Accessory belts use the rotation of the engine to turn additional components.These belts may be used to power a coolant pump and fan, an alternator, a power steering unit, or an air conditioner compressor, depending on the configuration of your car.A serpentine belt is a single belt that loops around all of these components like a serpent on some autos.
Engine Terminology
An accessory belt is a continuous reinforced rubber component that links and transfers power between the engine and numerous accessories like the coolant pump, alternator, compressor, and power steering pump.By design, a car may have multiple accessory belts.
The crankshaft and camshaft are connected by a timing belt, which synchronizes or times their rotation.As you might expect, these strengthened belts see a lot of action — and wear.
When they fail, your car can be severely damaged.Because there are so many distinct accessory belt configurations, I’m going to talk about replacement in broad terms.For more information, consult your car’s owner’s manual or service manual.
1. Look at the front of the engine to determine what accessory belts the engine has. Make a drawing of them identifying what accessories they drive. (Some accessory belts will require that covers or brackets be moved first.)
2. To remove most accessory belts, look for and loosen the accessory’s adjustment. It’s typically located on a bracket that attaches the accessory to the engine. Only loosen and move the accessory enough to remove the belt, carefully watching and recording how the belt comes off.
3. Hold the old belt up to the new one to make sure that both are of the same size, width, thickness, and inner edge design. (Allow for minor stretching and wear of the old belt, however.)
4. Carefully thread the new belt on over the pulleys following the pattern of the old belt. Once in place, tighten the accessory adjustment according to the car manufacturer’s specifications. In most cases, the manufacturer will suggest a specific amount of slack in the belt.
5. Start the car and carefully view (don’t touch) the moving belt to make sure it is operating correctly.