Checking the Belts on Your Car
by All Vovo on 04/02/12
The Purpose of checking belts and hoses: Drive Belts provide power to engine-mounted accessories like the power-steering pump, air conditioning compressor, mechanical cooling fan, and air injection pump. Serpentine belts are now used on almost all vehicles.
Studies show that the chances of a drive belt failure rises dramatically after four years or 36,000 miles for V-belts, 50,000 to 70,000 miles for serpentine belts. This doesn't mean that the belts shouldn't be inspected before then, though. The belts should be checked every time the oil is changed to make sure they're okay and properly tightened (At All Vovo, this is something we pride ourselves in checking over THOROUGHLY for you). When checking V-belts, a slipping belt usually has shiny sidewalls (glazing) caused by heat from sliding in the pulleys. The glazing often causes a chattering, slapping or squealing noise. And, because the glazing hardens the belt, it's prone to cracking and early failure. Belt slippage often occurs because of low tension, the wrong belt, or grease/oil. The source of the oil or grease needs to be corrected before installing a new belt. A V-belt with any of these conditions should be replaced as soon as possible.
On serpentine belts, inspect the belt closely for any cracks in the ribbed area. Also check the backside of the belt for grooves, fraying, or splitting. Although random cracks across the ribs are a sign of normal belt wear and don't mean the belt will fail immediately, it's a good idea to replace the belt the next time your car is serviced.
Obviously, we want to provide information to any car owner. If you are reading this and happen to be a Volvo owner, you can rest assured that we will make sure to do all of the proper preventative checking and recommendation when you bring your vehicle by for any repair or service.
We hope you have seen some value in this post (and our other posts). Feel free to send us any other car or Volvo questions you have at: http://www.allvovo.com/Ask_Dr_Volvo.html
