How to Check Belts

A broken belt is painful to the wallet; get in the habit of scoping yours out from time to time, and have all the belts changed at 60,000 miles. There should be no extra labor charge if you ask your mechanic to change them when the timing belt is replaced at 60,000 miles.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Car Manuals
• Belt Dressings

1. Turn off the engine.

2. Pull the hood release lever under the dashboard.

3. Walk around to the front of the car, reach under the hood, find the latch and squeeze it. As you squeeze the latch, open the hood.

4. 

   Find the belts located on the very front of the engine. On a front-wheel-drive car, the front of the engine is usually adjacent to the fender; on a rear-wheel-drive car, the front of the engine is adjacent to the radiator and the front bumper.

5. Note that there will be 2 or more belts, depending on the car. Belts are used to operate the fan, water pump, alternator, air conditioner, power steering pump and smog pump.

6. 

   Press lightly with your thumb on each belt at the belt's longest part between pulleys.

7. Check the appropriate tension for your belts in your car's manual. Belts should not have more than 1 inch of "give" in either direction.

8. 

   Observe the belt as you press on it. If it's cracked or can be easily pushed more than 1 inch, it most likely needs to be replaced.

Tips & Warnings

• Let the engine cool before checking the belts, and be careful around hot engine parts.
• Some belts run more smoothly after being sprayed with "belt dressing."
• If your belts make a horrible shrieking sound when you press on the gas pedal, they are too loose, and probably need to be tightened or replaced.

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[spartanic]

on 4/30/2009 Here are some more info on timing belts if anyone is interested: http://www.garage411.com/TimingBelt

on 11/22/2005 Do not spray a lubricant on serpentine belts to stop the noise as a quick fix. This will cause the belt to slip off the tensioner and could do serious engine damage. Try using steel wool on the tensioner and belt dressing will work.

on 11/22/2005 An increasing number of new vehicles are equipped with one belt which runs all the accessories' pullies and has a spring loaded self adjuster. They don't need adjusting for the life of the belt. These belts sometimes have grooves running across the inside face of the belt so it will flex better and create less noise. These grooves can easily be mistaken for wear cracks so be sure the belt NEEDS to be replaced.

on 11/22/2005 Any V belt can wear out especially if it's not been kept tight. If you've tightened it and you still get the noise, it's probably bottoming out in the pulley. Fit a new one and re-tighten after say, 200 miles.

on 11/22/2005 If you change your belts BEFORE they break, a spare belt in the trunk (or spare-tire well) can save you an expensive tow. Even a novice can change a belt roadside with a few tools - if you have the belt!