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Apr
What happens if a serpentine belt fails. If your drive belt has cracks in three or more adjacent ribs within a 1-in.
Most serpentine belts generally last between 50000 and 100000 miles.
Serpentine belt when to change. Serpentine belts last a lot longer than older V-belts ever did but they still wear out over time. The typical replacement interval for serpentine belts and flat belts today is around 90000 miles which for many vehicles means only once every seven to nine years. Thats a lot of miles between belt changes.
On average serpentine belts should last between 60000 and 100000 miles. However if youre only putting a few thousand miles annually on your vehicle dont use that mileage interval as the sole guide for when to replace the serpentine belt. Even when its not in use the serpentine belt is still exposed to the atmosphere and is degrading.
For vehicles driven less than 10000 miles annually consider replacing the belt every four to six years. What happens if a serpentine belt fails. Most serpentine belts generally last between 50000 and 100000 miles.
Eventually your cars serpentine belt will wear down from continuous exposure to heat and friction and will need to be replaced. What Are the Signs of a Failing Serpentine Belt. On most vehicles with a rubber timing belt the belt isnt visible for inspection but it does need to be replaced every 100000 miles or at an interval based on vehicle manufacturer recommendations.
The serpentine belt snakes around several components of the engine transferring mechanical power to nearly every critical part. Under normal conditions the belt needs to be replaced every 4 to 6 years. However those living in areas where the temperature and humidity can vary greatly throughout the year may need to change it more frequently.
The most popular service booked by readers of this article is SerpentineDrive Belt Replacement. YourMechanics technicians bring the dealership to you by performing this job at your home or office 7-days a week between 7AM-9PM. This video will show you how to inspect and tell if the serpentine belt in your car or truck needs to be replaced and what to look forIt is a good idea to c.
Serpentine belts can last for years and might only need to be changed once or twice over the life of the vehicle. The recommended industry standard is to inspect your belt at 60000 miles for wear tear and replace if necessary and replace every 90000 miles regardless of the appearance in order to reduce the chances of a breakdown. If this accessory drive belt also called a V-belts or serpentine belts breaks the battery wont get charged the air conditioner wont blow cold air and the power steering will go out.
The serpentinedrive belt on your car is a crucial consideration and it should be inspected at every maintenance interval every oil change. The belt is in use every single time you start your engine and it is used for as long as the engine is running. As you can imagine that puts a lot of wear and tear on the belt.
A worn tensioner actually increases tension on the belt and that increased tension can damage the nose bearings on your AC compressor power steering pump and alternator. A serpentine belt tensioner is also a dampening mechanism. Every time a cylinder fires it produces a power pulse that pulls the belt tighter.
Inbetween power pulses the belt tension relaxes. A worn or damaged serpentine belt can fail to adequately transfer the power leaving your alternator power steering and air conditioning failing to function. If your serpentine belt needs to be replaced it can be done using only common hand tools.
The serpentine belt is held in constant tension allowing it to maintain its grip on the accessory pulleys by a belt tensioner. The operation of replacing a serpentine belt is essentially pivoting the tensioner away and slipping the old belt off then positioning a new one in its place and releasing the tensioner. The serpentine belt is easy to access in most cars.
If you want to know if your belt is bad simply open the hood and look at the belt for yourself. If you notice visible cracks or damage to anywhere on the belt this means the belt is bad and needs to be replaced right away. Whether you own an old or latest model of car the serpentine belt needs to be inspected more often so they do not fail.
When it starts getting bad you can replace it before it becomes a critical problem. Check each time you change the oil or when checking the position of the self-adjusting mechanism. The app will tell you if the serp belt is good or bad.
First-generation serpentine belts were made from a nitrile compound that cracked with use. If your drive belt has cracks in three or more adjacent ribs within a 1-in. Span or has four or more cracks per inch on a single rib its time to replace it.
Theres one last very compelling advantage to serpentine belts. They dont wear out at least not for a really long time. A fresh belt will probably last 150000 miles without any maintenance at.