Your serpentine belt drives your alternator and air conditioning compressor. The power steering and power brake pumps are driven by the serpentine belt in many vehicles. In some vehicles, the water pump is driven by the serpentine belt (in others it’s driven by the timing belt). The radiator cooling fan on some vehicles are also driven by the serpentine belt. Some have separate electric motors.
Serpentine belts do a lot of work for drivers, but they’re touch and can last a long time, but how long will they last? That’ll vary for each individual vehicle. Your owners manual will have a recommendation for when it should be changed, but it could need it sooner. The good news is that a visual inspection at Douglas Automotive Repair can reveal a belt that’s worn.
It’s often recommended that the tensioner pulley that keeps the belt at the proper tension be replaced along with the serpentine belt. This pulley is mounted to the engine block with a spring loaded arm.
What are the warning signs that there’s a problem with the serpentine belt? Drivers may hear a squealing sound from under the hood when accelerating. A loose belt might give you a slow, slapping sound.
If you suspect a problem with your serpentine belt, or if it’s just been a while since it was last checked, as us to have it looked over.
Give us a call today!
This entry was posted in Belts, Vehicle Maintenance and tagged Drive Belt, Serpentine Belt, Vehicle Maintenance on .
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