How long does it take to change fan belt? All these can take you one and a half an hour or more. For an experienced person, it will only take about 20-minutes, as the only concern will be to understand out how to loosen the tensioner bolt, and if the belt is the right one.
How do I know when to replace my fan belt?
After a while, if the belt lets the water pump slide enough times, the engine will overheat. Your serpentine belt is impersonating a snake in the grass. If you find your fan belt is no longer attached to your engine, or is lying on the ground somewhere, that is definitely a sign that it's time to replace your fan belt!
How long does it take to replace a tensioner belt?
All these can take you one and a half an hour or more. For an experienced person, it will only take about 20-minutes, as the only concern will be to understand out how to loosen the tensioner bolt, and if the belt is the right one. One thing to remember is that it does not necessarily require disassembling all the engine parts.
What is a fan belt?
Fan belts are more commonly found in vehicles built before the 1990's when serpentine belts started to replace them. In theses older models, "fan belts" are usually paired with other belts that together form a "V" shape around your drive pulleys and gears.
When should I replace the belt on my car?
The belt may also need to be replaced if it makes chirping or squeaking noises or if it's stretched. It is also a good idea to replace an old drive belt when an alternator or any other component driven by the drive belt is replaced, or when you prepare your car for a long road trip.
Is it easy to change fan belt?
Serpentine belt replacement is easy because today's automatic drive belt tensioners eliminate the need to loosen bolts or pry components into position for retensioning. Just rotate the tensioner, remove the old belt and install a new one.
How much does it cost to replace a fan belt?
A typical serpentine belt start at around $25 and goes up to $75 at most. If you know some car repair basics, you could change the belt yourself, and it may save you paying labor charges somewhere between $75 and $120. All together, you're looking at around $100 to $195 to replace your serpentine belt.
How long does it take a mechanic to replace a timing belt?
Replacing the timing belt is an expensive service. It is an intricate, labor-intensive process that can take 4–8 hours, depending on the vehicle. But replacing the timing belt before it breaks will prevent engine damage and save you money in the long run.
Can you drive with a broken fan belt?
Can I Continue Driving My Car If the Serpentine Belt Is Broken? Technically, yes, you can continue driving your car, but not for long. For instance, without power steering, you're likely to get exhausted very quickly from driving. Still, that's not the worst part.
What causes fan belt to break?
Serpentine belt problems usually result from one of three causes: a defective belt tensioner; misalignment of a pulley; or, defective bearings in the tensioner, idler, or one of accessories driven by the belt (including the water pump).
How do I know if my car needs a new fan belt?
6 Signs It's Time to Change Your Fan BeltFan Belt Squeaking. The fan belt will squeak when you start your engine when it is time to replace it. ... Flickering Lights. ... Steering Becomes Difficult. ... Car Refuses to Start. ... Engine Gets Overheated. ... Cracks in the Belt. ... Car Fan Belt Replacement.
How much does it cost to change a car belt?
A typical serpentine belt generally starts at around $15 and goes up to $80 at most. Add to that the labor costs that can range from $75 and $120. Altogether, you're looking at around $90 to $200 (plus taxes and fees) to replace your serpentine belt.
Why are timing belts so expensive?
The timing belt itself isn't an expensive part. The time and labor are what make it so expensive. To get to the timing belt, the engine needs to be disassembled. Doing so takes significant time and effort.
How much should it cost to replace a timing belt?
Depending on your vehicle, a timing belt service could turn into a big deal and it's going to be costly. Having a timing belt replaced before it breaks will cost between $500 and $1,000 on average while waiting for it to break before replacing can cost upward of $2,000 or more.
What does a broken fan belt sound like?
Symptoms of a broken serpentine belt include loud slapping, squealing or knocking noises coming from under the hood. The battery-shaped charging system warning light might also come on because the alternator will stop charging the battery.
How long does a fan belt last?
Typically, serpentine belts last anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 miles. Over time, friction and heat break them down.
Can a car move without a fan belt?
If you run a modern car without the serpentine belt, several things will happen. the fan will not run, the power steering and brakes will not run, and the AC will not run. at a minimum. therefore, your engine will overheat, turning will be difficult but not impossible and braking will be difficult too.
How does a fan belt affect an engine?
Your fan belt provides power to vital systems in your engine so a broken or worn belt will affect multiple functions. If engine accessories that are driven by the fan belt are not able to spin at the correct speed your entire electrical system can lose power. You might also lose power steering which will make the wheel suddenly harder to turn.
What is a fan belt?
In older cars, the fan belt literally turned the cooling fan, hence the name. In modern cars, the cooling fan is turned electronically but your engine still has belts that are used for various functions. The number of belts your engine has and the configuration of them will depend on the make, model and year but generally, ...
What is a serpentine belt?
A serpentine belt. Modern vehicles have a longer serpentine belt, a single continuous belt that drives multiple functions in your engine. These will include the crankshaft and alternator but can also include the water pump, power steering pump and air conditioning compressor.
What happens if you break the belt on your car?
A broken belt can also affect the alternator leading to a dead battery.
Can you use serpentine belts on a v-belt engine?
Yes and no. This trick may work but it will only work with a v-belt configuration engine. This is because the pulleys have deeper grooves due to the v-shaped grips on the belts. Serpentine belts have smoother pulleys so there would be no grip.
What to do after replacing a belt?
So, after you replace the belt, keep the old one in the trunk as an emergency spare. On long trips, you might consider taking the tensioner wrench along with you, just in case.
How long do serpentine belts last?
Serpentine belts can last for 100,000 miles. But the small idler and tensioner pulley bearings won’t last 200,000 miles. So, when you replace the serpentine belt, replace the idlers and tensioner pulleys as well. They’re not that expensive, and not worth risking a breakdown.
Why not just install the new belts a little too tight to allow for stretching?
Why not just install the new belts a little too tight to allow for stretching? Because that extra tension can rapidly ruin the small bearings in the alternator and water pump. That’s why.
Do serpentine belts stretch?
To give them traction, they are much wider than V-type belts. Thin, wide serpentine belts don’t stretch nearly as much as thick, narrow V-belts. Since they don’t have much “give,” so to speak, even a little over-tightening can ruin pulleys and accessory bearings really fast.
What is a V belt?
V-belts work well on equipment that doesn’t turn very fast and that has a lot of room for big diameter pulleys. V-belts are designated by their measurements, which is width across the top surface in fractions of an inch, and by their length in centimeters.
Can you replace fan belts yourself?
Even if you don’t plan to ever replace the belts yourself, at home or otherwise, it’s still good to know how it’s done. So, let’s become conversant in the operation.
Can you drive a V8 alternator with a single belt?
Some V8 engines used a double belt system to drive both the alternator and another accessory, where a single belt would not have been strong enough to drive them both. Fine and well. But a problem will come into play if you install two belts that came off the assembly line days or weeks apart.
What to do if fan belt squeals?
This is quite common. All you need to do is tighten the belt tensioner a little, and it will go away. Vehicle Repairs.
Do you need a fan belt replacement?
You need to be absolutely sure you have the right fan belt replacement for your vehicle. That means not just the length (although you ideally want one fractionally shorter than your current belt to allow it to stretch) but also the right shape. There are several different configurations of serpentine belt, such as a “V” shape. Be certain the new one matches the old one before you put it on your vehicle.
How long can a belt last without maintenance?
Most belts can keep for about 150,000 miles without the need for maintenance, but if oil or grease gets on the belt, it can quickly degrade its performance. The other reason might be that your tensioner, who exerts direct pressure on the belt and eliminates the need to adjust the tension in your belt, could be bad.
How to adjust belt tensioner?
Thread the belt through the system and let the end that runs around the tensioner to the last. Now, hold the tensioner loosely while threading the last roll. Tighten the tensioner assembly until you have good tension. It will be adjusted automatically.
What is a serpentine belt?
Do you know what a serpentine belt is? It is a long belt with small “notches” on its base. It runs along the crankshaft pulley, power steering pulley, alternator pulley, air conditioning pulley, and water pump pulley. The modern serpentine belt does not require regular maintenance unlike the V-belt used before which had to be replaced ...
What to do if your belt runs poorly?
In case the belt runs poorly, you will see damage to the ribs and inner cords, but you may need a flashlight and a mirror to see the minor effects of fraying. If you find that the belt is not in bad condition, you should still inspect the tensioner, but it could be another problem, like a broken pulley.
Why do you need to inspect your belt?
The main reason you need to pay particular attention to this belt is that it is so vital to the performance of your vehicle. Regular inspections also help you prevent sudden failures that can lead to major headaches.
Is it important to install a belt correctly?
Concluding Thoughts. It is extremely important that your belt is installed correctly. Incorrect installation could result in you being back in this situation in less than a month. In addition, it could potentially damage the connected parts by forcing them to run backwards.
Can a water pump belt be slipping?
The belt will be slipping and will not be driving the water pump. If oil is on the belt, you need to find out where the leak is and repair it before putting on a new belt.