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Serpentine snap?

First off, I did read this (esp Toybreaker's comments): click

Today, I started my car, and there was a bit of an unhappy noise going for a moment. I rolled/shifted back out of the driveway, and noticed the following:

1. The unhappy noise was gone
2. P/S decided to stop working
3. Batt'y light came on
4. Anti-lock light came on
5. The engine was still running

There HAD been an infrequent noise with oscillating volume on occasion for about a week or so prior to this. I assumed it was low fluid and one of the pumps complaining about it. Given the post I cited above, it sounds to me like the serpentine belt broke, as the batt light must be the alternator complaining, and obviously the P/S pump is not being driven, but I checked the fluid and its level is ok.

It didn't occur to me to check belts at the time, but I saw no leaks or blown engine bay fuses. Still running Toybreaker's loaner ECU (I know...need to get mine socketed / capped / back in the car).

Sound like serpentine belt? If so, am I correct to assume that I should just do all the belts while I'm in there? Is there a walk-thru on VFAQ or even our own HOWTO?

PS - In case it isn't obvious, I didn't drive 179/2000 to work today...it was a slightly chilly motorcycle ride. It's sitting on the street by my house, til I can move the Oldsmobeast out of the garage to work on the Galant this evening.
 
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Barnes

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Feb 9, 2003
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Richland, WA
Could be your belt, or it could be your crank pulley. The crank pulley is actually two pieces. The outer piece that the belts run on is attached to the center via a rubber ring. It is common for the rubber ring to fail and the two pieces come apart. So..

Check the belt first, then check to see if the crank pulley is solidly together.
 

iceman69510

Turn Right Racing
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Mar 5, 2001
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No. 1: You don't have a "serpentine" belt, you have three separate accessory drive belts. A serpentine belt generally covers all/most the accessory devices with one belt and a common tensioner.

No. 2: I would check your crankshaft pulley for separation.
 

talon

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Sep 3, 2009
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Location
Denham Springs, La
Sounds like the belt to me. Our cars dont have a serpentine belt per say because our cars have 3 belts.

I dont think there is a write up on vfaq's, but I could be wrong.
 

The belt driving the alternator was limp. I fished it out with some pliers...intact. The belt going to the back (A/C compressor? Water pump?) appears to be connected ok. The upper pulley and belt going to the P/S pump appeared fine, and I was able to rotate it manually.

The crank pulley is way the hell down there and I can't reach in to try and wiggle it, but given that the belt is intact, that sounds like a winner. Now the tricky part is getting in there. Easier from underneath, or am I gonna have to pull a bunch of sh*t out to get to it? Do I replace the whole pulley, or just the rubber part (which I can't see)? Do I need new belt right now? Cuz this one looks fine to me.

Also, there was no slippage whine (aside from my speedometer cable, separate issue), so I doubt the belt just slipped off due to the little grooves in the pulley getting filled with gunk.
 

turbowop

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Apr 29, 2001
Messages
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Location
Yakima, WA
Search the site for info on how to R&R the pulley. I would go to the dealer or get a new factory one from JNZ. Your belts are probably fine, but would be a good idea to replace them anyway.


The belt you threw is the alt/water pump belt, but since the PS pump runs off the belt from the water pump, you lost that as well. At least you still had AC (the rear belt). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hsugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rofl.gif
 

atc250r

Staff member
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Sep 11, 2003
Messages
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Orange County, NY
While all the belts are off do yourself a favor and replace the balancer pulley. It takes about 10 minutes to R&R the thing and if you don't it WILL go bad at the worst possible time.

John
 

iLLeffeKt vr-4

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NYC
Get everything new and you'll save yourself a lot of problems in the future. Get a new balancer pulley and 3 new belts.
 

JackbNimble

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Feb 22, 2009
Messages
274
Location
Youngwood, PA
I had my crankshaft pulley separate just a few months ago. None of my belts snapped other than my A/C belt and everything worked as it should. I would just hear a real loud grinding noise at low RPMs (caused by the crank pulley grinding into the timing belt cover). The easiest way I found to do it personally is to remove the engine mount on that side, jack the engine up, take off the pulleys/belts/ect up top. Then take off the front left wheel. In the wheel well there is a plastic cover that you can take off that will give you direct access to the crankshaft pulley. I did my whole timing belt job this way and replaced the pulley when it went bad a few months later.
 

Well, I wasn't going more than 5 mph in reverse when the belt came off...probably why nothing got shredded.

I've got it pushed into the garage, so I'll get it in a little further tomorrow and get it on jack stands. Thanks for the tip on the wheelwell access panel!
 


Good crankshaft pulley


Bad crankshaft pulley (click for high res to see how disintegrated the rubber got)

Also, the outer belt is a huge pain in the ass because the alternator's tensioner is difficult to get at with a wrench. Likewise, getting the pulleys back on the waterpump drive is a huge pain, as the outer pulley continually falls off...requires someone without hamfists, if you're a large fellow like me. Kudos to my roommate.

I need to replace the bearing in the AC's tensioner pulley, but otherwise, it's just a matter of reassembly. As you can tell from the pics, there is zero doubt that the crankshaft pulley was the culprit. I was able to wiggle it while it was still bolted to the crankshaft, so it's no wonder the belt got kicked off.

PS - This required removing the driver's side motor mount and also the power steering send line (I think), so if you don't want P/S fluid all over your floor, make sure to be prepared for it draining (puking on your alternator on the way to the floor, if you're dumb like me, or into a bucket from the reservoir, if you think ahead).
 
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insane92

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Oct 11, 2008
Messages
261
Location
WI
Make sure you torqued all 4 bolts to spec. I didn't do this once
and it made the pulley wobble and the harmonic balancer went bad.

And if you used the crank nut to hold the pulley still, retorque
that too.
 

JackbNimble

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Feb 22, 2009
Messages
274
Location
Youngwood, PA
Quoting Asbestos:

Also, the outer belt is a huge pain in the ass because the alternator's tensioner is difficult to get at with a wrench. Likewise, getting the pulleys back on the waterpump drive is a huge pain, as the outer pulley continually falls off...requires someone without hamfists, if you're a large fellow like me. Kudos to my roommate.

PS - This required removing the driver's side motor mount and also the power steering send line (I think), so if you don't want P/S fluid all over your floor, make sure to be prepared for it draining (puking on your alternator on the way to the floor, if you're dumb like me, or into a bucket from the reservoir, if you think ahead).



Heh, yeah. That tensioner sucks. I've found that a flexhead, stubby 3/8 ratchet gets in there perfectly. This guy right here to be exact:
click

And I forgot to mention about the P/S fluid. I did the same thing too when I changed mine /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif
 
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All bolts on the crank pulley (including the central nut from the crank itself) got the impact wrench at 80 PSI. Is it bad if it's too tight?

Quote:
Heh, yeah. That tensioner sucks. I've found that a flexhead, stubby 3/8 ratchet gets in there perfectly. This guy right here to be exact:
click

That ratchet woulda been handy...I forgot that my buddy left his 3/8 over at the house, and mine is a 1/4" with a 3/8" adapter for all of its 3/8-drive sockets (why they did it that way, I don't know...), which didn't fit in the cramped space down there. So we ended up doing it with a combo wrench, and that took fforever.
 
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Back on the road!

I had a squeaky belt last night, so I tightened up the alternator tensioner. Hope that'll do it, but I fear that the PS belt might be too loose as well, since it has no tensioner. Thanks for the help / sanity check.

PS - Don't pay the $100+ that people want for the accessory belt tensioner pulley that goes w/ the AC...I got a new bearing pressed into it for $22. Under $7 for the bearing, if you have a press.
 
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