the noise, then the problem may not be with the belt or tensioner. If you do hear it, then it’s possible that one of the pulleys (a/c,water pump,etc) may be slightly glazed or out of round. It’s also possible that a bearing, such as in the water pump, alternator, or a/c compressor clutch may be the issue. Sometimes a bearing that is on it’s way to failure can squeal when cold until it warms up. Alternator bearings are a common source. A mechanics stethoscope may be a good tool to locate a squealing sound. Since the noise is primarily on a cold start, the vehicle may need to sit for several hours or even overnight to get the noise to occur and found with the stethoscope.
Read Full Q/A … : Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
With engine off. Crankshaft pulley spins freely with belt on or off. 96 Taurus 3.0. What could cause that?
ANSWER : I can think of a few possible causes to this issue.
1. You are trying to replace the belt with a new one and may have got the wrong size belt. There are two different 3.0 V6 engines that are available for this vehicle so you may have got the belt for the other engine. The solution to this issue would be to swap the belt out at the parts store for the correct belt and try again.
1. You are trying to replace the belt with a new one and may have got the wrong size belt. There are two different 3.0 V6 engines that are available for this vehicle so you may have got the belt for the other engine. The solution to this issue would be to swap the belt out at the parts store for the correct belt and try again.
The belt is the correct size but the belt tensioner is unable to hold tension against the belt causing a lack of traction between the belt and the pulleys. This would result in the pulleys not spinning fast enough to cause any of the belt driven assesories to work properly.
The crankshaft pulley bolt or woodruff key has broken causing the crankshaft pulley to be loose on the crankshaft. This can also cause a lack of tension on the belt causing the belt driven assessories not to work.
Read Full Q/A … : Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
Can you change the defected water pump without changing its defected belt (which is the drive belt and only belt in this model of
ANSWER : Hello. Yes you can replace the water pump without replacing the serpentine belt. If the belt is worn, and it breaks while you are driving, you can damage a lot of other components in that area. Typically the price of a serpentine belt is relatively inexpensive. You will have to remove the belt to replace the water pump anyway. Since you are likely going to have to purchase a new pump, we do recommend that you purchase a belt at the same time. You SHOULD replace the belt if it is worn, and this is a perfect time to do it. It is not necessarily required, but you are putting yourself at risk of another break down at a later time. Not to mention if the belt is already worn, manipulating off and back onto the vehicle while changing the water pump can further damage it, and shorten the amount of time its got left. Belts should be replaced before they break, as to the amount of damage they can cause when they do break. Again, you may be able to get away with not replacing the belt right now, but if its as worn as you say, its going to break sooner than later and should be replaced.
Read Full Q/A … : Belt problem, maybe a pulley problem?
