Is it safe to drive with a bad belt tensioner?
”It is not safe to drive with a bad belt tensioner because the belt tensioner ensures sufficient tension to power the accessories. As the tensioner wears, the belt can slip at the accessories creating noise, excessive heat at the accessory pulleys, and reduce accessory performance.
Can a tensioner go bad?
The process of a tensioner going bad seems like a pretty slow one as it does not occur overnight. Thus, the system starts leaving some clues in the form of symptoms. It is beneficial to pick on these signs early and handle the problem before it develops into something worse.
What does a belt tensioner do on a car?
This power drives the alternator, water pump, power steering pump, and air conditioning compressor, among others. It is the responsibility of the belt tensioner to ensure that the drive belt has the right amount of tension to power the different accessories.
Can a bad tensioner cause a misfire?
It is common for the valve movement to face some disturbances when the tensioner is bad. You may often find the valve opening and closing at a time that doesn’t match the piston’s time rise and fall. With this, there would be no combustion within the cylinder, causing the engine to misfire.
How long can I drive with a bad tensioner pulley?
In some cases, you will be able to safely drive for tens of thousands of miles before you notice any drops in performance. But, it takes only one slip of the belt for the engine to lose momentum and for you to lose control over the vehicle.
What happens if the tensioner pulley fails?
When the tensioner or tensioner pulley fails, the loss of tension can cause the belt and pulleys to make high-pitched rattling or chirping noises. If the pulley bearing completely fails, it can also cause a squealing or even a grinding noise. Symptom 2: Knocking or slapping.
How serious is a bad belt tensioner?
A seized or loose drive belt tensioner can cause the belt to snap, which will disables those accessories and can cause problems such as overheating, a dead electrical system and battery, or a disabled AC system.
How do I know if my tensioner is bad?
3:216:54How to Diagnose a Loose or Stuck Belt Tensioner on Your Car or TruckYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSimple way to test to see if yourself adjusting tensioner is working or not is to simply go aheadMoreSimple way to test to see if yourself adjusting tensioner is working or not is to simply go ahead and grab on to the belt. And give it a nice tug. If. You don't see the tensioner. Moving.
Can you drive with a broken tensioner pulley?
Driving with a bad belt tensioner is unsafe since the tensioner is meant to guarantee ample tension that powers accessories. Wear on the belt tensioner will eventually cause the belt to slip, generate loud noise, and also create an unsafe level of heat along the accessory pulleys.
How much does it cost to fix a belt tensioner?
The average cost for a drive belt tensioner replacement is between $211 and $239. Labor costs are between $73 and $93, while parts are priced between $138 and $146. Taxes and fees are not included in the estimate.
How long can you drive with a bad serpentine belt?
between 20-90 minutesThere are a couple of factors influencing the answer to this question, but on average, your car should be able to run between 20-90 minutes with a broken serpentine belt. The engine will overheat faster without a functioning cooling system on a hot day, so your driving window is less.
Can a bad tensioner cause engine vibration?
Excessive tensioner movement – Worn-out coil springs can also cause drive belt tensioners to loosen their grip on the drive belt, resulting in excessive vibration and rattling. Too little tension will also lead to belt slippage.
Can a bad belt tensioner cause rough idle?
Yes, a timing belt can cause rough idle. Timing belt controls the opening and closing of engine valves at a precise time interval through various types of mechanisms like cams, gears, linkages, etc.
What causes tensioner failure?
Cause: Metal-to-metal contact between arm and spring housing. Solution: If tensioner arm misalignment is apparent, the pivot bushing has worn down and the tensioner should be replaced.
Can a bad tensioner cause loss of power?
Typically a damaged belt tensioner will not impact vehicle performance. It would cause the serpentine or drive belt to wear prematurely or to squeak - but not cause the acceleration issue.
Why is my tensioner shaking?
Causes of Belt Tensioner Wobbling In general, belt tensioners tend to get noisy when they fail. If your belt tensioner is chirping or makes other noises, it is often an indication that the part is old and needs to be replaced. You can even remove the belt, spin each pulley, and listen for rumbling or other noises.
How to tell if belt tensioner is bad?
Like we mentioned earlier, a loud noise is one of the easiest ways to tell that there’s something wrong with your belt tensioner. It’s almost as if the belt tensioner is upset and letting you know that you need to change it! Usually, the noise is being produced because of the loose bearing inside the tensioner.
How to tell if belt tensioner isn't working?
1. Serpentine Belt Slipping When You Start the Car.
What is a serpentine belt tensioner?
What’s a belt tensioner? Called the serpentine, or ‘snakes’ as a nickname, the belt tensioner has a really important role to play in ensuring your car functions properly. Of course, you probably know that the manufacturers didn’t add it in for kicks!
Why is a belt tensioner important?
The belt tensioner has an important job of providing tension to the belt. It is this tension that helps the belt to spin and power up the accessories. These accessory pulleys have the job of working with the respective car parts. Once the belt tensioner starts messing with the belt, there will likely be a loud clanking noise as ...
How to tell if serpentine belt is slipping?
This is one of the most tell-tale signs that there’s something wrong with the serpentine belt. Once you start the engine, you’ll hear the loud sound of the serpentine belt slipping. You should check it immediately.
Why does my belt stop working?
This means that the alternator will no longer be switched on and supply equal and opposite energy to the battery. The battery, as a result, will malfunction.
Why is the steering wheel pulley important?
The steering wheel pulley plays an important role in the optimal functioning of the steering wheel. You can only imagine what a disaster it would be if you suddenly could not operate the steering wheel while driving down the highway! It can be extremely dangerous and is a recipe for accidents.
What Does Serpentine Belt Tensioner Do?
Put simply, the function of the tensioner is to retain a certain level of “tension” on the serpentine belt. This predetermined tension held by the tensioner is what keeps the serpentine belt running as designed, pulling all connected pulleys, and causing the car to cruise smoothly.
Is It Safe To Drive With a Bad Belt Tensioner?
No, it is unsafe to drive with a faulty component; let alone, a component that has failed completely. Driving with a bad belt tensioner is very risky and poses greater damage to all the pulleys connected to the serpentine belt and even the engine too.
Bad Serpentine Belt Tensioner Symptoms
When the tensioner is bad, the amount of tension it reserves for the serpentine belt won’t be up to the minimum, or it may exceed the maximum. Hence, it would cause the serpentine belt to wear out faster than it would have done due to age.
Serpentine Belt Tensioner Replacement Cost
You’d be lucky if you found out earlier that the tensioner is going bad. The average belt tensioner replacement cost is $150 – $350 depending on your car model, the level of damage, and the type of tensioner used. The labor cost for belt tensioner replacement is on average $80.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’d hear squeaking, whirling, or rattling noise when the serpentine belt tensioner goes bad. This noise is caused due to lack of sufficient tension on the serpentine belt to drive the connected pulleys and keep the car cruising as expected.
Summary
In conclusion, some of the most common bad serpentine belt tensioner symptoms include whirling noise, overheating, squeaking noise, and excessive wear on the belt itself.
What does a tensioner do to a car?
All these components of the tensioner play significant roles in controlling the chain’s movement.
How to get a chain out of a tensioner?
Work on the tensioner. Once you can find the chain, you would find the tensioner at its side, completely attached. Then, work on loosening the chain from the tensioner by moving it in the required direction. Once you do that, the chain appears loose enough, and you can easily get it removed.
What does it mean when a timing chain is failing?
Thus, a failing tensioner would mean that the chain, crankshaft, and camshaft may stop running , causing a halt in the vale and piston movement.
What part of the chain supplies the pressure needed for proper control of the chain?
Well, that is the job of the timing chain and the tensioner . The part that supplies a sufficient amount of pressure needed for proper control of the chain is the tensioner . You would often find the tensioner below the chain cover working so hard to ensure that the chain remains at the right position for a long while.
Why does my timing chain make a noise?
There is often a timing chain tensioner noise from within the engine due to a failing tensioner. Kindly note that a bad tensioner makes the chain go loose and it may soon start hitting other parts. Hence, the noise from the engine as you drive, and this sound ranges from a knocking sound to a squeaky or chirping sound.
What happens if a timing chain tensioner fails?
If the tensioner fails, the engine’s internal components may face some problems. Thus, it seems crucial to take all symptoms of bad timing chain tensioner seriously.
Why does my timing chain break?
Often, when the timing chain breaks, it mostly happens due to a failing tensioner (except when it appears too old).
How to tell if belt tensioner pulley is bad?
One common symptom that tells that the belt tensioner pulley is bad is a chirping noise that tells that the belt no longer grips firmly. Nevertheless, you can notice other symptoms like the engine misfiring and the check engine light going on.
How to tell if timing belt tensioner is bad?
Thus, it would help if you know a few symptoms of a bad timing belt tensioner. These signs often include weird noises that indicate whether the belts are starting to crack or appear worn. It would interest you to know that the camshaft and crankshaft of vehicles can only have that perfect synchronization when the timing belt moves consistently. ...
Why does my timing belt make a knocking noise?
The timing belt tensioner knocking noise is a common sign that drivers notice when their car timing belt tensioner goes bad. If the timing belt goes loose , it starts “knocking” between its connected parts and would keep hitting the timing belt cover. Remember, the timing belt cover is responsible for keeping the tensioner at a place.
How much does it cost to replace a timing belt tensioner?
When the timing belt tensioner seems worn, there is a need to replace it with a suitable one. The timing belt tensioner replacement can cost between $350 and $550. The tensioner often gets replaced alongside the timing belt, so you may need to budget between $500 and $2,000 to get both fixed.
Does a timing belt go bad?
For experienced car owners, you can attest to the fact that the timing belt barely goes bad unless it seems pretty old. Nevertheless, there is often more report of the tensioner having problems and separating from the timing belt.
Can a timing belt slip off?
With that, the belt can slip off easily and starts generating excessive heat that decreases the performance of its accessories. If you keep driving and ignore the common symptoms that follow a bad tensioner, the timing belt would wear completely.
Can a timing belt rotate without a tensioner?
Without a working tensioner, the timing belt would not cycle properly between the camshaft and the crankshaft. As such, both the camshaft and crankshaft cannot rotate, stopping the valves from opening and closing. Again, the pistons would not rise, preventing the engine from functioning as it ought to. You should quickly get the car ...
Why is a belt tensioner important?
The belt tensioner in your car is an important component. It maintains the correct tension on the drive belts. This helps facilitate the transmission of power to the different accessories of your car.
Why does my alternator not work?
Since the belt tensioner keeps the proper spinning of the drive belts in the car’s engine, certain components or accessories may fail to operate if there’s a problem with the tensioner. For instance, the alternator may not work. If this happens, then you will not be able to power up your car’s electrical components.
What is a spring tensioner?
Spring tensioners operate automatically. This means it adjusts the tension on the drive belts without external manipulation. The belt tensioner in your car consists of four principal parts. These include the pulley, the tensioner arm, the spring, and the base. The pulley is what allows the movement of the drive belt.
Why does my drive belt wear out?
This can be due different causes. One of the more important reasons of unusual belt wear is a problem in the pulley of the drive belt tensioner. If the pulley is problematic, it can lead to the fraying of the drive belt’s edges.
How to tell if a belt tensioner is loose?
Squeaking or Grinding Noise. One of the most common symptoms of a failing belt tensioner is unusual noise coming from either the tensioner or the drive belts. If the drive belt noise resembles a squeal or a squeak, it is possible that the belt tensioner is loose.
Why does my drive belt make a squeaking noise?
Since the tensioner is not able to maintain the correct tension on the belts, it produces a squealing or squeaking sound. This is most evident on the drive belts. If the noise you hear is similar to a grinding sound, then it is possible that the tensioner bearings or the tensioner pulley is the problem.
Why is my car's tensioner arm so tight?
Excessive Sideward Movement of the Tensioner Arm. Turn on your car’s engine and watch the tensioner arm. It should stay in a tight position. If the tensioner arms make large swings, it is possible that there is an issue with the spring torque or the damping system.
How to tell if idler pulley is bad?
You should be worried if these warning signs occur: 1. Squealing Noise. The engine belts will make a squealing noise when there is an issue with the idler pulley.
Why does my engine make a squealing noise?
It could be a worn-out surface or a pulley that gets stuck. The lack of motion from the pulley makes the engine belt rub against its surface and yield the squealing sound. A bad pulley will create a squeaking noise (Photo Source: gettyimages)
What is an Idler pulley?
Idler pulleys do the function of guiding and tensioning the engine drive belts. The drive belts pass through various engine components including the power steering pump, water pump, alternator, and AC compressor. The pulleys create some rotating points for the belts to stay on their designated loop.
What causes a serpentine belt to dislodge?
A damaged pulley can cause the drive or serpentine belt to dislodge. If that happens, all components that derive power from that belt will stop functioning. On most vehicles, these parts include the alternator, water pump, power steering, air conditioning system, and different exhaust components. This could be dangerous.
How long does a car run after a rattling noise?
You should be concerned if the vehicle makes squeaking or rattling noises. The car can still run for months or break after a few days. You should not take the risk as it could lead to engine failure if not taken immediate steps.
Can a power steering pulley cause an accident?
For example, a non-operational power steering could cause an accident. The engine can get overheated and then damaged due to a dysfunctional water pump. So, how long can you drive with a bad idler pulley? The safety recommendation is not to drive the car at all and take it to a mechanic immediately.
Who is Tsukasa Azuma?
Tsukasa Azuma. Tsukasa Azuma is an awesome car blogger of Car From Japan. He owns a car repair shop at downtown Osaka, and he put all that experience to good use in his sharing posts. Tsukasa’s blog is one of the best resources for information about keeping your favorite imported car running smoothly.
