Drive Belt Maintenance: Regularly check the condition of your vehicle’s drive belts

Drive Belt

The vehicle’s engine comes with a number of mechanically-driven parts that are attached to it that perform essential functions. These include ensuring a steady supply of electrical power (alternator), cooling the engine (water pump), making steering easier (power steering pump), and keeping the cabin cool (air-con compressor). In order for these different components to function, a drive belt is used, allowing them to deliver power by means of friction between the belt and pulley. Without a drive belt, none of the attached components would be able to function properly.

Like other components of the car that wear out, drive belts are a regular vehicle maintenance item that should be regularly checked or replaced if necessary. Loose belts loud squealing noises, poor battery charging, and even overheating are symptoms that should lead you to investigate the drive belts on your engine and potentially replace them.

This is the most commonly used belt today and likely what you’ll find under the hood of most cars made from 1990 onwards. It was an evolutionary step in automotive drive belt system design where the idea was to have one long, wider belt that did it all, rather than have multiple belts.

The belt snakes its way through multiple accessories, the crank pulley, an idler pulley or two, and a tensioner. Serpentine belts are easy to replace, but if they break, it entails calling a tow truck since they run everything from the alternator to the power steering and more.

Belt tensioner

This can either be manually adjusted or automatic, but the majority of today’s vehicles are equipped with an automatic belt tensioner which is a self-tensioning device. Tensioners are designed to hold a predetermined amount of tension on the serpentine belt so that it functions properly.

Drive Belt Maintenance

Carrying out regular inspections (once a year) and visual inspections during an oil change would help you ascertain your belt’s condition and give you an idea of when you’re likely to replace it. Considering that everything is well maintained, the serpentine belt should be replaced when the odometer reaches 70,000 miles or 100,000 km. The tensioner would also require adjusting or servicing at some point, even before the drive belt reaches the end of its lifespan. This is another good reason to perform periodic drive belt checks.

5 Signs and symptoms that the belts need replacing

• Squealing or other noises coming from the belt

• Visual signs of wear or damage

• Very noticeable fraying and cracking

• Misalignment and slipping

• Contamination by fluid

What makes the belt wear sooner?

Water, road dirt, excessive heat, and oil leaks can cause the belt to deteriorate prematurely. Oil leaks from the engine can also damage the drive belt.

Loose Belts

Loose drive belts will squeal and could cause your alternator to charge improperly and may possibly cause your car to overheat. A good way to test tension is to push down on the belt in the middle of its longest point. You should be able to depress it about half an inch. Any more than that and it’s too loose; any less, and it’s too tight. A belt that’s too tight will put a strain on the alternator and could ruin the bearings on the water pump.