What to do if the alternator belt breaks on the road

Author: Ivan Baranov

Many drivers, due to their carelessness, may miss the moment of replacing the alternator belt and, as a result, it may break. This happens rarely, but it does happen. What should you do if you don’t have a replacement drive at hand, but you need to somehow get to your home or service station? What could be the consequences? This situation is undesirable, but not critical.

In order to decide what to do in this situation, you need to know what this node is intended for and how it functions. It’s not difficult and every car enthusiast should have an idea, even the most superficial one.

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Extending the life of the alternator belt

So, in order for the alternator belt to last a long time, you need to take care of it. Carefully check for debris and dirt in the belt tracks. Check the tension of the alternator belt promptly and carefully. A properly tensioned alternator belt should rotate 90 degrees. A too-tightened alternator belt will quickly become unusable and lead to a series of breakdowns. The consequences of a tightened belt can be sad. This is mainly the failure of the bearings of the generator, pump, air conditioning clutch and power steering. If the alternator belt is not tightened, the belt may squeak when the headlights or air conditioning are turned on, that is, when a load appears on the belt, it will slip along the pulley, which will quickly render it unusable. It is advisable to buy belts from trusted manufacturers and only ones suitable for a car of a specific brand. It is not recommended to install used belts.

The drive belt has broken - what could be the consequences and what should be done?

A drive belt (alternator belt) is found in any modern car. Unlike the timing system, here we see a standard solution for all cars. The belt is made of fairly durable materials; depending on the model, it can have different sizes and shapes of “streams”. Over time, the product wears out, becomes defective, and may even break. In such a situation, many car enthusiasts begin to worry about the condition of expensive car components. In this article, I decided to talk about what the consequences of a broken drive belt may be, and what needs to be done in such a situation.

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The drive belt serves to transmit torque from the engine to various moving elements of the car.

.
First of all, it is necessary to ensure the functionality of the generator
, which provides electrical energy for the functioning of important systems.
The drive belt is also used when operating the air conditioning system and power steering
. There is no specific service life for the product; it is usually replaced when significant damage occurs.

But the drive belt can break even with low mileage. This is often due to poor quality components, installation errors, or technical fluids getting onto the surface. As a result, the belt begins to delaminate and tear.

. In this situation, it is important to take steps to avoid future repair problems.

It is easy to determine if there are problems with the drive belt if the car is equipped with power steering

.
If it breaks, the power steering will stop working, which will inevitably affect the force when acting on the steering wheel. Also, the air conditioner and generator will not function, and uncharacteristic sounds will be heard from the engine compartment
.
In this case, it is recommended to stop in a safe place and check the condition of the belt. The belt can come off if one of the rollers gets stuck
. Such a malfunction requires replacing the roller with a new one.

If the drive belt breaks, then do not immediately sound the alarm. This malfunction does not cause any significant harm to other elements of the car.

, they will simply stop working temporarily.
At the same time, the generator will stop producing energy, so you cannot delay in fixing the problem. If the drive belt breaks on a long journey, you should evaluate the possibility of getting to the nearest car service center
.
Modern cars, provided they use a good battery, can travel about 40 kilometers without a generator
.
to turn off all on-board systems
(audio system, heater/air conditioning, headlights, etc.)
if possible If the nearest car service center is too far away, then you can use improvised means to temporarily replace the drive belt. Stockings or strong rope work well for these purposes
.

Source

Reasons why the alternator belt breaks

There are a huge number of reasons why the alternator belt breaks. It is not always possible to predict a broken alternator belt. Therefore, you should carefully monitor the technical condition of the car.

Aging

The main reason for a broken alternator belt is aging. During its service life, the belt experiences enormous loads, from mechanical to thermal. Over time, the elasticity of the belt is lost; it becomes rougher and more fragile; cracks appear, resulting in breakage.

Old belt with cracks

Seized bearings

Another very common problem with a broken generator belt is jamming of the bearings of the mechanisms that drive the generator belt. For example, such as a generator, pump, air conditioning compressor, power steering, etc. To prevent the belt from breaking for this reason, you should listen to the operation of the engine and, if noise appears, eliminate the cause of the noise.

Broken alternator belt

Foreign objects getting under the belt

While driving on the roads, you can often notice various debris or something similar on the road. All this can cause the generator belt to break. Quite often there are cases when stones or sticks get under the generator belt, as a result of which the belt experiences overvoltage and breaks. The same can happen if the car is driven through deep snow, water or mud. In order to avoid such a set of circumstances, it is not recommended to drive without protective boots and generator casings.

How can you tell if the alternator belt is broken?

You can determine that the alternator belt has broken by the following signs:

1. The low battery icon appears on the control panel. This indicator lights up because the generator unit or battery is not functioning properly.

2. Malfunctions of external lighting devices. If the driver takes his foot off the gas pedal, the headlights begin to shine dimmer; when the gas is pressed, the brightness of the optical instruments is restored.

What to do when the tension weakens?

When the belt loosens, you need to tighten the tension rollers with a wrench. Since the generator unit is equipped with several rollers, each of them allows you to set the desired degree of tension. However, full tension to the stop is not recommended, as this will lead to faster wear of the product.

What happens when a belt breaks?

If the drive belt breaks, the user may encounter the following problems:

1. The generator set will not be able to power the vehicle's electrical system, including all equipment and appliances.

2. All voltage consumers begin to be powered directly from the battery.

3. If the car is equipped with a power steering drive belt and an air conditioning system, then a breakage of the product will lead to the fact that these systems will not work. The power steering pump and the climate control clutch will stop functioning.

What to do when the alternator belt breaks on the road

The first thing you should do is not panic, because there is a way out of any situation. If you are in the city or not far from an auto parts store. You can get to the store without an alternator belt, but you first need to assess the situation.

Some vehicles use an alternator belt drive to rotate the coolant circulation pump. Therefore, if on your car the coolant circulation pump is driven by the alternator belt drive, then driving without an alternator belt on such a car is strictly PROHIBITED . If you start driving such a car, the engine will inevitably overheat and fail.

The engine on which the alternator belt rotates the coolant pump

If the pump on the car is rotated by the timing belt drive, then you can safely continue driving on the battery. For a longer trip, you must turn off all electrical equipment of the car, i.e. turn off the headlights (if you are driving at night, you can turn off one right headlight and continue driving with one headlight, this will save battery power), the interior heater, music, etc. On a well-charged battery, you can travel up to 50 km.

Timing belt broke

When the timing belt breaks, the car immediately stalls, because it synchronizes the operation of the engine’s crankshaft and camshaft. And when you try to start the car, a broken timing belt reveals itself by turning the engine too easily. Well, the most accurate way to determine a break is to look (of course, if you have: minimal experience, opportunity and tools; sometimes the belt is tightly closed with numerous plastic covers).

The following reasons can lead to a broken timing belt:

The timing belt breaks are caused by almost the same reasons as the alternator belt breaks:

• natural wear of the belt , because The timing belt is one of the most important elements, the breakdown of which can lead to serious consequences. It is necessary to strictly adhere to the replacement deadlines, in accordance with the maintenance regulations of a particular vehicle.
• defective belt or Chinese manufacturer.
• malfunction of rollers and tensioners, pumps

Broken timing belt, what are the consequences?

In modern engines, a broken timing belt in almost 95% of cases will lead to serious damage to the power unit, such as bending valves, breaking valve guides, breaking camshaft beds or puncturing a piston. Although, of course, there are designs with protection against timing belt breakage, and you will get by with “little loss” - just install the timing belt, without repairing components and assemblies.

Tools at hand instead of a belt

The alternator belt can be replaced with improvised means that are found in every car and used as a belt.

Handy tools that can be used to replace the alternator belt:

• nylon tights
• tape or tape
• rope
• lumbar belt

Rope instead of generator belt

In order to replace the alternator belt with improvised means, you do not need any special skills in car repair.

Nylon tights and tape are wound on the pulleys where the generator belt should be and tied into a knot; you can drive on such a belt of tights or tape for up to 100 km, after which a break is inevitable. All these items can be used to get to the nearest auto parts store or service station where your car will be restored to good condition.

What to do if the belt breaks?

If the alternator belt breaks, you need to do the following:

• The car is placed on a flat surface in a garage with a pit or on an overpass; you need to put chocks under the wheels. The parking brake is lifted and first gear is engaged. The engine compartment of the car is opened and the battery is disconnected.
• Use a wrench to loosen the nut of the adjusting bar installed on it (this will free the generator unit). The nut is not completely unscrewed.
• Then the nut used to secure the generator unit at the top is loosened (until the unit can rotate freely).
• Then the generator unit is moved to the side and the torn belt is removed.
• A new product is being installed. First, the belt must be placed on the crankshaft, and then on the generator set pulley. If the car has a carburetor and is equipped with rear-wheel drive, the last thing the drive unit is put on is the pump.
• After installation, you need to substitute a small piece of pipe or a wrench (gas) wrench to bend the assembly away from the motor. This must be done in order to tension the product. At this time, an assistant must tighten the nut located on the adjusting bar at the bottom of the generator.
• Then the battery is reconnected, after which the engine compartment is closed.

How far can you travel?

The number of kilometers a car can travel depends on two factors:

• battery charge level (the mileage of a car with a charged battery increases to several tens of kilometers);
• the number of electrical devices and equipment connected while driving that can discharge the battery.

What to do if the car won't start?

If the vehicle engine does not start, you need to do the following:

• Charge the battery. Since starting the engine is often impossible due to a low battery, recharging the device will temporarily solve the problem.
• You should try to start the engine using a pushrod.
• Replace the drive belt and move on.
• If there are no auto stores nearby, then you can install a handy product instead of the strap, which will allow you to briefly replace its function. These include durable women's stockings, men's belts, ties, ropes, and inner tubes from bicycle wheels.

Video “Instructions for replacing the alternator belt yourself”

Using the example of VAZ Samara cars from the 2110 family, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a detailed guide on how to replace the alternator belt with your own hands (the material was filmed and made public by the channel In Sandro’s Garage).

Many motorists will be interested to know why the alternator belt breaks. There may be several reasons that initiate a break; the owner will have to be careful to determine why exactly it breaks. Otherwise, no budget will support constant purchases of belts, and no one will want to change it every time.