- Protective lenses
- Gloves
- pry bar or large screwdriver
- sockets and ratchets
- Ruler
- Spanner Set
Put on your safety gear and look for the drive belt in step one. Put on your gloves and safety glasses.
Find the drive belt; there may be more than one on the car. Make sure you are tightening the belt that requires it.
Measure the belt deflection in step two. Push down on the belt while positioning the ruler along the vehicle’s longest belt section.
As you press down, count the distance the belt descends. The belt shouldn’t be able to be pressed down any farther than A1/2 inch on the majority of automobiles. The belt is too loose if it can be pressed lower.
- Note: The amount of deflection that can be detected in a belt varies depending on the manufacturer. Verify the owner’s manual for the particular car you are driving.
Prior to tightening, check sure the drive belt is in good condition as well. Check the belt for any cracks, wear, or oil. The drive belt needs to be replaced if any damage is discovered.
- Tip: Rotating the drive belt is another way to determine whether it needs to be tightened. If it can turn more than 90 degrees, the belt has to be tightened. It shouldn’t be able to turn more than that.
In This Article...
What occurs if the alternator belt is too slack?
Naturally, if the serpentine belt is loose and the alternator is powered by the alternator, the alternator will struggle. In most car models, a battery warning light on the dashboard will illuminate if there is an issue with the charging mechanism.
When the alternator belt is loose, the alternator won’t spin as quickly, which might result in a decline in charging voltage and the appearance of the warning light.
How is a belt tensioned?
If the belt feels solid when you give it a karate chop, the drive is properly tensioned.” Your thumb should be used to press the belt until it deflects by about a half inch.” When the drive is operating, tension it until you notice a small bow in the slack side.
How can I tell if the alternator belt is worn out?
Your car’s performance can suffer if your serpentine belt is failing. The car could overheat regularly. You can experience problems with your power steering or air conditioning. If the alternator is being hampered by a defective serpentine belt, you might find that your car’s battery isn’t recharging.
Additional indications of a serpentine belt issue include:
- Starting up with flickering lights
- failure to launch
- lowered headlights
- a permanently on-going amperage light
If your serpentine belt isn’t working properly, your car may regularly stall down while you’re driving. If the belt snaps while you are moving, the battery will eventually die, and the belt may do additional damage as it flops around under the hood.
How much does a new alternator belt cost?
But how much does it cost to repair a serpentine belt? A replacement serpentine belt typically costs between $70-$200 (plus taxes and fees), with roughly $50 for the belt and around $150 for labor. Of course, this will vary depending on your vehicle’s make and model as well as labor expenses.
What alternative to a belt tensioner tool is there?
Then, all that is required is a jack and an open end wrench (or spanner, if you prefer). Just raise the tensioner until you can unbuckle the belt.
Is driving possible without an alternator belt?
The short answer is no, you cannot operate your vehicle without a serpentine belt. Driving without a serpentine belt is quite dangerous. A automobile can only absorb so much wear and tear from other parts before they stop functioning entirely. Your car’s serpentine belt is an essential part, and if it breaks, you’re in serious trouble. Without this component, there won’t be enough coolant flow to keep the engine temperature stable, which is bad because the motor could overheat if there’s no fluid flowing through it. An overheating car may develop more significant issues, such as broken blocks or twisted pistons, if it is not attended to right away.
What does it cost to fix a car’s loose belt?
A common serpentine belt costs no more than $75 and starts at about $25. You could change the belt yourself if you have a basic understanding of auto repair, which might save you between $75 and $120 in labor costs. You should budget between $100 and $195 to replace your serpentine belt altogether.
The straightforward fix for this issue shouldn’t take more than an hour—two at most. It depends on the car’s model and how simple it is to access the serpentine belt inside the chassis of the vehicle.
How many belts are there in a Hyundai Getz?
The accessories in or on the engine of your Hyundai Getz are powered by the drive belt(s) using the engine revs. Your alternator, water pump, air conditioning compressor, and power steering are a few examples.
Most Hyundai Getz models feature one or two drive belts, which are sometimes referred to as serpentine belts. The belt can be formed of perishable materials like rubber, neoprene, or urethane and must be flexible to move over pulleys.
The driving belt belt(s) are tensioned and mounted on pulleys. This secures the belt in position and supplies the attachments with the energy they need to function properly. The accessories’ performance could suffer or cease entirely when the belt begins to wear, is damaged, or breaks.
Drive belts for Hyundai Getz vehicles should be changed as needed or at the predetermined service period described in the service manual. Drive belts occasionally get damaged or need to be replaced earlier than anticipated, thus it’s advised to check them at every service.
Depending on the form of the drive belt or belts and whether other engine parts must be removed to gain access to replace them, the cost to have a Hyundai Getz drive belt or belts replaced ranges from $100 to $400 or more.
When the drive belt tension has changed and it has to be replaced or rebuilt, you may occasionally hear a noise warning. Your drive belt may be signaling that it requires maintenance if you hear screeching during or shortly after vehicle starts.
When I start my automobile, what belt squeals?
Most of the time, a serpentine belt is to blame for the squealing. It is the extraordinarily lengthy belt that loops through numerous pulleys that is visible when you open your hood. It links the crankshaft to many components, including the alternator, power steering, air conditioning, and water pump. Your serpentine belt may be squealing for one of three main causes, all of which are simple to fix:
- damaged or worn belt
- Unstable tensioner
- Belt slack
My Hyundai Elantra is screeching, why?
The water pump pulley is the most frequent source of screaming or squeaking from the timing belt cover. The pulley will produce noise if the bearings are starting to deteriorate. They will eventually seize, stopping the water pump from working and causing your engine to overheat.
Slipping serpentine or V-Belt: Noise transmission from a slipping serpentine or V-belt is another frequent reason in this situation. In some cases, the noise actually originates from the timing belt cover, but it actually SOUNDS like it is coming from behind the pulley where the belt is slipping.
Belt Too Tight: Once more, the noise is not originating from the timing belt. However, if your serpentine belt or V-belt has recently been replaced, it may have been tightened too tightly, which will result in squeaking or squealing.
If one of your other pulleys is out of alignment, you may hear a squealing or squeaking sound coming from under the timing belt cover (generally after incorrect replacement of the belt on an adjustable pulley).
How can I stop the squeaking of my new serpentine belt?
Nothing is more embarrassing, according to Top Tech Automotive, than cruising the streets of the greater Billings region in a car with a noisy fan belt. In addition to being embarrassing, a squeaky fan belt can be moderately, if not significantly, annoying when it squeals repeatedly. On occasion, a belt may screech as a car starts up and then vanish quickly. However, on other occasions, the screeching belt issue will continue as long as the car motor is running. Top Tech Automotive is pleased to provide the following free auto repair guidance to Billings-area clients who are experiencing a fan belt squeak issue.
Most auto repair supply stores have belt dressing, which, when used according to the directions on the package, can be very effective. Belt dressing can do wonders to stop a belt from squeaking and can keep the squealing from happening again for a while after application.
There is a “old-fashioned” technique to stop a belt from squeaking if it occurs when it is not possible to buy belt dressing or it is preferable to save money! Use bar soap! Yes, rubbing regular bar soap on a fan belt typically stops it from screeching. Bar screaming may be stopped for a long time with just a few rubs of bar soap on the belt, which also saves money.
Top Tech Automotive always emphasizes to our Billings-area customers with a squealing fan belt that it is important to always be safe when working around an engine and that turning off the engine is your best bet when applying either belt dressing or bar soap to a fan belt to solve a squealing belt problem.
What causes a serpentine belt to dislodge?
I recently had a new serpentine belt and pulleys installed on my car, but the belt keeps popping off; it has done so three times.
To prevent the serpentine belt from coming off, the belt must always be under stress. The belt may come off if the belt alignment is not correct. It’s possible that the tensioner is out of position and isn’t tightening the belt adequately. Have the tensioner inspected by a mechanic and replaced if necessary.
Your tensioner pulley or idler pulley may be misaligned or loose, according on how it sounds. The tensioner pulley is a serpentine belt design pulley that is employed as an adjustable pulley to change the amount of tension applied to the belt as required. The belt may come off as you describe if this is out of alignment or the tensioner pulley is slack. I’d advise having a specialist from YourMechanic visit your location to examine and diagnose your vehicle.
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How long can a loose belt be used while driving?
The answer to this issue depends on a few different variables, but generally speaking, your automobile should be able to run for 20 to 90 minutes even with a broken serpentine belt.
On a hot day, the engine will overheat more quickly without a working cooling system, reducing your window for driving.
However, if the temperature is cold and your battery is completely charged, you might be able to operate the engine of your car for a little bit longer than 90 minutes before the battery runs out. That may be sufficient time to reach a close-by mechanic.
To prevent battery drain, all electrical and electronic equipment should be turned off. Also, keep in mind that your steering wheel will feel somewhat heavier.