IOWA CITY DRIVE BELT REPLACEMENT  

Drive Belt Replacement At Mobile Auto Truck Repair Iowa City

Drive Belt Replacement service near Iowa City IA:As cars age, the belts under the hood need replacing. These belts wear out over the years, and it’s a good idea to get your drive belt replaced before it’s too late. Make sure you understand the warning signs that you need to change the drive belt before your vehicle needs even more significant repairs.

Common Signs of Drive Belt Replacement

Strange Noises

One of the biggest signs that you probably need to take your vehicle to the dealership for a check is when you start hearing strange noises coming from your engine. Once you start hearing the serpentine belt making screeching or squealing noises, don’t put off an inspection. While not all belt noises mean that your drive belt needs to be changed, it’s a good indicator. Other things that can cause the belt to squeal include water on the belt or a leak in the motor oil. However, these can cause damage to the belt, as well.

Visual Signs of Wear

Take some time to visually inspect your drive belt if it’s in an easy-to-view spot. When you see that the belt is starting to wear out, get it changed immediately. A drive belt can function with pieces missing, but the more that’s gone, the more likely it is to give out at any time. In addition to chunks of the belt missing, other signs that it’s time for a replacement include rot or large cracks to the piece. It if looks like the belt is wearing unevenly, you may simply need a re-adjustment.

Mileage Indicators

Today, most serpentine belts are expected to last anywhere from 60,000 to 100,000 miles. Some belts can last significantly longer than this, while others give out before 60,000 miles. Make sure to check your owner’s manual to find out the recommended belt replacement time frame. Keep an eye on your vehicle’s miles, so that you don’t go too far over the replacement window. Even if you don’t notice any problems, it’s important to get the belt checked and replaced if necessary during your routine maintenance. Your technician is trained to find any problems that your drive belt may have, allowing you to fix the issue before it’s a problem.

Breakage is Bad

Let’s be honest any time a part of your vehicle breaks, it’s a bad day. Repair costs can get expensive, plus you have to deal with the stress and frustration of not catching the damage in time. If your drive belt breaks, you’re in trouble. This piece runs power to most of the engine and its accessories. When the belt fails, so does the entire vehicle. Everything from power steering to the air conditioner stops working. In catastrophic situations, a broken belt can actually damage other engine components.

For many drivers, it’s easy to forget to take your vehicle in for routine maintenance. If you’re worried about the cost to replace the drive belt, remember that the cost to repair your car once the belt has broken is significantly higher. Get your belt checked regularly, and if you notice any of the signs of wear, go get an immediate inspection.

When should a drive belt be replaced in your car?

Drive Belt Replacement service near Iowa City IA: Your engine has a number of mechanical accessories attached to it, such as an alternator, water pump, power steering pump and an air conditioner compressor. A drive belt is the part that drives all these accessories. The belt itself is driven by a pulley attached to the engine crankshaft. Most cars have one or two drive belts. When a car has only one drive belt, it might be called a serpentine belt.

A drive belt is made of long-lasting rubber-based material. In most cars, a drive belt is replaced between 40,000 and 70,000 miles, however, we have seen cases where the drive belt lasted over 100k miles.

What makes the belt wear sooner? Water, road dirt, excessive heat and oil leaks can cause the belt to deteriorate prematurely. For example, if the splash shield underneath the engine (engine undercover) is broken, the belt will wear out sooner. Oil leaks can also damage the drive belt. Eventually, a worn drive belt will break.

Broken drive belt Broken drive belt. If a drive belt breaks, you won’t be able to drive your car. This is because the engine will overheat if the water pump is not running. Also, if your car has hydraulic power steering, you will lose the steering assist, as the power steering pump will be disabled. In addition, the alternator will stop supplying electric power that is needed to recharge the car battery and run the vehicle electric systems.

When should the drive belt be replaced? Most car manufacturers don’t specify the exact mileage, but recommend having the belt inspected during your regular maintenance visits.

How can you tell if the drive belt needs a replacement? Your mechanic will look for cuts, cracks, missing chunks and other signs of wear; usually, it’s fairly easy to see if the belt is worn out. For example, the old belt in the photo above shows cracks. Worn out drive belt Drive belt showing cracks and missing chunks. Fig 2.This photo shows the belt with missing chunks of the tread material on the ribbed side. The belt may also need to be replaced if it makes chirping or squeaking noises or if it’s stretched. One of the early signs of a worn out drive belt is when it starts squeaking in rainy weather.

Another common reason to replace a drive belt is when it’s soaked in oil. Oil damages the rubber material, like in this photo.

If your mechanic found that a drive belt is saturated in oil, he or she may recommend repairing the oil leak first. This is because if you install a new belt and the oil leaks onto it, the belt will not last long.

To work properly, a drive belt must be under proper tension. In older cars, the belt tension had to be adjusted manually in regular intervals. One of the symptoms of a loose drive belt is a loud screeching noise that lasts for a few seconds after the engine was started.

Modern cars have an automatic spring-loaded or hydraulic belt tensioner that doesn’t need to be adjusted.

Drive belt tensioner Automatic spring-loaded drive belt tensioner. Fig1, Fig2.If the automatic spring-loaded belt tensioner is sticking or shows signs of wear, it makes sense to replace it together with the drive belt; it takes little extra labor. A hydraulic belt tensioner needs to be replaced if it’s leaking oil.

Replacing the serpentine belt may cost from $75 to $250, depending on the car. Replacing the belt tensioner together with the belt will add $45-$155 to the total repair bill.

Is it easy to replace a serpentine belt as a DIY project? If you have sufficient mechanical skills, proper tools, belt routing diagram and follow the service manual instructions, it’s not very difficult. Your parts store may help you with the routing diagram and tools.

What is the Drive Belt Tensioner all about?

A Drive Belt Tensioner is a pulley mounted to either a spring mechanism or to an adjustable pivot point that is used to keep constant tension on your serpentine belt. That is the big long belt in the front of your engine.

The tensioner rides on the outside surface of the belt to put pressure, or tension, on the belt and against the pulleys that drive things like the alternator, power steering, air conditioner, etc.

Keep in mind:

Tensioners usually come with pulleys; they are normally replaced together. Also, when replacing a tensioner, the drive belt usually must be removed. A mechanic may recommend replacing the belt as well.

How it’s done:

• Check for any noise in the engine (usually a squeaky or grinding noise).
• Remove the drive belt(s) (in most cases).
• Inspect drive belt pulleys.
• Check the drive belt tensioner.
• Remove and replace the tensioner if faulty.
• Start the car to see if noise is gone.

Our recommendation:

Drive Belt Replacement service near Iowa City IA: Your drive belt tensioner should always be inspected when your drive belt is serviced. During routine maintenance and inspection, your drive belt system should be reviewed to make sure that all the components are in working order. The drive belt tensioner will usually last longer than the drive belts, so as long as your tensioner is inspected or replaced when your drive belts are, your belt system should remain in good shape.

What common symptoms indicate you may need to replace the Drive Belt Tensioner?

Unusual noise (squeaky or grinding sound) every time you start the engine.

How important is this service?

The air conditioning, power steering, and alternator in your vehicle are given power through the drive belt. The belt is attached to both the crankshaft and these systems, and transfers power from the engine to drive each of these components. The drive belt tensioner is responsible for keeping the tension in the drive belt, which allows it to continue moving and transferring power. When the drive belt tensioner fails, the tension in the drive belt will begin to diminish, and the vehicle will not operate as well.