Can a pulley make a car not start?
Hi – a failing idler pulley can certainly keep your alternator from charging properly, resulting in a dead battery, which would prevent the engine from starting of course. A slipping serpentine belt may or may not have turned on the “Battery” warning on your instrument panel.
How do you know if your serpentine belt is broken?
A broken serpentine belt may make a flopping or flapping sound under the hood if it’s frayed or completely breaks away….Other visual signs of serpentine belt issues include:
- Cracking.
- Abrasions.
- Rib separation.
- Uneven wear on ribs or belt.
- Malformation or melting.
What happens if a car starts without a serpentine belt?
Another problem which is the most concerning is that without a serpentine belt your water pump won’t be circulating coolant throughout your car’s engine. Without coolant circulating throughout your engine, it will heat up very quickly which can cause damage to your car’s engine.
Can a bad serpentine belt cause an AC pump to fail?
The AC pump often has its own smaller serpentine belt for just the AC pump in many car models, not in all of them, though. If you have a separate belt for the AC pump and it fails, everything else might work except the air condition. A lot of car models have the water pump powered by the serpentine belt.
Can a loose serpentine belt cause an alternator to whine?
If the belt is too loose to maintain grip on the alternator pulley, you may experience a similar symptom as a snapped belt. If you start to notice a whine from the engine that changes with engine speed, you may want to have the tension of the serpentine belt double checked.
Can a bad timing belt cause engine damage?
However, if the issue is due to the timing belt being broken, it may also result in other internal engine compartment damage. In many cases, the timing belt will break while the engine is running.
Another problem which is the most concerning is that without a serpentine belt your water pump won’t be circulating coolant throughout your car’s engine. Without coolant circulating throughout your engine, it will heat up very quickly which can cause damage to your car’s engine.
The AC pump often has its own smaller serpentine belt for just the AC pump in many car models, not in all of them, though. If you have a separate belt for the AC pump and it fails, everything else might work except the air condition. A lot of car models have the water pump powered by the serpentine belt.
If the belt is too loose to maintain grip on the alternator pulley, you may experience a similar symptom as a snapped belt. If you start to notice a whine from the engine that changes with engine speed, you may want to have the tension of the serpentine belt double checked.
Can a bad belt tensioner cause a car to break?
In more severe instances, a bad tensioner pulley can cause the drive belt to break. Since the belt tensioner keeps the proper spinning of the drive belts in the car’s engine, certain components or accessories may fail to operate if there’s a problem with the tensioner.