Belts
Every car has a water pump, a power-steering pump and
various accessories — all of which are powered by rubber drive belts. On
older cars, each of these components is driven by its own belt. On most
modern cars, all of these components are driven by one belt, called a
serpentine belt.
bad belt may look like
Belts in your car don't last forever. They wear out from use and
eventually crack and decay from ozone that's in the air. There is a new formula of belt coming out made from neoprene. These belts will not dryout and crack. They will wear out from the inside and need to be replaced to prevent movement on the pulleys. Interesting.
In case you are not sure, your vehicle
must be off to work on this or just about any other repair. Open your
hood, preferably with the engine cool enough to work. You should be able
to spot the fan belt fairly quickly. Your owner's manual may specify
this component so check the manual if you have trouble locating it. You will also need tools for this. If you do not have or can not borrow the tools, go to a repair shop to have the belt replaced. It will be less money for a new belt installed, than it would be to buy the parts and tools.
A
frayed fan belt can usually be pulled away or cut free. But regardless
of how you remove the existing belt, you will need to remove the large
nut that usually holds the assembly in place. You may need to use a
commercial spray that loosens recalcitrant hardware to get the retaining nut off with a socket
wrench (the size of wrench you need truly varies between vehicle
models). Once the nut is off, you can thread the new fan belt into place
and replace the bolt. Remember to consult your owner's manual as you
work. Sometimes, too, you will find an installation diagram either
packed into the fan belt box or right on the outside of the package. Use
it! One final note, however, that may prevent you from undertaking the
replacement of a fan belt yourself. On some vehicles, the fan belt is
not positioned in a way that makes it easy to access. I had one old GM
car that literally required you to jack up the vehicle, remove a front
wheel, and come at it from below. This is a nightmare and probably
should not be done by anyone other than a professional. While it's
possible to still replace it yourself, getting under a vehicle that is
jacked up is hazardous work and not recommended.