A bad belt or hose can hurt you! Suppose you knew there was a ticking time bomb under your hood. Would you keep on driving until it went off? A blown radiator hose or broken belt wont kill you, but it can certainly strand you in the middle of nowhere. (In these violent times that may just be a matter of life and death!) On some cars a broken timing belt can “DESTROY YOUR ENGINE IN AN INSTANT”, which will certainly hurt your wallet! Rubber goes bad with time regardless of mileage. Any car which has over 5 years or 90,000 kilometers should have every belt and hose replaced. INSPECT YOUR BELT! We check your belt or belts regularly every time we change your oil. Before you go on a long trip its a good idea to look for a bad belt or hose. Look for cracks on the inside of the belt: if you find any, we can replace it. If a belt squeals or makes noise, it usually the belt tensioners. If the tension is OK, a squeaky belt probably needs replacement, no matter how it looks. A hose usually swells, or gets soft or hardened. A hose normally fails next to the hose clamp, and usually on the engine side, because that side gets hotter. A good hose is flexible and free of swelling or cracks. Oil on a belt or hose is bad news: oil dissolves and softens rubber. This is one more reason to keep your engine clean! Belt Types Most cars have either a single serpentine belt (also called a multi-groove belt), or multiple vee belts. These are called accessory drive belts, since they drive the alternator, air conditioning compressor, and sometimes the water pump, among other accessories. The serpentine or multi-groove belt is flat with 3 to 6 grooves. Most new cars have this type of belt. The older style vee belt is narrower and thicker than a multi-groove belt, and has a vee shaped cross section. Some cars have 2 or more serpentine (multi-groove) belts, or a combination of vee and serpentine belts. Motors with timing belts have a belt called a Cog Belt, or Gilmer Belt connecting the crankshaft to the camshaft. Sometimes this belt also drives the water pump, or oil pump, or balance shaft(s). When a timing belt breaks it can destroy your motor instantly!!! Belt service Most new serpentine belt equipped cars have a spring loaded belt tensioners and no service is needed besides replacement when cracks develop. Other cars, and all vee belt applications, may need periodic re-tensioning of the belt. The most noticeable symptom of a loose belt is a squealing from under the hood, often while parallel parking (loose power steering belt), or when you turn the A/C on (loose air conditioner compressor belt). Bad Hose Symptoms The SECOND most obvious symptom of bad hoses is green or orange spots on your driveway, overheating, and a constant need to add radiator coolant. The MOST obvious symptom is smoke coming out from under your hood as you stand by the side of the road waiting on a tow truck. Before any of these symptoms occur, bad hoses develop cracks, and soft spots. Like all rubber stuff hoses dont like oil, we’ll examine any hoses that have gotten oil on them carefully. This is one good reason for keeping your engine clean. If a hose has gotten oily or if it feels softer, or even just different from the rest of the hose, you should REPLACE IT! Color Coding If you see spots on your driveway the color can tell you whats leaking: Heres the color code GREEN, ORANGE, OR RUSTY WATER means an engine coolant leak. DARK BROWN TO BLACK SPOTS are engine oil leaks RED TO BROWNISH RED SPOTS are transmission fluid leaks NOTE: Front wheel drive vehicles and many others have rubber transmission cooler lines which can go bad: look for cracks and leaks at the connections RED, AMBER, DARK GREEN spots can be power steering fluid CLEAR WATER can leak from under a car as normal operation. The most common is the air conditioner: it can drip out an impressive amount of water. Some body panels on a car have drain holes: rainwater can drain out of them for a few minutes after you park. Dont break down! We’ll check your belts and hoses condition regularly, & every oil change at no extra charge! Oil and filter change under $30.00 including taxes for most vehicles, no appointment necessary! Contact Claude American Graffiti Automotive Garage 416 McArthur Ave Ottawa 613-744-0746
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 20:00:18 +0000
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