Belt(s) broke while driving!

[ratatouille]

quick question for you all. On the road on Vancouver island currently, when both ac belt and power steering belt shredded and came off. Just put new belts on about 2 months ago. alternator belt seems to be ok for now. Am I ok to limp back home 2500 miles?....if not how far can I get ? In port Albania at moment and was hoping to get back to the states to access my funds and can pick up new belts somewhere along the way ...(Visa card not working in Canada ..only about 100 in cash on hand )..

What are the part numbers for the 3 belts on the van?

thanks!

[llamavan]

People have run without either P/S or A/C belts. Your steering will be stiffer (most noticeable in 4WD) and of course the A/C won't work. Keep a sharp eye on that remaining belt, though. It's essential. I never travel anywhere without a spare, FWIW.

Gwen

[timsrv]

I used to get all my belts from Toyota until the water pump belt became NLA. After that I started using Gates belts and I think they rival Toyota or might possible be better (They are certainly cheaper). Gates part numbers I use are:

Gates #25-050323 Alternator/water pump belt

Gates #9360 Air conditioning belt

Gates #9415 Power steering belt

[ratatouille]

Thanks for the advice. I decided to drive on after everything else looked status quo and getting your response. Man, belts coming off and flying around underneath your seat is not a pleasant experience...I made it across back to the states to access my funds and get new belts. But I was boggled why the belts came off. They are new belts recently put on, and no ceased pulleys or anything. Everything seems to be spinning freely and straight. Tension was normal before I left on trip. So I was worried to put the new ones on risking them coming off again with worse results like taking the alternator belt out too. So I drove on keeping an eye on things. I drove all the way home to Huntington Beach with out either belts (about 2500 miles) . My arms and back are tweaked from the windy parts of road, but glad I made it home.

Any thoughts on how the belts failed? Defective belt?

[timsrv]

Could have been a defective belt. When one comes off it can easily take another with it. Sometimes flukes just happen, so as long as everything else looks good I wouldn't worry about it too much. If it ever happens again I would certainly scrutinize everything. Were you using AC at the time? Tim

PS: Make sure both idler pulleys have no excessive wobbling and they spin freely/quietly. Another common issue is having the power steering pulley installed backwards. It will actually slide right on backwards, but this will make it about 1/2" out of alignment with the other pulleys. I've seen this mistake several times. Tim

[ratatouille]

Came across a the thread a while back that talked about the idler pulleys getting put on backwards, so when I was putting mine back on at the time after replacing bearing, I made sure it was on right.

Yes, I believe I was running ac when belts came off. If it makes any diffrence after a close look at the belts, it seems the power steering belt is the most chewed up and shredded. Makes me think that one came off first, but who knows.

[timsrv]

I was referring to the actual power steering pump pulley (the big one that sits on the pump shaft). These can be installed backwards. When this happens it's far enough off that you can tell by eyeballing it. Tim

[drew]

Heard a noise this morning. Subtle low pitched squak/rumble.

On the way home the noise got loud. Got really loud then alternator belt snapped and engine cut off.

Looked and saw coolant leaking too.

Did my water pump just go out?

Started back up, made it a few more blocks to the garage.

[swamptony]

Sure sounds like it. Is there any play in your fan? I read in another thread that if your fan can move laterally at all, it's a tell-tale sign that your pump gave way. Give it a good push/pull, and see if you can see the shaft it's connected to move a little bit too. I think just a little play in that is all it takes for coolant to seep out.

I've got a similar rumble that I suspect to be my water pump too. Thanks for letting me know what might happen if I ignore it any longer haha - got the water pump and fan clutch coming in tomorrow so looking to make that repair this weekend. Will let you know if that fixes it for me.

-T

[drew]

UPDATE:

Been busy so the van has been sitting.

Quick look and noticed the alternator does not rotate. Tried to turn it with my hand, and it feels stuck.

I think what happend is my alternator seized somehow and snapped the belt that also rotates the water pump. Then the engine overheated because of no water pump and the overflow tank began gushing.

The motor started no problem and I do not hear the original sound that I thought was the water pump.

Will replace alternator and belt then update again.

[originalkwyjibo]

If that's a Denso alternator you may want to think about putting new bearings in it and putting it back in. The aftermarket alternator drama is a road I wish I'd never started down but I didn't know any better fifteen years ago.

[drew]

Up and running with a new alternator.