Preventative Maintenance For Your Vehicles Belts
The best reason to embark on a maintenance program for your vehicle is to save yourself both money and time. You can save money by avoiding expensive repairs and you can save time by not needed to wait for repairs to be done. Checking your motor oil and changing it as required is one of the basic aspects of vehicle maintenance. It is also important to ensure that the tread of your tires has no cracks or wear, and that your tires are filled to the correct air pressure at all times. Finally, make sure to keep a periodic check on the belts in your vehicle.
Checking your vehicle’s belts:
Whether the belts are visibly showing signs of wear and tear they should be changed at the sixty-thousand mile tune-up. Your mechanic should not charge you any additional labor charges to do so as changing the timing belt is already part of the service.
To check the belts yourself, first you need to be sure the engine is not running. Both the engine and the belts themselves must be cool before you reach under the hood. When you’re ready to begin, open the hood by first pulling the hood release located beneath the dashboard and then either squeezing or sliding the latch under the hood itself.
As you look into the engine from the front of the vehicle you will see there are belts in front of the vehicle’s engine The engine’s orientation depends on whether your vehicle is rear or front wheel drive. In rear wheel drive vehicles the engine is set closer to the front, whereas the engine is set further back in front wheel drive vehicles.
How many belts are there?
The number of belts to be checked will depend on the make and model of the vehicle. The belts are called drive belts because the drive various components of the vehicle’s operations like the power steering pump, the water pump, the smog pump, the alternator and the fan. You will find at least two belts on your vehicle. Depending in the make and model, there may be more. Each belt runs over a pulley. As you locate them, press lightly in the middle of the longest part of the belt with your thumb to test the tension. Look at the owner’s manual for your vehicle to see how much give in the belt should have. In most cases, pressing gently should cause the belt to give less than an inch.
While you are checking for the give in the belt you can inspect it for any signs that it is beginning to crack or dry out. You will probably notice a little bit of cracking and this is fine but there should not be chunks missing. Don’t worry if you notice a rust color on the belt, as this is also normal. Many belts, especially the one for the air conditioning clutch, can rust over time due to the dust created as it operates. The dust does not do any damage. If you find obvious signs of wear, or the belt seems to have too much give, then you will need to have the belt replaced before it breaks. A screeching sound when you hit the gas is an indication that the belt is too lose. In this case, the belt will need to either be replaced or tightened. A broken belt can be a costly repair.
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