How do I put my serpentine belt back on?
If your serpentine belt has come off, it's important to get it back on properly to ensure your vehicle's engine components are functioning correctly. This article will guide you through the steps to reinstall your serpentine belt with ease.
What is a Serpentine Belt?
A serpentine belt, also known as a drive belt, is a long, winding belt that powers multiple accessories in your vehicle's engine, such as the alternator, water pump, power steering pump, and air conditioning compressor. It gets its name from the serpentine, or winding, path it takes around the pulleys in the engine compartment.
Why Would a Serpentine Belt Come Off?
There are a few common reasons why a serpentine belt may come off, including:
- Wear and tear over time, causing the belt to become loose or crack
- Damage to the belt, such as a tear or cut
- Misalignment or failure of one of the pulleys the belt runs over
- Excessive tension on the belt, causing it to jump off the pulleys
If your serpentine belt comes off, it's important to address the underlying issue to prevent it from happening again.
Steps to Put the Serpentine Belt Back On
Follow these steps to properly reinstall your serpentine belt:
- Locate the serpentine belt routing diagram, usually found under the hood or in your owner's manual. This will show you the correct path for the belt.
- Identify the belt tensioner, which is a spring-loaded pulley that applies tension to the belt. Loosen the tensioner to create enough slack to loop the belt back onto the pulleys.
- Starting at the crankshaft pulley, carefully guide the belt around each pulley, following the routing diagram. Make sure the belt is seated properly in each pulley groove.
- Once the belt is in place, use the tensioner to apply the correct amount of tension to the belt. Refer to your owner's manual for the recommended tension specification.
- Visually inspect the belt to ensure it is properly aligned and not twisted or rubbing against any components.
- Start the engine and check that the belt is running smoothly without any slipping or squeaking noises.
By following these steps, you can easily put your serpentine belt back on and get your vehicle running smoothly again.
Is it OK to drive without a serpentine belt?
Technically, you can drive your vehicle - but, ideally, to the nearest auto repair shop or back home to fix the issue yourself. Once you discover that your serpentine belt is broken, you should make plans to find another means of transportation.
Which side of serpentine belt goes down?
Because nearly all serpentine belts are symmetrical, a new belt's direction of rotation usually doesn't matter. What does matter, though, is that the new belt is routed correctly around the pulleys. It's also important that the grooved side of the belt faces toward the pulley grooves.
Does it matter which way a belt goes?
WAYS TO WEAR A BELT
Men will typically wear a belt counterclockwise, from left to right, with the end of the belt going through the buckle and ending on the left side of the zipper. However, a left-handed man might end up wearing their belt clockwise, from right to left, due to their dominant hand.
How to put serpentine belt back on?
Replacing the serpentine belt is as simple as threading it into position, cranking the tensioner and slipping the belt over the tensioner pulley, or nearest pulley up top. Belt tensioners are mostly spring tension. Once installed, the spring retains pressure to the belt.
How do you tension a serpentine belt?
Place the gauge on the belt in the middle of the longest span between two pulleys. Then, apply pressure to the belt tension gauge by rotating the gauge handle or using a wrench to turn the gauge bolt. Keep applying pressure until the gauge indicates the proper amount of tension.
What happens if the belt comes off an alternator?
If you've been out on the road for a while with a loose alternator belt, then you could find that the car starts draining so much power from the battery that the car shuts down – effectively stalling.
How do I put the belt back on the alternator?
Pivot the alternator so the old belt slackens enough for removal. Remove the old belt and route the new belt over the pulleys. Tighten the alternator belts, ensuring the belt is set to the proper tension (see below). Replace any other parts you removed: accessory belt, engine fan, etc.
What happens if a serpentine belt falls off?
Loss of Power Steering or Air Conditioning
As the serpentine belt drives the power steering pump and air conditioning compressor, a failing belt can result in a sudden loss of power steering assistance or reduced cooling capacity from the air conditioner.
How to fix a slipping belt on a car?
Tighten or Replace the Belt: If the belt is loose and still in good condition, tighten it according to your vehicle's specifications. If it's worn or damaged, replace it with a new one. Inspect and Replace the Belt Tensioner: A faulty tensioner is a common cause of a slipping belt.
How do you properly tension a belt?
Typically, you would measure the distance between the two pulleys at the midpoint of the belt span.
- Apply Force: Apply a specific force to the midpoint of the belt span perpendicular to the belt.
- Measure Force: Use a belt tension gauge or a similar device to measure the force required to achieve the desired deflection.
